Day 95: Dubai Revisited - Luxury and Decadence

 Today (actually April 9th out here), we were back in Dubai. Our previous trip featured a trip out into the desert, sand dunes, and playing with camels. This time, we selected to go for a touch of decadence and luxury by visiting Barj Al Arab. It's a luxury "7-star" resort famous for Brad and Angelina honeymooning there and Roger Federer and Andre Agassi playing a tennis match on the helipad fifty+ floors up. 

We took Jumeira Street to get here - that means "Burning Sand," which is all that existed 30+ years ago. One noticeable feature was the number of medical clinics and plastic surgery clinics we passed on the way - like over 200. Dubai's newest growth industry is medical (plastic) tourism.


The hotel, which went into business back in 1999, is situated on an artificial island about 900 feet offshore. Because it was built on reclaimed land, the engineering required is quite complex. The foundations consist of 230 120-foot concrete piles driven into the ground. It was built to resemble the billowing spinnaker sail of a J-class yacht. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast," while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The atrium (see pic) is 590 feet tall.

Our visit was to sample a "high tea" in one of the dining rooms on the top (59th) floor. That's a bit of a cheat, as there are 56 floors above ground and 3 below. Allison and I had differing opinions about the quality of the tea and the hotel itself. I rated it a "meh," and Allison rated it "great and amazing." Maybe it was my working-class roots kicking in, but I found the entire place very artificial, pretentious, and over-the-top. I'd say the resort was definitely 5-star, no question about that, and the food was almost 5-star. The service was 3-star at best. I think our group was given newbie servers with only a very junior manager present, who had zero authority to change anything. 

So - the food. The first course was a plate of 4 appetizers, accompanied by a fizzy non-alcoholic drink, water, and tea/coffee. I had a nice Moroccan tea with mint; Allison waited 25 minutes for a standard non-caffeinated drink. I'll use non-technical and non-gourmet descriptors from here on out. The white foamy stuff was delicious and had chopped strawberries in the bottom. The round brown thing resembling a cheese ball was lightly curried chicken. The sandwich was crab, and the fourth item was a beet slice on top of a crust containing tuna. 

Even though I detest beets, that's not their fault, and I'd give that all an A+.


Next up, we had cakes and desserts served in a nice metal stacked tray, resembling the outside of the building (nice touch). We each had two plates - so six items each. I'm honestly not sure what each of them were. One contained caramel and was an A++ for me, and the mango-wrapped sponge cake (the yellow thing) was also delish. The rest were too chocolatey (and I mean super heavy chocolate) for me to enjoy. It was notable that no-one finished their plate.

This was about the time that Allison got her first cup of tea.

The final course included classic scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream. I have to give them credit because the clotted cream was real, and the scones were moist and not too flaky. It was frustrating that we couldn't get a refill of the tea. Again- lousy service, especially compared to the super proactive service we have grown accustomed to on the boat. 

Considering the starting room rate (low floor) is over $1300 USD a night, I'd expect better. Top-end suites are over $20,000 USD a night.

Bonus Photos:

A. The lobby - two escalators go up on either side.

B. Ladies restroom sign - Allison loved this. 

C. Jumeira Steet Sign

D. The view. It was a bit hazy, but still pretty good.

E. They have a fleet of Ferraris and Rolls to transport guests. Plus, golf carts to get you to the beach (which previously, and amusingly, was known as Chicago Beach).














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