Luxury Travel to Dubai

In a city characterised by luxury and excess, Urbane Nomads' definition of a luxury tour  (or response to all this luxury and excess) to Dubai isn't characterized by even greater luxury but rather an interpretation that's refreshingly pared-down and takes you away from all the excess characterizing Dubai.

For first-timers or transitory stays, it could start at the wonderfully chic Park Hyatt Dubai, oozing luxury in pared-down, contemporary terms or a getaway to a hotel with some 300 horses (and 4 polo fields!) , creating a trip that feels other-worldly and almost sub-urban Dubai without missing out on any of the shopping in downtown Dubai should you so feel the need to partake of the one activity that the Gulf state is known for. Luxury is about being able to get away from it all- on your own terms. This could mean time away in the luxury malls that Dubai is famous for mid-afternoon, some campy fun dining in the Burj Al-Arab by early evening, before returning for a relaxing post-dinner drinks back at your hotel.

Or do as the locals do and take to the desert- riding spectacular Arab horses that the Middle East is so famous for, trying your hand at falconeering whilst based at one of the top luxury tented accommodations in the desert, possibly anywhere in the world.

As we'd arranged our itineraries, Dubai is hardly ever the destination and frequently the transitory point for a larger adventure- en route to Oman, for example, into the Empty Quarters a la Wilfred Thesiger, or Iran, to trace its various mighty civilisations. For trips with Dubai as a destination unto itself, we recommend short getaways to Oman, Abu Dhabi (and increasingly, Ras-Al Khaimah as the infrastructure for luxury tourism increases) and definitely, the desert that remains a stunning effort in conservation in the area.

Luxury travel to Dubai could also consist of a larger cruise itinerary, with Dubai being one of the stopovers.