Shijo Varghese

Review of Burj Al Arab Hotel

I visited this hotel when I was doing celebrity ma...

I visited this hotel when I was doing celebrity management in association with a high-end fashion house in Jumeirah and we were given a very amiable and detailed guided tour. The opulent interior decor and high ceilings, coupled with the warmth of their staff will leave you feeling with a very relaxed and inimitably regal aura. Although it was inaugurated nearly twenty years ago, this symbol of uber grandeur (built on an artificial island after accomplishing a number of seemingly impossible engineering feats), still represents the finest that a thriving metropolis could offer it's tourists and it is not rare that you find visitors here agape in wonder at the sheer scale of its elegance. Its suites feature patterns that juxtapose the best of the East and West. Its restaurants, Al Muntaha (The Ultimate) and Al Mahara (Oyster), offer a surreal dining experience. You will be left enthralled by some most exclusive materials that were internationally sourced for finishing its decor which include custom-made carpets and rugs from South Africa and India, marble from Brazil and Italy, wooden doors from Dubai and chandeliers from the United Kingdom. Don't be surprised if you brush off gold dust from your shoulders post visit, as nothing less than 24-carat gold leafing is used to embellish a majority of its interior! The structure designed to represent the sail of a ship also features a beautiful helipad, that has been the subject of numerous high-octane celluloid sequences and sports marketing campaigns (remember the epic showdown of the legends, Agassi vs. Federer?). Still vivid in every tennis aficionado's memory, though it has been 14 years since this headline-grabbing event! A must visit on your trip to United Arab Emirates and make sure you return with plenty of trending Instagrammable memories. Google reviews only allows a maximum of five stars, but they should create an exclusive rating system for the Burj Al Arab, to do justice to the sheer magnitude of the guest experience that this pioneering hospitality marvel inspires!