Al Bait

a version of this article appeared in Travel + Leisure

You don’t usually go to the desert looking for rain. But Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, is full of surprises.

For years, visitors were hard-pressed to find a decent place to stay. That’s changing with the new Al Bait Sharjah (doubles from $460), a member of Leading Hotels of the World, which has views of gently rocking dhows docked on Sharjah Creek. The 53 guest rooms — spread across four historic houses once owned by prominent local families — come with four-poster beds, goblets brimming with Arabian dates, and access to a custom Mercedes available for chauffeured outings. Follow the alleyways between the interconnected residences to the on-site library and museum of Sharjah history. The hotel’s main restaurant serves dishes like camel, slow-braised for 24 hours. For more local specialties, another restaurant at the hotel serves Emirati fare family style — but the spiced prawns are so good you may not want to share. It’s a perfect example of the many delights the U.A.E. has to offer beyond its shiny cities.

Guest Post by Rupert Wright of Ashbright

Welcome

Paris holds no terrors for well-heeled travellers, who can check into one of the city’s eleven palaces such as the Georges V, Plaza Athénée, Le Bristol or my favourite, Le Meurice. But for those on any kind of budget, finding a decent place to stay in the French capital can be a challenge. Bedrooms smaller than a bathroom, bathrooms smaller than a bidet, we’ve all stayed at one of them and lived to regret it. So, it’s with great pleasure that I have found almost the perfect Parisian hotel – and you don’t need to be a tech billionaire to afford it. The Bedford has been family owned and run for more than a hundred years, combining Swiss roots, French flair and English tradition. It benefits from strong leadership, attention to detail, and a staff eager to look after you. With just 140 rooms, it is large enough to intimate, but not so large that you are anonymous. It’s a 4 star, but deserves more.

The rooms

Parquet flooring; high ceilings; comfortable beds and pillows; keys rather than plastic cards; and best of all, real switches, that turn the lights on and off. The Bedford has sensibly ignored many of the technical traps that can make staying in a hotel room more challenging than setting up your own satellite transmission site. The result is a place that combines understated elegance with modern touches and old school service. Some rooms overlook the rue de l’Arcade, others look over a courtyard, but all are a decent size and a muted colour. There is air-conditioning too, which is a relief when the summer strikes.

Eating

Breakfast is a buffet in a glorious belle époque room, boasting stucco reliefs and a glass roof. Dinner happens here too, French cuisine and fairly formal. There’s also a relaxed bistro/bar that serves meals and cocktails.

Location

A stone’s throw from the Place de la Madeleine, the Place de la Concorde and the Tuileries Gardens, and the Opera, this is one of the best areas to stay in Paris. (Marcel Proust used to live just around the corner). It is a lively area, with great boutiques, wine bars and an eclectic mix of restaurants, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Lebanese and French too.

Don’t miss

The Bedford knows that many people like to travel with their pets, so they are allowed to stay too.

HOTEL BEDFORD, 17, RUE DE L’ARCADE 75008 PARIS Tel. : +33 (0)1 44 94 77 77 Fax : +33 (0)1 44 94 77 97 More information at www.hotel-bedford.com

Rooms from €250; Suites from €450

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Sara Hamdan

Welcome to a magazine editor’s guide to luxury hotels and what to wear when you’re there! My work has appeared in: The International New York Times, Rolling Stone, Variety and CNN Travel. I’ve held editorial roles at VIVA Magazine, Dubai Magazine and Stylist Arabia. Now, I freelance for the likes of Google, CNN and Savoir Flair!

Editing travel pages was always my favourite part of working for lifestyle magazines. I started this blog out of a love of beautiful hotels that provide the fairytale escape of a day as a princess where breakfast is a buffet and chocolates appear on my pillow.

PR queries, feedback and compliments? Email sara@holidaysinheels.com!