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From city breaks to ski and sauna weekends, head to colder climes for an elegant way to enjoy the season

Even by the standards of an emirate that shows all the constructional restraint of a toddler with a trunk of Lego, Dubai is in turbocharge mode. Eminent hotel groups are flooding in as superhotels spring up on man-made islands. Yet for all Dubai’s veneration of the new, decades of innovation have left a legacy of eye-catching and, in some cases, surprisingly affordable sanctuaries in which to bed down, whether you’re based in Burj Khalifa-dominated Downtown, the buzzing Marina or amid the sugary sands of Jumeirah Beach and the Palm. Throughout it all, the hospitality ecosystem seems to hum with a customer-is-king efficiency.

Bilbao is a classic European city break destination: small enough to walk across in an hour and filled with lush parks, bustling pintxos bars (you’re rarely more than 6ft away from a cocktail stick sk

Nestled in snow-capped mountains, frosty forests or twinkling cities, these spa getaways come into their own when the mercury drops

This week’s dream: the dazzling coral gardens of ...