© Richard Randall

BURJ AL ARAB

We loved our time in Dubai, although we didn't get to see much of the country as we were only there for a couple of nights. The main reason we went to Dubai was because we wanted to stay at the Burj Al Arab (Jumeira Beach Hotel). Years before our stay we had seen some plans of this amazing looking hotel, and we said that if ever the hotel actually gets built we would definitely go and stay there. Over many years working in the photographic trade we had seen plans and artists impressions etc of many projects that never make it any further than the planning stage. So when we heard that work was commencing on this wonderful hotel we were really pleased. I think it finally opened to guests in 1999, and it was a couple of years later before we got to sleep there. We had gone travelling to India, planning to stay for roughly three months, and we had booked a couple of nights for our homeward journey at the Burj Al Arab, it's unusual for us to pre-arrange anything but as it is very popular and busy we didn't want to be disappointed. As it turned out we returned from India much sooner than planned (as explained on the India travelogue), and it looked as though we may not be able to visit Dubai after all. But thankfully after lots of phone calls, and chats with the airlines, and the Burj Al Arab we had our flights sorted and there was a suite available for us at the Burj, Hooray. As I have written before on this site we were now masters at travelling light, luggage wise. We arrived in Dubai feeling a little tired from the flight, but as we only carry hand luggage we knew it wouldn't be too long before we were out of the airport. We were greeted by a representative of the hotel who fast tracked us through the customs process, excellent. He did seem rather confused as to our obvious lack of luggage, I think he thought we were impostors! Once through customs he whisked us from the delicious air conditioning of the airport straight out into the boiling sunshine, it was very hot around 40c/104f, lovely. Both of us like to be really warm, we never complain about anywhere being too hot. Humidity on the other hand is not that pleasant, and it was very humid during one of our days in Dubai. Once outside we were greeted by a chauffeur and a gleaming white Rolls Royce, this is the standard way for guests at the Burj Al Arab to be met. I know it's very naff but I didn't care, I grabbed the video camera out of my bag and began to film, but not for long. The difference in temperature between the airport and the outside was never going make an ideal scenario and the lens very quickly steamed up, but not before I got a tiny piece of hazy footage of the car etc. Once we were happily seated in the back of the car the chauffeur offered us a silver tray on which were some neatly rolled, gorgeously soft, ice cool cloths for us to freshen up with. We could get used to this! We then began our drive to the hotel, the first thing we noticed was how lovely and clean everywhere was ... just like London! We enjoyed the drive, speeding along through the commercial centre past some amazing buildings, lots of skyscrapers, many constructed using vast amounts of glass which reflected the sunlight and looked absolutely beautiful. Before long we were able to see the hotel and it looked fantastic in the flesh, just as we had imagined. As we pulled up outside the hotel entrance the car door was opened and we were welcomed by a doorman, he guided us inside where we were greeted by three members of the welcoming committee. One of them offered us a silver tray with more cool, freshening cloths, another one was holding a tray full of succulent dates, and the third was carrying a very large incense burner which he waved through the air in front of us. This was a lovely start to our stay, and then we were met by another man who began to take us up to our suite, all the while feeding us information about the hotel. When we first entered the hotel we noticed that quite a few people were standing admiring the building. It is impressive, in a very ornate over the top way. In fact during our stay many people came in just to have a look round, and every single one of them was quite obviously awe struck. On the ground floor of the hotel there are two escalators running up and down either side of the foyer, with huge walls of glass housing fish along side them. Also on the ground floor lobby area was the longest settee we have ever seen, possibly 20 metres long. The attention to detail was amazing, and the vast pillars which ran up centrally through all of the floors were gold coloured, and according to the man taking us to our suite it was real gold. Once we arrived on the floor of our suite we were introduced to the receptionist, and told that there would be a butler on call 24 hours a day to deal with all our needs. We were then shown into the suite, which was very large and arranged over two floors. On the lower floor was a large entrance hall, toilet, a sweeping staircase that lead up to the bedroom, and the main room which was a very large open planned area split into three, an office area with desk, laptop computer etc, a dining area with bar, a dining table which was fully laid up for in room dining, and then there were various settees, chairs, chaise longues laid out round the television, and all overlooking the sea through the floor to ceiling windows which ran the whole length of the wall. To welcome us there were fruit cocktails, and lots of fresh fruit, and a lovely box of dates. Upstairs was the bedroom and bathroom both were luxurious, and there were lots of chairs and settees in the bedroom in case walking up the stairs was too tiring! The bathroom was nice with a lovely large shower easily big enough for two, and a jacuzzi complete with a menu of oils etc. As we expected everything was marble and opulent, and there were full size Hermes toiletries for both of us, which included everything from soaps to perfume/aftershave. There was a choice of three different weights of dressing gown, I loved the thickest, fluffiest, largest, one, although once I had it on it was so heavy I could hardly walk and it trailed along the floor behind me ... it