Raffles Doha

The new seaside city of Lusail, just to the north of Doha proper, is home to the unforgettable Katara Towers, an architectural symbol of the crossed swords that comprise Qatar’s national emblem. And inside one of the crescent-shaped towers is the spectacular Raffles Doha, a hotel that surely merits consideration on any short list of the world’s most luxurious lodgings. A mind-boggling degree of ornamentation is tempered by an impressively tasteful sensibility, and the facilities are comprehensively first-rate.