Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Barsha Heights

A couple will be comfortable in a 33-sqm Superior Room or a 38-sqm Premium Room, which also has a bathtub. Three adults and a child can take the 57-sqm Suite, with a separate living room and pool view. For a large family, or a long stay, there's the Two Bedroom Apartment: 91 sqm, two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchenette, for up to 4 adults and 2 children. The 46-sqm Studio Apartment includes a kitchenette, and the Executive rooms and lounge-access suites give access to the business lounge.

Families get a kids' club and a temperature-controlled outdoor pool on level 1, with a shallow section, a deep section and a lifeguard, open 7:00 AM–10:00 PM. The hotel has no beach, but there's a free shuttle to JBR beaches and Mall of the Emirates, plus a beach kit with an umbrella, mat, towels and a cooler. Next to the spa there's a gym with cardio and strength equipment, a sauna and steam rooms.

The hotel has 5 dining and drinking venues. Channels is the all-day restaurant, with a buffet, à la carte dishes and live cooking stations, and it's where breakfast is served. The Italian Prego's suits families and has outdoor seating. Nelson's is a British-style pub on the ground floor, with sports on screens and a billiards table. The Terrace is an open-air bar on level 1, and Connexions in the lobby serves coffee, pastries and sandwiches.

The downside: the hotel isn't connected to a mall and has no beach. Mall of the Emirates is about 3 km from the hotel, Dubai Marina about 4.6 km, and Palm Jumeirah about 5 km, so you'll usually need a shuttle, taxi or car. The nearest metro station, Dubai Internet City, is about a 13-minute walk. From DXB Airport it's 25–30 minutes. Pets are not accepted at the hotel.