New Hotel Openings: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi

We at Five Star Alliance are all about the best and most luxurious hotels. We certainly keep up with the happenings in the luxury travel world and take pride in bringing our clients the latest luxury travel news. Keep up with our newest blog series where we’ll be featuring luxury hotels opening in 2012 to stay on top of the trends and make your reservations at the newest hotspots.

The St. Regis Abu Dhabi had originally set its opening date for today, January 29, 2013 but it looks like they’re pushing back the opening to April 15th. That’s quite a delay, and we certainly hope that the 283 guest rooms including 40 grand suites are nothing short of spectacular!

Explore the St. Regis Abu Dhabi here >>

The Top 30 Hotels in 2012: #28 Burj Al Arab

In the last month of 2012, Five Star Alliance is counting down the Top 30 Luxury Hotels and Resorts worldwide, as decided by you, our luxury travelers! Be sure to check in with us daily to keep up with our countdown and explore a few of the absolute best and most luxurious hotels in the world for your future travels!

Coming in the #28 spot is Burj Al Arab which is located on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach strip. Here are a few fun facts about this luxury hotel:

- Considered to be Dubai’s most recognizable landmark and stands 280 meters offshore on a man-made island, linked to the mainland by a slender, gently curving causeway.

- One of the most photographed structures in the world.

- Consistently voted the world’s most luxurious hotel.

- Designed to resemble a billowing sail, Burj Al Arab is an all-suite luxury hotel.

- Features a discreet check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers.

- Has a private beachfront and two indoor pools, one mixed and one for women only.

- Each room has private fax, printer and copier perfect for business travelers.

- Features special suites that are handicap accessible.

Explore photos, availability, and rates at the Burj Al Arab here >>

2 Bedroom Apartment Option in Dubai

We at Five Star Alliance work tirelessly to ensure we bring you the best luxury hotels selection and information regarding amenities, location, and highlights so you are confident that the hotel you choose will exceed your expectations and serve your needs. Sometimes, however, you are left with a few questions that go unanswered, and that’s why we’re here. Be sure to explore our new blog series ‘Your Questions Answered’ to find answers to real questions submitted to us by our clients regarding traveling with kids, pets, the best beach hotels, and much more.

Question: We are a family of 5 persons, 2 adults and three children, ages 3, 6, and 8. We would love to make a reservation at the Dar Al Masyaf in Dubai. We are traveling December 22nd – January 5th, 2013. Is it possible to book a 2 bedroom superior apartment?

Answer: Dar Al Masyaf does not have availability for your dates of travel, but Jumeirah Living World Trade Centre Residence does have 2 bedroom Duplex Club Apartment which includes Breakfast. The advance purchase rate for this option is 2805 AED per night, which is approximately $764 USD plus tax. Please be advised that this is a non-cancellable, non-changeable rate, and any changes or a cancellation would result in a 100% penalty of the full stay.

This hotel also has this same room option available for 3300 AED per night, which is approximately $899 USD plus tax. This rate has a cancellation policy which states you can cancel up until 2 days prior to arrival and be charged a 1 night penalty. If you cancel within 2 days of arrival, you would be charged 100% of the full stay as penalty. To clarify, cancelling this reservation would always result in at least a 1 night penalty fee.

To make a reservation for this room type, simply visit this website, enter your dates of travel, select the room type, and fill in the booking form. Please fill in the Special Request field stating that you'll be traveling with kids and provide their ages so the hotel can properly prepare for your arrival.

Please be advised that the rates, availability, as well as the extra person charges are subject to change depending on the hotel’s policies.

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Your Questions Answered: Best Room Type for 3 Adults Traveling to Dubai

We at Five Star Alliance work tirelessly to ensure we bring you the best luxury hotels selection and information regarding amenities, location, and highlights so you are confident that the hotel you choose will exceed your expectations and serve your needs. Sometimes, however, you are left with a few questions that go unanswered, and that’s why we’re here. Be sure to explore our new blog series ‘Your Questions Answered’ to find answers to real questions submitted to us by our clients regarding traveling with kids, pets, the best beach hotels, and much more.

Question: We are traveling to Dubai and hoping to stay at Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeriah. There will be 3 adults; what room type can accommodate all of us?

Answer: The Arabian Executive room at Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeriah would be able to accommodate 3 adults, and the rate of this room currently is 4500 AED plus 1300 AED in extra person charges, so 5800 AED per night plus tax. This room can either have 1 king bed and a rollaway bed added or 3 single beds. To make a reservation for this room type, simply visit this website, enter your dates of travel, select the room type, and fill in the booking form.

Please be advised that the rates, availability, as well as any extra person charges are subject to change depending on the hotel’s policies.

QE2 to Become Dubai’s First Floating Luxury Hotel

The Queen Elizabeth 2, an ocean liner previously operating as a cruise ship is in development to become Dubai’s first floating hotel. Although the design of the hotel will differ from its original plan, we certainly have high hopes that it will be nothing short of fabulous. The cruiser made its last trip from New York City to Dubai in 2008, and it has been docked in Port Rashid harbor since. The Telegraph reports that the original plan was to have the QE2 feature 1,000 lavish and luxurious rooms, but now the plan is to have 300 rooms which will maintain many of its original features. We certainly can’t wait to see this floating luxury hotel’s development as it progresses. If you get seasick or like a little more room for exploration, then check out the 61 luxury hotels that are fully grounded and stationary in Dubai!

