Jumeirah Beach Residence

Dubai’s Ritz-Carlton has a lot to offer, even beyond what you’d expect (excellent service, abundant amenities, generally luxurious furnishings, etc.). For starters, the location is hard to beat: it’s situated in JBR—super close to the water—which means that addition to being beautiful, it’s in a very walkable part of Dubai (slightly removed but close to the center of beach activity) that’s brimming with energy. Their restaurant, Blue Jade, is a next-level sushi restaurant that is a draw independent of the hotel. Plus, the Ritz-Carlton is one of several great places to try a lavish Dubai afternoon tea situation—their bar, Lobby Lounge, serves tea daily from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., which means you can opt into a full experience that includes decadent bites ranging from éclairs to smoked salmon rillettes (and whiskey flights, if that’s more your thing).

We could wax poetic for a while about the food—which is an incredible offering of elevated Italian food that includes everything you’d hope for, from super-fresh salads and seafood dishes to homemade fresh pasta—but the real draw here is the restaurant itself, which is a beautiful multi-level space with beach views. It’s somehow both laid-back and upscale at once; the more family-friendly option is to opt for a table upstairs on the terrace, where you can order wood-fired pizza. Downstairs, you’ll find both a main dining room and a large, tree-adorned patio space where you can order from the full menu.

This bar and grill, which operates out of a hotel garage, is run by Montreal native Joey Ghazal, who's attempting to create a casual, laid-back vibe that's unlike anything else you can find in Dubai. Unsurprisingly, Dubai’s younger crowd are on-board with the concept—you'll routinely find them bellied up to the extra long bar sipping on cocktails. The family-style menu features all the brasserie standards, including a three-tier seafood tower, and there's a pages-long cigar menu, too.

The Ritz Carlton is one of the only hotels in this neighborhood that's not a skyscraper, so the inviting gardens and terraces on ground level are reason enough to check it out. Chef Ta Van's menu features dishes inspired by his Vietnamese grandmother’s recipes, weaving in flavors from Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and China (and complemented by a ridiculously good sake). Ask for a table with an ocean view, on the terrace.

Dubai's Marina has become one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods—a lot of young expats live here—in part because the area, including the adjacent JBR, is so walkable, in a city that has typically revolved around drivers. To orient yourself: The Marina is the section that hugs the main Sheikh Zayed Road on one side and the interior waterway on the other. There are a few footbridges that connect the Marina to Jumeirah Beach Residence (called JBR), which is on the gulf side. The Walk at JBR is the name of the outdoor shopping promenade strip of Jumeirah Beach Residence. For a tour of the area, start by walking the waterway in the Marina, where you can watch the yachts going by, and then cross over to JBR toward the beach, where you'll find some of the best people watching in Dubai—a real cross section of the city's residents and visitors. Stop to eat while you're in JBR.