Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche

A decade ago we were shouting about East Asian luxury hotels to anyone who’d listen. These days, however, if you want to see high-end hospitality practiced in its purest form, you’d do well to pay attention to the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula in particular. And for an example of the genre, you could do quite a lot worse than the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche.

In fact this is one of those hotels where the name says, or at least implies, most of what you need to know. Sofitel can trade luxury-hotel punches with any of the heavyweights, while its pervasive Art Deco influence means it always does so with a certain visual panache. Here it’s no different — although if the beds seem a little plusher, the high-rise views a little higher, that’s just how they do it in the Emirates.

Though it’s no stranger to leisure use — the Sofitel features an outdoor pool and a full-service spa, along with its double trio of restaurants and bars — this place is truly built for business. You’ll find the whole hotel more than satisfactory, trust us — but for an even higher level of service and comforts, there’s a literally higher level of the hotel: the top two floors are home to the Club Millésime, a high-end club offering that can compete with those of any of the major chains.