Ah, Gee, A Hotel! A'jia Is the Bosphorus Hotel of Choice

It's not possible to get any closer to the shores of the Bosphorus than the A'jia Hotel. It's just about literally on the water, and this jewel of the Mediterranean gleams with a particular lustre. The Ottoman mansion has only 16 rooms and you're basically guaranteed a wonderful view. The unique location of the property allows it to be both hidden away and easily accessible from the city of Istanbul, so you can tour the sites and head out on the town without skipping a beat. Of course, you might not want to head into the city for dinner, since the A'jia restaurant could go toe-to-toe with almost any in the world. And because the hotel is so small, you're sure to have an intimate dining experience. The A'jia hotel is a fusion of timeless elegance, maintaining the beauty of its original 1800s construction and merging it with all of the modern amenities. If you're looking to explore the beauty and wonder of the Mediterranean and have an experience of both an incredible luxury hotel and an amazing natural setting, the A'jia Hotel should be on your shortlist.

Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh Is A Sleek Retreat

Sharm El Sheikh is a name that's synonymous with alliteration. When you put it together with the Four Seasons to make a five-star luxury hotel, it loses some of its linguistic harmony but becomes synonymous with instead with affluence. The Four Seasons resort in Sharm El Sheikh takes the shows the best side of the seaside with breathtaking views of the Red Sea from its sandy shores. An outdoor pool with island bar serves the adults while the children have their very own pool with, presumably, fewer alcoholic drinks floating in the middle of it. Dining is split between two very fine restaurants that serve the flavors of the Mediterranean: Lebanese, Moroccan, and Italian. A spa facility with open massage areas, four tennis courts, and an underwater park complete the trifecta of outdoor amenities.

Indoors, the rooms and suites of the Four Seasons are exactly what you'd expect from one of the core brands of the luxury world. Many rooms have views of the Red Sea and its twelve suites even have private plunge pools. Just an hour from Cairo and only 15 minutes from the international airport, this resort may be a retreat, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to get to. Having a stress-free trip to the hotel is the first step on the journey of relaxation afforded you by a stay at the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh, and its importance should not be underestimated. This is a resort that comes highly recommended and still manages to live up to those expectations.

Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012: Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Conde Nast Traveler, purveyor of fine hotel reviews and travel advice, has just released its 2012 edition of the Hot List, a list of hotels that are setting the hotel world aflame with fresh designs and new concepts, or maybe just a solid new look at classic luxury. 41 reporters embedded themselves anonymously in hotels across the globe to review their targets. What results is a list of 121 hotels around the world that are so on fire they should be put on your watch list, just in case they end up burning down.

 The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is a 405-room beach hotel built to look like an imperial palace, and it's very much exactly what you imagine when you think of the opulent luxury of Dubai. In most other places, a luxury palace hotel would be converted from an old royal residence, but at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, it was built just to evoke that measure of royalty. It's covered in silks and gilted furnishings, and its marble tubs are the size of a room in some smaller hotels. It has spared no expense and very much wants you to know that. The Talise Ottoman Spa and numerous fine dining establishments ensure that you never have to leave the premises unless you'd like to. The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is one of the first in a flurry of constructed resorts on its man-made island, and it's doing its best to establish itself as the favorite before the others encroach on its territory.

Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012: Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Conde Nast Traveler, purveyor of fine hotel reviews and travel advice, has just released its 2012 edition of the Hot List, a list of hotels that are setting the hotel world aflame with fresh designs and new concepts, or maybe just a solid new look at classic luxury. 41 reporters embedded themselves anonymously in hotels across the globe to review their targets. What results is a list of 121 hotels around the world that are so on fire they should be put on your watch list, just in case they end up burning down.

When the entire administration of my alma mater left for Abu Dhabi, it engendered a bunch of jokes, including the seminal Miley Cyrus parody Party in the UAE (warning: you probably don't want to click on this link). Now I can say with a certain amount of authority that if anyone were having a hoedown in the sandiest of cities, they would be remiss if they didn't consider the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel for its venue. Quest, their signature Asian fusion restaurant is just about the hottest thing in town, and you'll know just from the first sip of your welcome drink that you've happened upon something special.  The hotel tower is paired with four others that make a brilliant complex that accents the city skyline quite impressively, and your views from any of the higher floors are impressive to say the least, whether they look upon the city or the Persian Gulf, which stretches out from the beach that flanks the hotel. The in-house Talise spa also features 13 treatment rooms and the latest in therapy. The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel showcases the feats of modern architectural achievement, and its interior stands up to the lofty challenge of matching its first impression.

Condé Nast Traveler Hot List 2012: Amanruya

Conde Nast Traveler, purveyor of fine hotel reviews and travel advice, has just released its 2012 edition of the Hot List, a list of hotels that are setting the hotel world aflame with fresh designs and new concepts, or maybe just a solid new look at classic luxury. 41 reporters embedded themselves anonymously in hotels across the globe to review their targets. What results is a list of 121 hotels around the world that are so on fire they should be put on your watch list, just in case they end up burning down.

Aman Resorts are world-renowned for their ability to capture a special kind of serenity and bring it to all different parts of the world. Amanruya, on the Bodrum peninsula, is no exception, and its 36 seaside cottages are precisely the kind of escape that guests coming to Turkey hope for. Not only do the waters of the Mediterranean stretch out in front of the hotel, the resort is just a short drive from nearby Göltürkbükü, a hopping town for adventurous types to explore an active nightlife. While you're there, be sure to visit the excavation of Ephesus, where you can find one of the seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis. The flat-roofed cottages of Amanruya are the perfect place to stay for a weekend in one of the world's most historic regions.