Dubai and Oman

Dubai builds hotels the way other cities build monuments: tall, polished and rarely modest. The result is a coast of large resorts with private beaches, cooled pools and children's clubs, which makes the city a reliable choice for families and for anyone who wants a transfer waiting at the aircraft door. Oman, a few hours east by road, is the quiet counterweight. Its best houses sit in wadis and on remote bays, built low from stone and timber, with nothing louder than the tide.

The pairing works because each supplies what the other lacks. Regulars fly into Dubai in the cool months from November to March, spend two nights in the city, then drive across the border to the Musandam fjords or down to Muscat. Insiders check whether the resort has its own beach rather than a shuttle to one, and book Oman's mountain lodges well ahead, since they rarely have more than a few dozen rooms.