Mar 27 2009
Unique Accommodation: The Burj al Arab
Looking for a unique accommodation? Do you think the world’s only 7-star hotel counts as a unique hotel? In a world with hundreds of thousands of hotels, I consider a resort with extreme luxury (and furniture made of 24-carat gold) unique. The Burj al Arab (which translates to Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The hotel is more than 1,000 feet high (321 meters) and located on an artificial island approximately 900 feet away from the Jumeirah beach. The building shaped like a sail is easily recognized, which, according to the architect, Tom Wright, was the point: “The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country.”
What makes it 7-stars? Just some of the reasons:
All rooms in the resort are suites…and the smallest suite is 1,819 square feet (169 square meters) and costs around $1,000 a night.- All of the restaurants in the hotel are critically acclaimed including a head chef named Chef of the Year in 2006 and one restaurant named one of the “Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler.
- Each floor has a private reception desk, at least one butler, and a floor manager to provide around-the-clock attention (one previous guest said “I don’t think I had to open the door myself once on returning to my room as they always got there ahead of me.”)
All suites feature floor to ceiling windows, with commanding views of the Jumeirah beach and the warm Arabian Gulf and incorporate state-of-the-art technology, with and electronic system that allows guests to control their environment through the touch of a fingertip.- All rooms have a laptop with Windows Vista and Microsoft 2007 and touch-screen technology.
- Each person can order how they want their pillow (soft, hard, without feathers, etc.) from the 17-option pillow menu.
- A chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce is available for airport transfers.
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Guests arriving at Burj Al Arab are welcomed with rose water, refreshing cold towels, dates, Bakhoor and authentic Arabic coffee.
Activities
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Water sports including yachting, snorkeling, diving, water skiing, and more
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Wild Wadi Water Park
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Golf
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Sightseeing
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Desert Safaris
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Shopping
Rates
As mentioned, rooms start around $1,000 depending on the dates and type of suite selected (the Royal Suite is about $28,000 a night).
Reservations
Ready to make reservations for this unique accommodation? Reservations for the Burj al Arab can be made on-line.
This is the fifth post in a series on Unique Accommodations. Find more unique hotel choices.
