Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai Beaches, Dubai, Middle East

If you believe in first impressions, then you'll be blown away by the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira. The hotel's lobby is dominated by the Forest of Lights, a dazzling avenue of bronze-cast trees covered in leaf-shaped bulbs lit up like fireflies. They enticingly lead you out to the beach, where they're replaced by rows of tall palm trees flanking one of the resort's five pools. The Mandarin Oriental's entrance only sets the tone for the rest of the hotel, where marble is decadently used throughout and floor-to-ceiling windows mean your eyes are always drawn to the glittering sea.

As you'd expect in a Mandarin Oriental, the service from the blue fedora-wearing staff is impeccable and the attention to detail razor sharp but, like the hotel's lavish design, never overbearing. It even seems to get its seafront location spot on, fronting a private cashmere-soft beach and sitting within a 20-minute drive of modern attractions like the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall and the historic neighbourhoods which flank the Dubai Creek area. No stone has been left unturned.