Dubai

Dubai has built its identity around the idea that architecture should be noticed. Within a few generations, a small Gulf trading settlement became a global city of supertall towers, artificial islands and some of the world’s most ambitious engineering. Yet the more interesting architectural story is broader than the skyline. The wind towers and coral-stone houses of historic neighbourhoods such as Al Fahidi reveal how buildings once responded naturally to the desert climate, while contemporary architects are rediscovering courtyards, shade and regional materials. Alongside the spectacle, a quieter generation of galleries, cultural spaces and design-led projects is giving Dubai a more nuanced architectural identity.

Food and drink are among the best ways to understand how international the city really is. Emirati traditions sit within a culinary landscape shaped by communities from India, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Philippines and across the wider Middle East and Asia. Some of Dubai’s most rewarding meals are found far from the luxury hotels, in modest restaurants serving dishes brought here through generations of migration. At the other extreme, the city has developed an extraordinary concentration of ambitious restaurants and international chefs, while independent coffee culture and increasingly sophisticated bars provide alternatives to the familiar rooftop glamour.

Dubai’s most interesting hotels range from genuine architectural landmarks and desert retreats to smaller properties that look beyond gold, marble and conventional ideas of Gulf luxury. The best use architecture, art, landscape and food to create a stronger sense of place rather than simply another extravagant backdrop. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where design, culture and Dubai’s restless ambition come together—hotels that prove one of the world’s most spectacular cities becomes considerably more interesting when you look beyond the spectacle.