A while back I heard about a hotel in Dubai known as a 7-star hotel. I didn’t even know the name of the hotel. So when there was a chance to visit Dubai I researched it online. I learned that the hotel is called Burj Al Arab. You may recognize it as the building that looks like a sail of a boat.
Burj is an Arabic word translated as ‘tower’ in English. The hotel is on an artificial island about 280 meters from Jumeirah Beach accessed from the mainland by a curving bridge. I also learned that it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world.

I read that the hotel is not open to the public. You can’t just go in there and have a look. To go in you need to have a booking of some sort. So I booked us at Skyview Bar, on the 27th floor of the hotel. I did online booking via their website and was emailed back promptly with instructions.
That year was our 10th wedding anniversary and we hadn’t really celebrated it. So when I was asked if there was a special occasion for the booking, I mentioned that it’s our 10th wedding anniversary. The hotel is very security conscious. When we arrived at the gate we had to show our booking before we were allowed to enter.
Let me show you what we saw when we went inside the hotel.

From the revolving doors we entered the world’s tallest atrium (about 180 meters). We were greeted by the dancing waters with an escalator on either side to transport people to and from the main lift lobby.

When I took the photos, I had to tell myself to close my mouth as it was a ‘jaw-dropping moment’. Everything just seems so sickeningly lavish.
From the lobby we were told to go to the side elevators where a receptionist was stationed. She looked at our booking and we were told to go up to the 27th floor. The elevator door opens up to the reception area of the Skyview Bar. We waited for a few minutes before we were ushered to our table.

It was an enjoyable night to experience, a one off-thing to do as it can burn a hole in the wallet.
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Text & Photos by Alicia Davis