On the languid, sun-soaked shores of the Arabian Gulf stands the only hotel on private Nurai Island. Accessible by boat, this castaway boutique resort is so secluded that from a distance you would hard-pressed even to spot it. From the Arabic word 'Nur', or light, Nurai certainly lives up to its name. Blessed with intense natural beauty, brimming with turquoise waters and flawless white sands, thirty-two fashionably minimalist one-bedroom villas line a crescent beach on the northeastern side of the island. Decked out in soothing shades of cream and grey, each villa has floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a private plunge pool, billowing linens and a huge bed as its centrepiece.