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Buy Buy Dubai
Looking more, at times, like a film set dreamed up by Stephen Spielberg or George Lucas than a modern city on the sands of the Persian Gulf, Dubai begs to be noticed. And succeeds. Where Egypt built its monuments to the dead, Dubai raises its towers -- each bigger, broader and more brazen than the last -- to the living, as an iconic city eternally in search of itself and knowing the answer lives in the next amazing thing.
"When Burj Dubai was first planned, it was to be a 90-storey structure, but Sheikh Mohammed asked us, 'Why stop there?'" Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Director-General of Dubai's Department of Economic Development said in a recent interview.
The once backwater pearl-diving port found diamonds in oil development and turned those diamonds into golden sands that shape this desert in cemented steel and glass as one industry after the other makes its Euro-Asian hub on this Persian Gulf peninsula. Within the metropolis of nearly 1.5 million souls are such places as Media City, where the world's media giants cluster and Internet City where top names in IT collide. And soon there will be Studio City – the largest film backlot in the world, as well as NASCAR City, Dubailand themepark city to add to Dubai Sports City, Industrial City and other superpods of commerce and entertainment. But tourism is Dubai's true oil and it is manifesting its might in an unending line of five- to seven-star city and beach resorts, nearly five dozen luxury malls, some of the tallest buildings in the world and construction projects counting more than a fifth of the world's available high rise cranes.
The effect is dizzying. The iconic Burj al Arab, once the tallest building in the land, is giving way to the Burj Khalifa Dubai, the tallest building in the world at 2,717 (consider what what a mile straight up might look like), beating the 101 Building in Taiwan by more than a 1,000 feet. At the base of the tower is Dubai Mall, aiming for1,200 stores fronted by amazing water shows out front courtesy of WET Design, the force behind Bellagio's fountains and Mirage's volcano .
But why stop there?
As the city claims the sea as its next frontier with a series of man-made island developments in the shapes of palm trees, a globe and the planets, new hotels are opening just about every week and all with a unique story to tell.
Last fall, with such notables as Lindsay Lohan, Robert DeNiro and Sir Richard Branson checked in, Atlantis, The Palm opened atop the crescent of The Palm Jumeirah marking the first of many luxury properties in that area to come, all connected to the Jumeirah Beach mainland by causeway and, eventually, monorail. The Sun International property brings its legendary awe in the form of 1,539 ocean-themed rooms, a mesmerizing aquarium with guest rooms, corridors and attractions looking onto the mysteries of this deep. Its back yard is a complete, 40-acre water-themed adventure park with extraordinary rides fashioned around the motif of ancient Mesopotamia. Abutting the beach and sea is Dolphin Bay, a 10-acre dolphin park with programs for guests to interact with the intelligent sea creatures. For dining, there is a Nobu as well as signature restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs Giorgio Locatelli, Michel Rostang and Santi Santamaria. The Spa & Fitness Centre at Atlantis feature Middle Eastern massages and therapies inside a labyrinth of tranquility.
Advertised room rates run from $517 per night for a deluxe room to $25,000 for an indulgent themed suite.
Also opened in the past year is Raffles Dubai, a superluxe sibling of Raffles Hotels & Resorts connected to the uberscale Wafi Center mall and souk. This 19-story pyramid-shaped (in keeping consistent with the triangle-shaped shopping mall) hotel is a city property with golden panoramas of the Emirate from guestroom terraces and penthouse restaurants and clubs. All 248 rooms are palace-sized suites starting at 754 square feet (to 7,029 square feet), and all feature a private balcony with comfortable furnishings, espresso machine, free Wifi, a 40-inch LCD TV, iPod dock, a cushiony lounge spread with soft throws and pillows, an expansive marble bathroom with a deep soaking tub and a bed fitted with soft high threadcount linens. A spa, a library, even a botanical garden to wander through add to the stay, as does the property's corridor connections to one of the city's top shopping venues, which recently put the finishing gloss on an amazing medina where fine Middle Eastern artifacts, clothing, jewelry, foods, perfumes and artworks can be found.
The beach scene in Dubai is anything but quiet. The bulldozers have been busy along this once sleepy littoral building a bastion of one-of-a-kind resorts, mostly under the Jumeirah Group brand. You can also find a desert-themed Hilton, Westin, three Meridians, a Sheraton, and a Ritz-Carlton here and likely filled with more luxurious bells and whistles than their other properties. But Jumeirah rules when it comes to height, breadth and boldness in property design. The world famous Burl al-Arab, at 1,053 feet, maintains its title as the tallest hotel tower in the world. Only 202 suites in this sail-shaped structure. Each suite is double story and leaving the guest wanting for little. They come with a complete turnkey office, a floor concierge, and dedicated butler to unpack and draw the bath. Windows run floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall looking out to sea, automatic everything – from curtain drawing to door answering. Bathrooms big enough to set up house present his and hers complimentary full-sized designer amenities from Hermes, otherwise found in finer stores and a round Jacuzzi tub to take away stress. The closet is actually the corridor between the bedroom and bathroom and the bedroom offers a large bed under a full-mirror for a guest to watch the sea when watching self becomes less interesting. Plenty of sitting areas here – living room, bedroom cubby, dining room, all entered by a marble foyer leading to a grand staircase. Standard suites start at $2,450 a night.
The Burj is connected by pathways to the spread of resorts, restaurants, shopping and waterways of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (and connected Wild Wadi waterpark) and the Madinat Jumeirah – a winding waterway navigated by complementary abras, through more than 40 cafes and restaurants, a huge indoor/outdoor souk-themed mall and three more moderately-priced Arabian- themed luxury hotels. The Mina A'Salam, Dar Al Masyaf and the Al Qasr offer guestrooms starting at $598, which pays for the location on the water, the non-motorized beach amenities, and the convenience of having a plethora of top scene clubs, cafes, restaurants, spa, shopping, themepark and Arabian ambience at the door.
On the Table …
Planning beyond 2009 includes:
* A 213-room Palazzo Versace Hotel in the Culture Village renaissance, a development underway along Dubai Creek.
* A $680 million, Paris-inspired, 342-room Baccarat Hotel & Residences facing the Palm Jumeirah
* A Karl Lagerfeld-designed property called Hotel Moda, which will have 250 rooms and be located on the ambitious The World island development.
* Trump Dubai, a 62-storey Trump International property with 378 rooms and suites and even more villa condos and townhouses, located on the Palm Jumeirah.
* Also on the Palm Jumeirah will be a 550-room Kingdom of Sheba property under Fairmont management, which will contain a residence club and a souk.
* QE2 Dubai. The legendary Cunard line ship is being repositioned from her recent retirement to spend her golden years as a luxury hotel and attraction moored in the harbors of Palm Jumeirah.
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