Escape plan

With summer edging to a close and the Eid holidays approaching, a short getaway is just what the doctor ordered. Andy van Smeerdijk visits four of the best.

EMIRATES PALACE
Let's be honest, a weekend getaway at Emirates Palace rates slightly higher than a futon-sofa stopover at my place. There's a choice of fine dining restaurants, grand ballrooms, art galleries, a spa, caviar bar, club, sprawling waterways, boutique shops, expansive parklands and a massive beach you can often have to yourself. Whatever blows your skirt up, it's here. Throw in gyms, mountain biking, snorkelling, scuba and a range of watersports and you've got either a) a weekend for active folk or b) a weekend for the rest of us sensible people.

It's spectacular – unless you're averse to opulence; then you're definitely in the wrong place. Emirates Palace is large. So large that the hike to breakfast seems somewhat like a polar expedition. The reward, however, is the finest breakfast that'll ever pass your lips in a venue with sweeping views of the marina.

As 'one' might expect, rooms are grand and ornate; though don't assume all of them are enormous. All have balconies or terraces and a private butler service, a welcome addition if you've forgotten something or haven't ironed your shirt.

If you can extract yourself from your room, there are Italian, Lebanese, Persian and Continental restaurants to choose from. But our pick was Saday, a Pacific Rim place with sensational fusion seafood. The lobster nachos here are delightfully delicate while for mains I have a tuna fillet with abalone pastry, accompanied by Asian barbecue sauce and caramelised mushrooms.

After this we head to Embassy, the hotel's glitzy private nightclub, which also offers excellent dining. We opt for dessert and a bout of people watching. The look's chic, the crowd's sharp but, unfortunately, we fade.

The next morning She Who Must be Obeyed takes a shine to Anantara, the Oriental-themed spa. Pure bliss, she tells me. I, on the other hand, head off for a mountain bike ride along the foreshore, swim laps at one of the hotel's waterparks then relax by the pool.

When it's time to go, we still haven't seen a lot of the hotel but it really doesn't matter. We now know how Cinderella felt.

DANAT RESORT, JEBEL DHANNA
The drive from Abu Dhabi to Jebel Dhanna reveals a very different UAE. Coastal saltflats spread towards the horizon, with flat-topped plateaus beyond. Settlements are few and far between, the only exception being the huge Ruwais refinery enroute.

But the five-star Danat Resort is well worth the road trip. Overlooking a sandy beach, it's a delightfully isolated site and if you stroll along the beach in the evenings, all you can hear is the lapping of waves.

Rooms are spacious with comfortable beds, tea and coffee facilities, free internet and virtually everything you need. The interior design is restrained and balconies offer views of the azure water and the distant Sir Bani Yas Island.

The hotel has a health club with a fully-equipped gym, as well as spa, sauna and massage facilities but its real drawcards are the pool area and private beach. The water level is shallow and it takes a lengthy wade offshore to get into deeper water.

A 10-minute wade/swim offshore there's an area with plentiful tropical fish – nothing spectacular, but pleasant; I spent about 30 minutes snorkelling through the area.

The hotel's premier restaurant, Zaitoun features a new Italian menu dominated by grilled seafood, king prawns and fish. For starters, don't miss the chef's freshly-made pasta. The setting's intimate and the service flawless. Afterwards, you can kick on at L'attitude lounge. The resort offers kayaking, mountain biking and snorkelling trips (Dhs100-130) as well as tours to Liwa (Dhs450) and Sir Bani Yas Island (Dhs285). The latter is conducted by another tourism operator and is a fascinating half-day excursion by boat and minibus, where you get to view thousands of animals housed in enclosures at this wildlife reserve. Visiting Jebel Dhanna's more an expedition than the other getaways, but it's certainly worth it if you're after something different.

LE MERIDIEN, AL AQAH
With the superb snorkelling and diving sites of Dibba on its doorstep, it's easy to forgive the Le Meridien Al Aqah for being a tad ostentatious. Rising above the white sands of Al Aqah beach, the Al Hajar Mountains behind, it's hard to miss. Yet once you enter one of its superior rooms, any reservations about this structure are soon vanquished as unparalleled views of the coast smack you right, left and centre.

Rooms are spotless and modern and include all the usual conveniences plus a fruit basket, kettle and coffee and tea-making facilities – a welcome rarity in the UAE. Water activities are the hotel's real drawcard with various watersports, fishing trips (from Fujairah) and Al Boom Marine's snorkelling and scuba centre. If you haven't scuba dived before, the half-day introductory scuba lesson is highly recommended. After sessions in the classroom and the pool, you head offshore and take the plunge, an unforgettable experience! If you're already certified, Dibba Rock and Snoopy Island are good spots to see rays, clown fish, green turtles and plentiful tropical fish. The latter's also a decent site for snorkelling.

If you prefer parking by the pool, Le Meridien has virtually acres of waterways and lie-lows where European holidaymakers model the latest lycra creations.

The hotel also features a spa, sauna, squash and tennis courts, a volleyball court, beauty salon and for the bubs, the Penguin Kids Club... just follow the 'flipper tracks' on the ground. Adjacent to the beach and pool areas, there are a range of rustic dining venues (don't miss the Baywatch pool bar) but when the mercury's high a meal at the Views restaurant is the norm. In the evenings, make a reservation at Taste (an inspired choice for a name), an excellent fine dining restaurant which offers Dibba's finest Thai cuisine.

KEMPINSKI, AJMAN
Okay, okay... Ajman isn't the first place that springs to mind when you think of weekend getaways but the Kempinski, in all its faded mid-90s glory, is actually a very relaxing spot for a summer break. The rooms are spacious and tasteful with enormous beds, bathtubs that require no manoeuvring and superb views of the Arabian Gulf.

The hotel's pool is a popular wallowing spot with peacocks loitering in the landscaped gardens. The 500m private beach is a spotless tract of white sand, even though the freighters offshore can seem a little disconcerting. Virtually hundreds of beach lounges mean even the latest risers get somewhere to slumber. There's parasailing and jetskiing offshore while scuba trips are offered further afield. On the massage front, Laguna Spa offers Thai and Balinese massages while a range of Ayurvedic treatments dominate on the menu at Softouch Ayurveda Spa.

The real surprise package is Sabella's, a cosy Italian restaurant on the first floor. Indeed, it's worth braving the Sharjah quagmire for this restaurant alone. Sardinian chef Marco Pittalis has created an innovative menu that's up there with Dubai's finest. And when we say innovative, we mean it – where else can you get saffron ice-cream risotto? Try the sea bass in artichoke and sundried tomato sauce, or the lamb infused with balsamic vinegar.

If you're staying two nights, then Hai Tao Chinese restaurant is an option.

The Ajman Kempinski is 'mini-me' friendly with a host of kids' activities and also well equipped for the summer breaks with a bowling alley ideal for burning off tween energy.

Located adjacent to the Corniche, the hotel's centrally located for those who want to sniff out Ajman. But my recommendation is to dig in – either in a comfy bed, or by the beach – and enjoy a well-earned break.