It’s mid December and we find ourselves on day one of our winter holidays in Dubai. The clock strikes 4pm and my mouth is dryer than the sand dunes that loom just south of our current location. I blame it on the flight induced dehydration, but a quick trip to the water bar alleviates the discomfort and by that I mean the parade of water carafes on the countertop, drawing you in with appetising mixes of thyme and cucumber, blueberries and raspberries.
Earlier, we had arrived so high-strung, unable to conceive how quickly we can settle into our 65-hour stopover in Dubai, before jetting off to Singapore. Just 6 hours ago, we hit the airport tarmac frazzled, with my husband, two-year old daughter, Averie, and three-month-old son, Maximilian, after a packed 7-hour flight. Upon shooting past the sliding doors of the airport to search for our Careem driver, the unsuspecting humidity hits like a ton of bricks. The kids, grumpy from the red-eye flight persevered through the stacking hardships — blinding desert light, sticky smoke-filled ride. Little did they know that their fortunes were about to change the moment the cab mounted the bridge to a certain iconic sail-shaped hotel.
“Your suite is ready for you,” I checked my watch in bewilderment — it is merely 10am, “we’ve also prepared a little breakfast spread for you to enjoy, said the doe-eyed Victoria Lopez, Guest relations manager at the Burj Al Arab. Pushing past heavily varnished (possibly soundproof) doors, my eyes trailed across the dining room table. It was jam-packed with treats of all shapes and sizes. Then, to the gilded coffee table where I gawked and gaped at a platter of (what I suspect are) Khidri dates, stacked like a cheerleading pyramid flanked by crystal bowls holding a truck ton of mixed berries, hand-picked for plumpness of character.
I’ve been to my fair share of hotels, and have dismantled one too many chocolate art pieces before bedtime, in acts of gluttony, but this one at Burj Al Arab really takes the cake. Pastry Chef Tom Coll pulls out all the stops with a dark chocolate helicopter dessert, laced with gold trimmings — reminding us of the more ludicrous ways of beginning your stay; i.e. via the hotel’s helipad soaring 321 meters high on its own artificial island.
Averie sinks her paws deep into the berries then does a double take to explore the surprise teepee that had been installed in the living room to surprise the kids. It’s cozy and filled with a selection of linen items from Atelier Choux in Paris. There’s even a teddy bear luxuriating in a bathrobe meticulously embroidered with her name on its back. From here on out, it’s time to decide just how spoilt your kids are going to be today. Averie found her calling in exploring the plush bedroom upstairs while Maximilien chose the calmer approach. Letting loose a little snore as his head touches the crimson red sofa; a quick graze of my fingers reveals that it’s velvet — soft and luxurious enough to lure you into slumber within seconds.
The Burj Al Arab boasts 202 duplex suites, all elegantly decked out and providing a hosts of opportunities to ‘live your best life’. Electronically controlled blackout curtains, in case the floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the Palm Jumeirah get to overwhelming, a full-size jacuzzi in the marble bathroom, a royal staircase that will make you wish you had a dress with an intricate train to cascade down, and a king sized bed fitted with premium dronuault bedding complete with a mirror above head — (yes, the activities span the spectrum from cozy to kinky).
In the forward thinking, super efficient city of Dubai, the sheer number of hotels that promote family-friendly luxury is dizzying. But if you want your kids to truly feel like royalty, then the Burj Al Arab is the real deal.
After a quick freshening up, we embark on a buggy which transports us to the doorstep of the famous Wild Wadi waterpark (free entry serve as perks to being a hotel guest). From high energy slides, to lazy rivers and family wave pools, the contrast between the wet and rainy winter landscape that we left behind in France, versus the golden sands bedazzled by the bright sun, couldn’t have been clearer. There is a sense of wonder and even surrealism, which my daughter was evidently basking in, as we witnessed her, keeping very still with closed eyes at the fringes of the wave pool.
Dubai is a foodie’s haven, armed with more restaurants than you can shake a fork at, likewise, the Burj Al Arab abides by these same standards with a mix of exceptional restaurants, fancy tea salons and Michelin accolades. Seemingly timely, as hunger plays tag to the sneaking jet lag.
SAL, poised on the other side of the manmade island is a sun-drenched beach club that draws in the well-heeled. First impression, Mediterranean style cooking, with dishes such as the vibrant Mozambique prawns bathed in peri peri sauce and the pulpo alla plancha proving to be heavy hitters in the starters category. But dig a little deeper and you’ll come to realise what it truly possesses is a heart of Italian cooking, every dish touched by the authenticity of a nonna — Except that it is not.
Chef Vincenzo Nigro is the man behind the glorious pasta dishes here at SAL, to which I implore you to revel in. From the King Crab Trenette to the pasta of the day doubled downed with fresh seafood and laced with chili, it’s instinctual cooking of the most delicious kind. Cocktails are also a worthwhile endeavour with the clear Colada and Paloma putting a swing to our step.
Back in our suite, the world falls quiet as all the heads lay to rest — we had clearly found a place we imagined we needed to be for our total reset. Somewhere between admiring how clean the glass windows are and stumbling upon the Tommee Tippee diaper bin in the downstairs loo, I came to realise that as much as I disliked the garish get-up of the rooms, the Burj Al Arab owns it with so much conviction that you start to believe you’re part of this set.
The next thing you know, you’re having a gin and tonic at 4pm, getting a visit from Rolly the Trolley dispensing chocolate and lollies for the kids whilst simultaneously watching a cotton candy machine in action at 5pm. Absurd…Then there’s the bottle of champagne just as the sun paints dramatic streaks of orange and reds across the sky.
As the adults snuck out for a determinedly posh dinner at Al Muntaha, the kids would have been left to our devices, if not for the generosity of the hotel staff who had called in a sitter to watch over them (a relatively easy job since they were in deep slumber till morning with the jet lag).
The next morning, they wandered blurry-eyed into the living room, took a look at the Royal breakfast offerings and I swear, it was like Christmas morning all over again. It took a mammoth effort to keep the shouting to a minimum, but my husband heard the commotion and swiftly claimed his place at the breakfast table to avoid disappointment.
From fluffy pancakes stacks to crispy waffle edges and fresh truffle shavings over scrambled eggs, it was admittedly too much food for the 4 of us. Disclaimer: Don’t get too used to that in-room Royal breakfast spread, kids.
Yes, this acclaimed 7-star hotel ticks all the boxes for luxury — interiors that demonstrate unrestrained levels of grandeur, reams of gold leaf and marble, excellent food and drink options, top notch around the clock butler service, Hermès toiletries for keeps, and instagrammable corners all around — but the people behind the establishment are clever enough to realise that luxury comes with discretion and flexibility as you shape your own experience.
Fun story. Sometime whilst dining at SAL, my Averie, after making a dent in her Mac & Cheese had wandered off to shovel sand beside the DJ console. What followed will perhaps serve as my biggest flex of my stay at the Burj Al Arab — knowing that my kid’s sandals are probably still buried somewhere in the soft white sand beaches of this exclusive man-made island on the Arabian Gulf.
Jumeirah BURJ AL ARAB
Address: Umm Suqeim Third – Umm Suqeim 3 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Instagram: @jumeirahburjalarab
Text: Sihan Lee
Photo courtesy: Sihan Lee
