The Burj Al Arab, Dubai’s famous 7 star hotel is definetly taking the term luxury service to a whole new level. Golden mosaic bathrooms, Hermes toiletries, Rolls-Royce valet service, helicopter landing platform, 24 hour personal butler service, an underwater aquarium restaurant, caviar breakfast, a spa 150 meters above the ocean, private beach and if thats not enough you can even buy a cocktail for 7,500 dollar.
I was looking forward to my stay at the self proclaimed ‘most luxurious hotel in the world’ and was lucky to have the opportunity to spend my birthday here. I knew hotels in the UAE are not necessarily known for understated luxury but I have to admit I was overwhelmed by all the service and gold bling-bling everywhere.
The journey starts when you are picked up at the airport with a white Rolls Royce. You are welcomed with flowers, drinks and chocolate gifts. The driver who is remotely connected to the hotel, provides the exact location of the car so that General Manager Heinrich Morio, is able to welcome every guest personally.
The first thing I noticed was the famous high fountain in the lobby. The fact that the general atmosphere and people dressed were rather casual over stiff and stuffy made us feel comfortable. The deluxe one bedroom suite is the smallest room at the Burj Al Arab and stretches over 170 square meters. The suite offers two floors including an entrance hall, living room with office area overlooking the ocean, 2 bathrooms, one bedroom and an open dressing room. I remember the butler handing me a menu stating the different scent and flower options for the bathtub water that day. I removed little soaps out of a box in the bathroom and it took them not even 20 minutes to notice and replace them in a room of 170 sqm. The service is definitely perfect to every single detail, however; people carrying your handbag to the beach or pressing the elevator button for you can feel a bit weird at the beginning. The spa on the 18th floor offers relaxing massage treatments
and oriental teas with a wonderful view over the ocean of Dubai. The Al Muntaha restaurant and bar on the top floor with colorful interior design is a good place to grab some drinks with friends or to have dinner with a view, whereas the underwater Al Mahara aquarium restaurant with endless seafood variations represents the more pricey dining alternative in the hotel.
A definite must when visiting is the balloon tour over the desert during sunrise very early in the morning which gives great views over the sand landscape of Dubai.
The Burj Al Arab is a palace of topnotch luxury in arabic style that is frequently visited by presidents and a-list celebrities. Recommended for special occasions and to everyone seeking a hotel that truly stands out as an experience in itself.
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