Isaura Daniel, special envoy*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
Dubai – Travelling to Dubai and not coming close to it is like travelling to Rio de Janeiro and not seeing the beach. The Burj Al Arab, the hotel in the shape of a sailing boat built on an artificial island in the Gulf, has become an icon in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Those travelling to the Emirate but not spending a night there at least want a picture, to see it from afar. To enter the giant boat it is necessary to pay a daily rate that ranges from US$ 2,000 to US$ 13,000 or, at least, to have a reservation for dinner in one of the restaurants, a bill of at least US$ 100.
Those who have already entered the hotel know of its exuberance. The exotic demonstration begins right in the reception of the Burj Al Arab. A giant fountain sprays water in several forms. The entrance carpet is brightly coloured, with red, yellow and blue. And the staircase that leads to the upper level has several aquariums beside it. The fish, of the most varied of kinds and sizes, accompany those going up the stairs. At the Burj Al Arab everything is colourful and bright. The pillars are golden, there are many mirrors and the ceiling is full of colour. Red is everywhere, including in some chandeliers.
The fish make it impossible for the visitor to forget that he is within a giant sailing boat. One of the Burj Al Arab restaurants, the Al Mahara, has its tables spread around a large aquarium. The intention is to imitate a submarine outing. There you can have a meal watching a grouper or a small blacktip shark swim around. The shape of the Burj Al Arab, that of a sailing dhow, is a reference to the kind of vessels the Arabs used while trading in the past. The hotel has six restaurants and cafés. Most have a panoramic view of the Gulf or of Dubai.
There are seven different kinds of hotel suites, covering from 170 to 780 square metres. The simplest, with one room, cost 7,500 dirham, around US$ 2,000. The most expensive, called Royal Suites, go for 50,000 dirham a day, over US$ 13,000. There are also suites for intermediary prices, like the Panoramic Suite, Club Suite, and Presidential Suite. The beds recall the traditional sultan beds, surrounded by fabric. The hotel also has several shops inside it. All luxury: Dianoor and Paris Galery jewelleries and Rodeo Drive garments.
Burj Al Arab, whose construction was finished in 1999, is 321 metres tall and has already been considered the tallest hotel in the world. It is also one of the few seven-star hotels in the world. Burj Al Arab is on an artificial island built just off Jumeirah beach, one of the most popular in Dubai. To get from the coast to the hotel it is necessary to cross a 280-metre bridge. The hotel belongs to Jumeirah Group, which belongs to Dubai Holding, a conglomerate that operates in 11 different sectors.
*Translated by Mark Ament
