A sky-high cabinet of curiosities, shaking up Dubai’s five-star scene with a mischievous wink.

One of the city’s tallest hotel towers, SLS Dubai has not one but two rooftop infinity pools, a sky-high speakeasy, a spa, a steakhouse from the only butcher to appear in Netflix's Chef's Table, and the region's first female-led Italian restaurant, Fi’lia, serving pasta that would make any nonna proud.

In a city feted for big-ticket, over-the-top grandeur, SLS Dubai doesn’t disappoint. Yet, where it’s lavish and indulgent, it’s also vivacious and high-spirited, never taking itself too seriously. Public bathroom door signs are depicted by ladybirds (for women) and frogs (for men, who turn into princes with a kiss, perhaps?); rooms are lilac and violet-hued, with floor-to-ceiling hologram murals of women’s faces that follow you around; and a signature oversized rubber duck sits next to the pool, just because.