Sands Hotel & Spa

A pastel-pink oasis bursting out of the parched desert, the Sands Hotel offers the chance to stay in that rarest of destinations: the past. An imagined one, that is – with complementary Wi-Fi, of course – but if you ever wonder what it might be like to check into one of the finest establishments of the gilded age of travel, this is the place. Recently renovated with the help of British designer Mr Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the Sands oozes mid-century chic, down to the pool attendants’ preppy uniforms, in a dusty pink to match the building. The 46 rooms come equipped with Acqua di Parma toiletries – bag a room with a patio or balcony if you can.