SO/ Uptown Dubai

What sets it apart is the view and the room size. Rooms range from 40–50 sqm, generous for an urban hotel, and look out over the Dubai Marina skyline or the Jumeirah Islands. The spa sits on the 34th floor, with views of the islands.

For a couple, the Collection Room is a good fit — a 40 sqm corner room with a rain shower and bathtub — or a 42–50 sqm Studio with a marina or island view. All standard rooms take up to 2 guests. A family will need a suite: the 67 sqm Atelier Suite for up to 3 guests, or the 107 sqm Couture Suite with 2 bedrooms for up to 4. Connecting rooms are also available, and a baby crib is provided free of charge, subject to availability.

The pool, Lazuli, is a heated outdoor pool with a swim-up bar, open daily 10:00–22:00. Uptown Spa is open daily 11:00–20:00, and the hotel has a gym. There's no kids' club, but the restaurants offer a kids' menu along with vegetarian, gluten-free and halal dishes.

The restaurants: Brasserie Uptown, a French-European brasserie with a breakfast buffet from 7:00, and Citronelle, a pan-Asian restaurant with sushi, dim sum and a Friday evening brunch. In the evening, the Savant⁶ cocktail bar runs until 1:00. Another bar, Celeste, is temporarily closed. Room service operates 24 hours.

The downside: there's no beach, and the hotel isn't on the Marina or JBR promenade. The DMCC metro station is about a 10-minute walk away, less convenient than hotels right by the station. Standard rooms take only 2 guests, so a family with children will need a suite or connecting rooms.