The first Dior Spa in the Middle East has opened today, and the brand has chosen Dubai for its debut in the region.
Only the fifth Dior Spa in the world, find it on the 29th floor of The Lana hotel, itself another new addition to Dubai and another highly-anticipated debut, this time for the Dorchester Collection.
In this dynamic, ever-changing city, it can be easy to lose track of the best places to stay, eat and play – but you can be sure they’re opening in droves. My most recent visit was proof of this; I experienced two new places to stay, ate and drank in three new restaurants, and took in the city’s famous skyline – the Burj Khalifa version – from a whole new perspective. This is how to see and do Dubai in a brand new way in 2024.
Stay at The Lana
The Lana by the Dorchester Collection is one of Dubai’s most hyped new hotels, and for good reason. It comes with all the opulence you might expect – from both the city and the brand – yet leans on the Dorchester Collection’s global ethos to embody a sense of quiet luxury in a city that, frankly, so often displays the opposite.
Yes, you’ll spot a hotel-owned Rolls-Royce Phantom parked outside, but this is a space that has steered away from in-your-face glitz, in favour of an understated elegance. The lobby, which you’re welcomed into by burgundy-clad, top-hatted doormen, is your first taste of it.
The spacious interiors here – and throughout the hotel – are designed by Gilles & Boissier, who are also responsible for those at Mandarin Oriental Marrakech and Ritz Carlton New York. A three-metre tall flower arrangement (a signature touch of Dorchester Collection hotels) is one of the first details on display as you enter, before your eyes are swiftly drawn to a large, gold, honeycomb-inspired piece of art by Sophie Coryndon; it’s similar to a piece on display in sister hotel, The Dorchester, London. Following the bee-inspired theme, a small bar, Bitter Honey, is discreetly tucked away nearby, seating only 20 guests who become spectators to the in-house mixologist as he shakes up honey-based cocktails from a small trolley. The check-in desk, too, hides, just out of sight. This is a relaxed space, one designed to be lived in, rather than transactional.
The overriding statement of The Lana is its large, floor-to-ceiling windows that perfectly frame the city’s most iconic landmark, the Burj Khalifa. It’s a statement (and a view) that follows you throughout the hotel. It can be seen from the new Dior Spa, as well as from my bedroom where a set of double doors swing open to reveal a large window-wall that leads to a balcony and centres the celebrated tower. As impressive as it is, the view from my room has nothing on the vista from the hotel’s rooftop on the 30th floor. From here, you’ll see the same skyline, but this time highlighted by an infinity pool stretching out below it. Dubai is a city with plenty of rooftop bars and pools, but this one premieres high on a list with the best of them.
Eat at The Lana
The 30th floor is also home to a new restaurant: the appropriately named High Society. Curated by Michelin-starred chef, Jean Imbert, this casual but elegant dining space is ideally visited come evening; arrive in time to enjoy sunset over plates piled high with oysters and caviar, and served alongside drinks inspired by ancient sun-worshipping cultures, the Incas, Ancient Greeks and Ancient Egyptians. The Cleopatra Glow with cinnamon vodka, Cocchi Rosa, Campari, roasted red onion, hibiscus and oat milk is a sunset-ready choice.
Chef Jean Imbert also leads the menu at Riviera, the hotel’s all-day restaurant where you might nibble on an à la carte breakfast of eggs and croissants or Arabic favourites such as shakshuka, and a lunch of Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as lobster salad, ratatouille tart or veal parmigiana. But the hotel’s dining experiences don’t end here; on the 18th floor is Jara by 12 Michelin-starred chef Martín Berasategui, it’s an ode to Basque cuisine, the place he calls home. And, if you’re lucky, you may score a night at invite-only, Txakolina, a hidden cigar lounge reserved for those in-the-know.
Stay At Sea
Many a Dubai weekend is spent at sea; hiring a yacht for an afternoon is a popular pastime with both residents and visitors. But less charter one for the duration of their stay. Luxury yacht owner, Aaron Fidler, wants this to change. After a 2023 refit, his 136-foot yacht, AK Royalty, is available for charters in the Arabian Sea. And, unlike The Lana, it won’t take long for you to realise that a stay on board is far from understated.
AK Royalty, with a gold-painted exterior (and not just any gold but the, very real, 24-carat gold) and an interior kitted out with Fendi bed sheets and Dior throws, is a yacht that is screaming to be seen. But its substance goes well beyond the gold. There’s a hot tub on board alongside sundecks, an open-air cinema on request, an outdoor gym, a DJ console, and space for a dance floor (ask and they’ll tender in a DJ, too). You’ll also be hard-pushed to find a yacht with more toys, which range from jet skis and seabobs (both gold, of course) to a floating trampoline, stand up paddle boards, flyboards, snorkelling gear and more. Getting from yacht to water to play with it all is best achieved via the 10-and-a-half-metre inflatable water slide.
Eat at Sea
On board dining goes above and beyond what you might expect. Each and every meal, the dining table is piled high with the signature dishes of Dubai-based Italian chef, Luca Napoleone. Crowd-pleasers include barbecued meats, freshly-caught sea food, the burrata salad, and a bougatsa so tasty it was like it had just been flown in from Greece. Though his dishes speak for themselves, Napoleone’s former position as private chef for the Abu Dhabi royal family confirms his mastery.
While chef Napoleone specialises in Mediterranean dishes, he has a team of experts on call to whip up any cuisine or dishes you might fancy. Oh, and the gold-theme isn’t forgotten during meal time either. Sip your wine of choice from a golden-coloured flute, and take a careful look inside your morning cappuccino; you’ll spot real gold flakes topping it too. Who needs cinnamon anyway.
Elsewhere in Dubai
Stay
In a city always innovating, new openings – be they hotels, restaurants, bars or things to do – are seemingly never ending. Other just-opened hotels in Dubai include the One&Only One Za’abeel which saw J-Lo, Mark Ronson, Idris Elba and Nancy Ajram perform at its opening ceremony, as well as Five Luxe JBR which opened on 31 March 2024. Mama Shelter, Fairmont Dubai Skyline, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab and Mandarin Oriental Wasl Tower are all set to welcome guests by the end of 2024.
Eat
For new dining options, try Qabo by Paco Morales at One&Only One Za’abeel (he also has a restaurant at the recently-opened One&Only in Athens), and look out for upcoming launches from Indian fine-dining restaurant, Jamavar (June 2024); Almayass by the Sea, a Lebanese-Armenian restaurant that has already made waves in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia (September 2024); Mexican dishes at Gitano (September 2024); and two new openings from Swedish chef and former football player, Björn Frantzén – Studio Frantzén and Restaurant Frantzén (October 2024).
Do
Once you’ve whizzed up to the Burj Khalifa’s viewing deck on the 125th floor, shopped your way around the 1,200 stores in The Dubai Mall, and lazed on some of the city’s impressive beaches, take the time to delve into the rich Arab and Emirati culture. Discover the ancient art of Arabic perfume making at Al Shindaga Perfume House; learn about the bedouin lifestyle as you navigate the emirate’s vast desert with Platinum Heritage; join a tour of Jumeriah Mosque with the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding; and get your caffeine fix at Dubai Coffee Museum, housed inside a former traditional home with an Emirati-style majlis. Elsewhere, look to the future at the 2022-opened Museum of the Future which imagines life in Dubai in 2071, or visit Arte Dubai, an immersive exploration of art produced by Korean digital media group, d’strict, which, like The Lana, opened in February 2024.
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