Al Arab
This is a trip resort from the five nights we spent at the Dar Al Masyaf villas at Madinat Jumeirah last week.

Madinat Jumeirah is a huge new resort in Dubai, situated next to the iconic Burj Al Arab. It is designed in traditional Arabian architectural styles, and contains two hotels - Mina A Salam and Al Qasr - and 29 villas scattered across the huge grounds that go under the name Dar Al Masyaf. The complex only opened fully in December 2004.

This is a truly fantastic resort - overall, the finest place I have ever stayed. The level of quality is truly astounding. We have all been in hotels where every detail, every tile, every piece of furniture seems to work perfectly, but can you imagine trying to get the same effect on a complete beach resort? Amazingly, Jumeirah International has pulled it off.

At first glance, it seems like a cross between Palace of the Lost City (South Africa), Bellagio and the Venetian in Vegas. The quality level is far higher, however.

We spent five nights in a Dar Al Masyaf Gulf View villa room. The room itself was huge (60 sq m) with a massive bathroom that took up half the space. There were two sinks, a stand-alone shower and toilet and a huge egg-shaped bath. Each villa has 8-10 wonderfully decorated room’s set around a lovely internal courtyard and a large reception area, where at least one butler will always be available. If you have ever visited a raid in Morocco you will be familiar with the style.

Madinat Jumeirah is stunning without being crass. Think marble and carved wood, not gold plated fittings. The 42 restaurants / bars are of the highest quality - outside London, I struggle to think of any UK city with as many fantastic eateries. The souk is beautifully designed and has 75 good independent shops. The boats that take you around the 3km of canals in the resort are great. My partner said the Six Senses Spa was the best she had ever visited - and it is reasonably priced.

You also have the Burj and the Jumeirah Beach hotels, plus the Wild Wadi water park, within walking distance. (And you can cross-charge to Madinat Jumeirah.) Stay here and you can also visit the Burj without paying the Dirham 200 fee. Once you've seen inside, however, you'll know you made the right choice staying at Dar Al Masyaf. A taxi into central Dubai is 35 Dirham (GBP 5).

The hotels employs so many staff it is untrue - they seem to out-number guests. The brochure says it employs 206 lifeguards alone, of which about 50 seem to be on duty at a time across the main pool, the kids club and the numerous subsidiary pools dotted around the grounds. There are always cleaners and gardeners running about keeping the resort in peak condition.

In theory, Mina A Salaam is the cheapest property with Al Qasr a classier hotel. I have not seen the rooms, but the quality at both properties in the restaurants and public areas is so high it is hard to see how you would be disappointed wherever you stayed. The Gulf View villa rooms were something special, however.

One hint: I think the Gulf Summer Houses are better positioned than the Arabian ones. If you don't want to pay for a sea view, take a canal view in a Gulf villa. This guarantees that you will be just seconds from the beach, rather than five minutes walk which is the case with the Arabian villas.

One criticism is that it was very difficult to book. The website never worked properly for me, saying it was full when it was not and then giving a list of free dates which included the ones I wanted! It is not book able through Expedia, Travel city etc. You need to ring up after doing your homework on the website. Our butler, whilst amazingly friendly, was also a little below par at times although this was nothing major.

If you need any more reason to go, Jumeirah International has a VERY generous mileage programmed! For British Airways, you earn 3 miles per $1 spent, which certainly mounts up.

We paid 2,510 Durham plus 20% tax / service for a Gulf View room. This is about GBP 435 per night. The hotels are cheaper, and this was during the launch of the Dubai Shopping Festival. There are certainly cheaper places in Dubai, but if you want real quality then you really cannot go wrong here. Give yourself at least three nights, however - it takes an afternoon just to get used to the place.