Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi

This is a large palace resort built for days when the hotel is part of the trip, not merely the place where you leave your luggage. Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi sits beside its own private natural bay, with a 1.3 km private beach, two swimming pools and twelve dining outlets under the same roof. You can spend the day moving between sea, pool, spa and table without turning the evening into a taxi exercise.

The mood is formal rather than barefoot and improvised. The silver, gold and glass mosaics draw on Arabian hospitality, while the rooms bring in the practical modern bits: air conditioning, high-speed WiFi, an iPad mini for room controls, an interactive HD television and a choice of more than 150 channels. For a couple who wants diving somewhere in the holiday rather than running the whole holiday, the scale works well. Families are covered too, with family rooms, a kids' club, a children's pool and the Kids' Palace.

You are in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the shores of the Arabian Gulf rather than in a remote island outpost. The resort faces its own private bay and private beach, while the city remains close enough for a change of scenery. Marina Mall and Heritage Village are around a seven-minute drive away, and Nation Towers is about 1 mile from the property.

The surrounding map is useful when you have had enough of resort acreage. The Abu Dhabi Breakwater is about 1 mile away, Al Khubeirah Garden around 1.5 miles, and Qasr Al Hosn roughly 3 miles. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is about 7 miles away. You can also reach other beaches, including Corniche Beach, in around 2 miles by road; although, with 1.3 km of private beach on site, you may decide that the local sand has already made its case.

The standard room size is generous enough for a proper recovery night rather than a careful luggage negotiation: 55 square metres, with king or twin beds depending on the layout you choose. Couples who want the view should look towards a sea-view room, while a garden terrace gives you outdoor space without paying for a larger suite. Twin rooms make sense for dive partners who have not yet reached the stage of sharing a bed after a long day in a wetsuit.

For families or three-person stays, the suites are the practical step up. The family rooms combine a super-king bed with twin beds, while suite categories provide more space and, in the case of the larger options, room for everyone to spread out. The Three Bedroom Palace Suite accommodates up to six people; the Family Sea View Suite accommodates up to five. That is a different proposition from squeezing a third adult into a normal double room.

Every room and suite comes with luxurious bedding, a spacious marble bathroom, air conditioning, free high-speed WiFi and the iPad mini controls. The televisions offer more than 150 channels, complimentary films and on-demand services, which gives you something to do when your legs have declined further activity. Suites add 24-hour butler service. Club rooms and suites also come with access to The EP Club, including a private beach, champagne breakfasts and a 24-hour concierge.

You have twelve dining outlets to choose from, so dinner does not need to become a daily discussion about leaving the resort. Lebanese Terrace covers local regional flavours, while Vendôme offers an international buffet. Stawfire by Chef Ross brings Japanese cooking centred on the Warayaki tradition, giving the evening a more specific direction than the usual resort buffet circuit.

Two restaurants carry One Michelin-acclaimed status: Talea, for Italian cuisine, and Hakkasan, for Cantonese dishes. That gives you a reason to dress for dinner rather than simply follow the smell of chips back from the pool. Room service is available when the sensible choice is food delivered to the room and an early night.

Breakfast is offered as a buffet with continental, Italian, Full English and Irish, vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, Asian and American choices. Special-diet menus are available on request, and breakfast can also be served in your room. A coffee house, bars, wine and champagne round out the drinking options, although the property does not reduce the evening to a single bar with three stools and a television.

Two expansive swimming pools give you an easy post-dive choice: a straightforward swim, or the pool with slides and a lazy river when you want the day to remain mildly ridiculous. Sun loungers, beach chairs, umbrellas, a sun terrace, gardens and a private beach make it possible to stop moving without having to retreat indoors. There is also an Aqua Fun Park, water-sports facilities and snorkelling on site.

The spa is built for the slower part of the day, with massages, body treatments, facial treatments, a steam room, relaxation areas, a foot bath, a hot tub and a Moroccan Hammam. A fitness centre, fitness classes, yoga, personal training and tennis equipment are there if you still have energy to spend. Cycling, bicycle rental, table tennis and bike tours offer less ceremonial ways to move.

For couples, the useful detail is the choice between doing something together and making a clean break with activity. You can take a walking tour, try canoeing or windsurfing, go horse riding, or simply take the long route between the beach and the next meal. Families get a kids' club, children's play areas, a water slide, a kids' pool, movie nights and a children's playground.

Zayed International Airport is about 19 miles from the resort, with the drive taking around 25 minutes in the hotel's description. An airport shuttle is available, either privately or as a shared service, and should be arranged with the hotel. Free private parking and valet parking are available on site, while car hire, a concierge, a tour desk, currency exchange, luggage storage and a 24-hour front desk cover the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of a trip.

Check-in runs from 3pm to 6.30pm and check-out from 7am to 11am. You need to tell the hotel your expected arrival time, then present a physical UAE identity card or an original passport, together with a credit card or cash deposit for incidental charges. Smart-casual dress is required at check-in. Guests under 21 cannot check in, and children of any age are welcome; children aged 13 and over are charged as adults.

Only suites can accommodate extra beds, and cots or extra beds depend on the chosen accommodation. Pets are not allowed. Personal food and drink cannot be brought into or ordered to the hotel. Free WiFi covers all areas, wheelchair access is available, and daily housekeeping, laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services help when salt, sand and formal dinner clothing have all been involved in the same week.