Basking in the glow of superlative construction projects, the Middle Eastern emirates of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are promoting culture without a thought to fluctuating oil prices. The United Arab Emirates will get its first pavilion at the Venice Biennale later this year, but first up is next month’s one-two punch of Art Dubai and the Sharjah Biennial, part of the region-wide Contemparabia program. It’s just the excuse the art world’s been waiting for to head for the desert sun, and this guide gets you up to speed on the latest places to buy art, eat, sleep, shop and play.

Go:

ART DUBAI

WHAT: The largest art fair in the Middle East.
WHEN: March 18-21
WHERE: Dubai
HIGHLIGHTS: About 65 galleries from 34 countries assemble at the Madinat Jumeirah resort for the fair’s third edition. · Art world luminaries gather for the fair’s third Global Art Forum. · On view are original works from the three artist-curator teams who received this year’s $1 million Abraaj Capital Art Prize. · The smaller and locally focused Al Bastakiya Art Fair, on March 15-22 in more than 20 houses in the Bastakiya neighborhood, has become a notable complement to Art Dubai. · Visit neighboring Abu Dhabi (a 90-minute drive along the coast) and Doha, Qatar (a 40-minute flight from Dubai). artdubai.ae

SHARJAH BIENNIAL 9

WHAT: One of the region’s only biennials.
WHEN: March 19-May 16
WHERE: Sharjah Art Museum
HIGHLIGHTS: The event draws 60 artists from around the world (except Israel, whose citizens are not welcome in the UAE), with 40 percent coming from the Middle East. · Unburdened by a theme this year, the biennial is producing and commissioning original artworks. · A film-and-performance program will be curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, director of the Young Arab Theatre Fund. · Regular shuttles make the 45-minute drive to the Sharjah Biennial from Art Dubai. · Nearby is Sharjah’s new Museum of Islamic Civilization (not to be confused with the new museum in Doha). sharjahbiennial.org

Fly:

EMIRATEST
his winter Emirates added several direct routes from American cities to its new terminal in Dubai. There are now two daily flights from New York’s JFK airport, and one is on the double-decker Airbus 380, the world’s largest passenger plane (on-board shower, anyone?); there’s a new daily A380 flight from London, too. On the West Coast, L.A. and San Francisco also added direct flights.
emirates.com

Stay:

AL QASR
Part of the Madinat Jumeirah resort, the Al Qasr is a 292-room hotel surrounded by water, "a fairyland with boats that take you everywhere," says David Warren, director of jewelry for Christie’s Middle East. Located right on the beach, it’s Art Dubai’s HQ, hosting the fair and its other events. Room options range from a simple double to a 6,000-square-foot suite. The dining and drinking options number in the dozens, but stop by the terrace at Arboretum once you’ve been through the fair. Madinat Jumeirah 971-4/366-8888 RATES: $1,100-$3,200
madinatjumeirah.com

ATLANTIS, THE PALM
The new $1.5 billion resort Atlantis — the first on the famous man-made Palm Islands, in the Persian Gulf — isn’t exactly winning a lot of fans with an ocean-themed design that’s all over the map. "My first instinct is to say, ‘Stay away from here,’ " says Lisa Farjam, the editor of the Middle Eastern-culture magazine Bidoun. But the hotel’s strong suit is its staff of 3,500, including 218 lifeguards and 550 chefs, who keep the 1,500 rooms and numerous restaurants (a branch of Nobu among them) pristine and running efficiently. And there’s plenty to ooh and ahh at, such as the aquariums (many visible from the rooms, and some stocked with sharks) and the 65-foot ceilings in the lobby. Palm Jumeirah 971-4/426-0000 RATES: $435-$790
atlantisthepalm.com

DESERT PALM
Located in the desert 20 minutes outside of Dubai’s downtown, this new 24-room boutique hotel is for polo lovers. The former private estate of Ali Albwardy, owner of Dubai’s championship polo team, it boasts four championship fields and hosts tournaments all year, including late March’s Cartier International (in which Prince Rasheed of Jordan competed last year, staying here). The suites and villa come with CD and DVD players, Wi-Fi and espresso machines. The hotel also features Lime Spa and Rare restaurant, which offers 24-hour room service. INTERNATIONAL CITY 971-4/331-1104 RATES: $380-$530
desertpalm.ae