EDITOR'S LETTER:

A new guard of iconic modern marvels is emerging in the Middle East, offering visitors a fresh take on the region’s architectural, musical and artistic riches: grand opera houses in Muscat and Dubai and ground-breaking museums in Marrakech and Abu Dhabi, to name a few. We bring some of them together on page 58, and look at why now is a great time to visit the cities they call home. Elsewhere, Steven Bond spent a weekend making himself comfortable at Fairmont Dubai, which celebrates its 16th birthday this month, and Sarah Freeman has been sunning herself on the beaches of Phuket; a just reward for getting to grips with the heaving streets of Bangkok, which celebrated the launch of the first Michelin guide to the city. Back at home, motoring man Kris Karacinski accepted the challenge of test driving Aston Martin’s new DB11, and W Hotels’ global brand leader Anthony Ingham shares some thoughts on the hotel industry’s first major disruptor. On top of all that, we’ve a fantastic line-up of news and events from the world of luxury travel, plus the latest hotel and resort openings worldwide.