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These retreats around the world offer a dreamy setting for your next romantic getaway.

Sparkling waters, otherworldly sand dunes, and palm-shaded oases await near Abu Dhabi’s most exciting hotels.

From croissants and pickled eggplant at breakfast to late-night kunafa, here are our favorite spots to dine out in the capital city.

Where will 2022 take you? Below, you’ll find 39 destinations—from Abu Dhabi to Alberta, Canada—where your visit will really count. Locals tell us what’s new, exciting, and worth the trip in the coming year.

At 1.65 million square feet, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is the largest indoor theme park in the world.

Overview

The Gate building leans more than the Tower of Piza. The Yas Viceroy is a hotel built within a racetrack. And the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque gives its audience an entirely new perception of grandeur. In this young country where architectural dreams still come true, Abu Dhabi’s towers, bridges, and structures are meant to awe. And a drive by each will introduce you to a different part of the city.

Abu Dhabi’s hotel bars and lounges are hot spots for expatriates and tourists who seek libations after spending a day at work or under the desert sun. For tourists, the only place to legally consume alcohol is at a hotel or resort. From beachside cabanas to smoky lounges and a sports bar near the Yas Marina, there is plenty of wine, beer, and liquor to go around. Some live music too.

Families visiting this coastal city will find outdoor adventure at beaches, waterparks, and islands. Above it all, a thrilling Ferris wheel with air-conditioned seats (really!) beckons view seekers. Back on land, kids may encounter camels and wild animals, and learn about desert culture. Yes, the younger set can easily have fun in this largest emirate.

Shopping, the perfect pastime, in a country where fashion meets excruciatingly hot summer temperature. From traditional souks to air conditioned shopping center, many of Abu Dhabi’s most popular shopping spots offer an out-of-the-heat place to gather, dine, sit and talk over coffee...and shop. The large malls all include a supermarket along with international shops from jewelry and fashion to home goods and technology. Each place has its own speciality, whether it be a fruit, meat, and fish market, or, even, a ferris wheel.

From Abu Dhabi, several day trips (or overnight trips) make easy destinations for explorers. A 45-minute morning flight takes you to Muscat, in Oman, and has you back in time for a late dinner. Or, the entire family can enjoy Sir Bani Yas Island, where animals roam free. Both Dubai and Al Ain lie within easy driving distance. Dubai’s shops, cultural activities, and architectural sights will keep you busy for a day—or longer, if you can extend your trip.

Abu Dhabi is all about the extremes. The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s blend of elegant (visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque), opulent (see Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi), futuristic (head to Masdar City), and, well, great beaches (ah, Nurai Island), is fascinating, delightful, and, at times, mind-boggling.

While the United Arab Emirates is young, the region’s rich heritage is timeless. Warehouse421 is an Abu Dhabi space like no other—it serves as a cultural center, museum, art gallery, and creative-community hub for regional artists who put together exhibitions and events based on Emirati traditions. Presentations focus on everything from the classic garb to the legendary perfumes of the UAE and the bedouin tribes whose existence here precedes the nation’s founding. Warehouse421 also hosts workshops where you can learn traditional art and object-fabrication skills from experts in their fields. On your way out, take a look across the street at the lot filled with old dhows waiting to return to the waters of the Persian Gulf in the shadow of the Abu Dhabi skyline.

Short of visiting the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque itself, you won’t find a better view of the whitewashed masterpiece than at this Shangri-La hotel, which shimmers like a jewel opposite Abu Dhabi Island on the mainland of the Arabian Peninsula. The rest of the hotel’s palatial appeal sprouts from a deep appreciation for Middle Eastern tradition, seen in spectacular carved archways, mosaic-tile baths in the rooms, and winding waterways navigated by an abra (local ferry boat). Hop on board to journey to the hotel’s contemporary take on a souk, where you can purchase clothes, jewelry, and other souvenirs before choosing between French, Vietnamese, and Chinese specialties at four on-site restaurants. Four pools ensure you won’t wilt in the desert heat, while a CHI spa provides soothing comfort for those beat from a day spent skyscraper hopping.

Saadiyat Island has become a cultural and architectural playground with the opening of the Jean Novel–designed Abu Dhabi outpost of The Louvre and plans for Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. But it’s also a place to indulge in all-out luxury. The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi echoes the island’s design-forward offerings. Its 306 sand-hued rooms incorporate nods to Islamic art (in the metal-trimmed headboards and lattice-accented bathroom doors) with modern amenities like Nespresso coffee makers, standalone tubs, and Le Labo bath products. An infinity pool lined with open-air cabanas looks out on the Arabian Sea, the beach sits on a protected strip of waterfront just a short walk away, and a lazy river winds its way around the palm tree–studded grounds like a desert mirage. After a day spent sinking putts on the greens at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, soothe sore limbs with a massage at Atarmia spa, then dine on international dishes that range from Italian to Middle Eastern at one of the resort’s three restaurants.