Built on an artificial island with architecture designed to resemble the sail of a dhow, the Burj Al Arab has become an emblem for the city.
It has represented the Emirate since it opened in late 1999 and since has become a landmark both locally and around the world. Last year, the Burj Al Arab added The North Deck to its long-list of luxurious offerings – an outdoor space that spreads out – like a fan – from the base of the hotel.
The Burj Al Arab is home to 202 duplex suites, the smallest of which measures a whopping 1,829-square feet. There is a bold colour scheme – expect patterned carpets in bright hues, as well as lots and lots of gold leaf.
Each floor of the Burj Al Arab has a desk for your private butler. Indeed, it would be a challenge to walk anywhere in the hotel without running into a member of staff – the property boasts 1,600 of them, meaning there is a staff-to-suite ratio of eight to one.
Perhaps those staff are required, however, to run the vast number of facilities the hotel has to offer. The hotel has its own helipad attached to the roof, six swimming pools (two indoor pools on the 18th floor, including a separate one for women, two outdoor pools and two more on the new terrace), its own Talise spa and ten restaurants.
Suites are a mixture of plush chairs and sofas, marble floors, a golden staircase and thick wooden doors. There’s even a mirror over the bed – fun for some, slightly disconcerting for others.
Each room has a fully-sized iMac, and you can borrow a gold-plated iPad at the push of your butler button. Bathrooms come fully-loaded with whirlpool baths and Hermes toiletries, the full-sized kind – no travel miniatures here.
The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah continues to set the standard in terms of luxury, and each one of its 202 suites proves as much.