was called the Pavarotti which explains the size! The bedroom was equally lavish with lots of satin cushions all over the bed, and the same fantastic view out to sea from the huge expanse of windows. The Burj Al Arab (Arabian Tower) is built on an artificially constructed island about 300m off the shore. The original hotel building (Jumeira Beach Hotel) is an 's' shaped construction designed to represent a wave, and the newer tower (Burj Al Arab) resembles a sail of a boat. The Burg has 60 floors reaching 321 metres in height at the tip of the thin spire on top. There are 300 suites with each floor having its own separate reception area, as there is not a traditional reception downstairs in the main entrance area. There are lots of facilities including a casino, a spa, and a restaurant; Al Mahara which is actually under the water enabling you to eat whilst observing various fish swimming behind huge sheets of glass. We ate dinner down there one evening, but unfortunately once we were seated we weren't really hungry so we only ordered a main course. The chef kindly sent out a first course for each of us but we couldn't eat it. I can't remember what we ate now but I do remember that it was lovely, although i'm sure that as we left so much of it the waiter thought we didn't like it. The service was excellent as we expected it would be. We both like to be waited on without even realizing that we have been, which is exactly how this restaurant was, neither of us noticed the presence of any of the staff until we were ready to leave. It's really nice when your wine and water glasses are automatically topped up without any sign of anyone having done so. Within the hotel there were a few shops selling jewellery etc up on the first floor, you get a great view down over the foyer where you can watch the tiered fountain lights change colour. There were lots of places to sit on the first floor, and relax with a drink or just people watch. We used to drink in the bar at the top of the hotel, it was decorated in very bright green and blue hexagonal colours which were a bit much for the eyes, but the great views made up for it, the cocktails weren't that bad either! As we were only in Dubai briefly we didn't get to do some of the things we would have liked to. For example it would have been really cool to go and watch a camel race, and take part in a desert rally. Obviously as camels are the most common animal in the UAE it is the main spectator sport and attracts large crowds. Shopping in Dubai was great, there were several shopping centres and various souqs. Gold is probably the biggest seller in Dubai, at the Gold Souq. There was every kind of gold jewellery available, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and you can ask the craftsmen to alter the composition of the alloys to create a different hint of colour, from white, yellow, pink or green, on your jewellery. Another common purchase there was carpets, ranging from Persian carpets, Turkish Kilims to Afghan rugs. Perfumes and incense are also widely available if you like strong spicy aromas. As we didn't want to take advantage of the gorgeous white sand and warm sea, we decided to get away from the hotel for a while and we hired a car. We asked for a Saab and were very pleased that the seats had their own separate air-con, because the day we had the car was very humid and it was nice to be able to keep our bottoms cool! We didn't go that far but it was nice to be mobile even if it was for just one day. We had been warned that driving in Dubai was a dangerous affair because the drivers pay little attention to other cars, and they drive way too fast. We didn't notice any bad driving and thoroughly enjoyed our travels in the car. We went to a couple of the smaller shopping centres but we didn't buy anything, not from lack of choice though. It seemed like every shopping centre we went to had a carpet shop, and shops selling wooden art seemed very common too. We were able to park right outside each of the places we visited without any problems, even though the centres themselves were reasonably busy with shoppers. As you would imagine the Burj was quite expensive for drinks etc, for example a regular sized can of Coca-Cola from the fridge in our suite cost £5 at the time we were there, although over at the older part, Jumeira Beach it was half that price. On the drive to the airport for our flight home our chauffeur told us that a year before our visit everything was double the price, so I guess we had made big savings! As we were only there for a brief stay there isn't really that much to write apart from describing the place in all its glorious detail, which it definitely deserves although words cannot fully express the opulence of the place (well mine can't anyway)! We only ate breakfast on one of the mornings during our stay, but it was a real pleasure. It wasn't the food that made it such a nice experience, although the food was good much the same as any large hotel, it was the setting. There were tables inside and out and we chose to sit outside. It was seriously hot but not at all humid which was lovely, there was a very warm breeze, and we could see the sea, and admire the amazing building that towered above us. At night the side of the hotel that is constructed to look like the cloth of a boat sail slowly changes colours going through a rainbow of pastel shades which looks amazing. One evening we drove along the coast and parked on the roadside in a residential street where we went for a stroll along the beach. It was a beautiful night, and there were lots of local residents out and about too all wandering along the sand or the pavement admiring the Burj Al Arab as it slowly changed colours in the distance. Apparently it is a bit of a ritual with some of the locals who even bring friends and family along just to see this amazing hotel. As with a lot of things in life you don't always get the chance to do the things you would like to, we both loved the Burj Al Arab hotel, and we are so pleased that we did eventually get to stay there, and we wouldn't hesitate in making a return visit someday.

Caribbean

Sundries

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