ABU DHABI—Once known as a strictly for-business city, Abu Dhabi is campaigning hard to become a premier destination for luxury-class nomads and culturati. While the much-ballyhooed desert outposts of the Louvre and Guggenheim won’t be open until 2013, the emirate offers plenty of other attractions to lure worldly visitors, even in the blazing heat of summer. They range from a spate of luxury resorts to a sneak peak at the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, on view at the Emirates Palace Hotel.

Go:

Talking Art: Louvre Abu Dhabi
WHAT: A preview of the “first universal museum in the Middle East,” “Talking Art” features 29 of the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s newest acquisitions and loans. Organized by curators from the Agence France-Muséums, a coalition of 12 national French institutions dedicated to advising Abu Dhabi’s fledgling outpost, the exhibition reveals the scope of the museum’s vision, its bold curatorial style, and its serious acquisitions budget. For more information, visit artsabudhabi.com.
WHEN: Through August 29.
WHERE: The lobby, Emirates Palace Hotel.
HIGHLIGHTS: “Talking Art” displays works ranging from ancient relics, tapestry, and Chinese costume to such modern masterpieces as Mondrian’s 1922 Composition With Blue, Red, Yellow and Black, which was acquired from the already legendary Yves Saint Laurent sale at Christie’s in February. Afterward, head to an adjacent room for a mock tour of the Louvre’s future home on Saadiyat Island. Learn about the history of Saadiyat (“Island of Happiness”) and see its future through a display of architectural models of the five institutions that will make up its new cultural district, including Jean Nouvel’s Islamic-inspired design for the Louvre and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim.

Stay:

Emirates Palace
Emirates Palace is to Abu Dhabi what the Plaza is to New York. “When I come to Abu Dhabi, I spend most of my time here,” says curator Anne Baldassari, who organized the Middle East’s first Picasso exhibit in Abu Dhabi last summer. Vida de Diego Arozamena, managing partner of the new Acento Gallery (the only gallery in the emirate to focus on artists from Mexico and Spain), comes “just to admire its splendor.” De Diego Arozamena also recommends “the great restaurant and nightclub Etoile, which is owned by a friend of mine.” Spend a day at the Anantara Spa, where you can treat yourself to aromatic massages and hammam rituals.
West End Corniche
971-2-690-9000
emiratespalace.com

Shangri-La
With its spectacular view of the sumptuous and baroque Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque (also known as the Grand Mosque) across the water, Shangri-La is aptly named. In terms of scale, it’s more manageable than Emirates Palace, but it’s no less indulgent. Venetian mirrors mix with traditional Arabic flourishes — like latticed archways, tiled mosaics, and heavy wood doors. Highlights include the five outdoor swimming pools, the CHI spa (where Far East treatments are the order of the day), and the restaurant Sofra bld with its killer buffet, where “they have the best Moroccan grill I’ve ever tasted,” says tour guide Michelle Sabti.
Sheikh Zayed Road
971-2-509-8888
shangri-la.com

Desert Islands
Located just off the Abu Dhabi coast on Sir Bani Yas Island, the Desert Islands resort will appeal to sybarites and adventure lovers alike. (It was once the personal eco retreat of the United Arab Emirates's late president, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.) “You arrive by seaplane, and everything is nature-based,” says Abu Dhabi native Hend Al Otaiba of the Tourist Development and Investment Co. “There are game drives, snorkeling, kayaking, and 4x4 guided tours of the park.”
Sir Bani Yas Island
971-2-801-5400
desertislands.anantara.com

Qasr Al Sarab
Tucked away in the emirate’s Empty Quarter — the largest uninterrupted expanse of sand in the world — Qasr Al Sarab is where you come if you really want to get away. Partake in otherworldly activities, like camel trekking, falconry, and sand surfing, or kick back in the world-class spa. Rooms, villas, and suites are available. Scheduled to open this September.
Empty Quarter
971-2-406-1701
quasralsarab.anantara.com