2 Best Hotels in World Trade Centre Area and Burj Dubai, Dubai

Bab al Shams, translating as "doorway to the sun," is a five-star adobe brick oasis, a vision you'd expect to find on the edges of the Sahara desert, or perhaps as a set for a movie. The hotel is low-rise and melds with the dunes, scattering rooms and suites around courtyards with a continuous falaj system, ponds, desert gardens, and the spectacular pool area. Rooms are large, decorated in sandy tones with deep red Persian carpets, dark-wood furniture, and cool stone floors. The connecting bathrooms are cavernlike, with these sandy stone tones continued, and a bath large enough for three. On-site dining is very good, in particular, the all-out Middle-Eastern feasting venue at Al Hadheera, or the rooftop terrace and pizzeria (La Dune).

This is just one of many very reasonably priced hotels to open recently in Dubai, making a shopping stopover accessible to all budgets. The Hilton Garden Inn is very comfortable, with spacious rooms, sheets with a high thread count, and light neutral furnishings. Public areas are minimalist, as is the connecting restaurant. The family packages, queen rooms with fold-out sofa bed, and on-site pool make this a good choice for families. Ski Dubai is also close by.