Burj Al Arab, Dubai: The Hotel That Invented Itself

The Arrival

You cannot simply walk into the Burj Al Arab. It sits on a private artificial island connected to the mainland by a causeway guarded by security. You need a reservation — for a room, or for one of the restaurants or bars. The approach by car, across the 300-metre causeway with the building rising ahead of you like a sail, is theatre of the first order. Arrival, not coincidentally, is choreographed to maximise the effect.

The Atrium

The lobby atrium is 180 metres high. It is one of the most extraordinary interior spaces on earth — an explosion of gold and aqua and column, lit by fibre-optic chandeliers, with waterfall features on every level. It is aggressively, unapologetically maximalist. Either you are appalled or you are delighted; both responses are valid.

The Suite

There are no rooms at the Burj Al Arab — only suites. Ours was a Deluxe Suite on the 25th floor: two levels, a double staircase, a private cinema room, a dining table for six, and a bathroom with a sunken whirlpool bath whose surround I estimated to be roughly the same square footage as my first London flat. Everything is bespoke, everything is excessive, and the bed was genuinely the most comfortable I have ever slept in.

The Food

Al Mahara, the seafood restaurant reached by simulated submarine descent, is genuinely excellent — the theatrics work, and the fish cookery is as serious as anywhere in the Gulf. Al Muntaha, the restaurant on the 27th floor with views over the Palm and the coast, serves food that is more reliable than its position suggests.

The Service

Twenty-four-hour butler service. A Rolls-Royce transfer to and from the airport if you want it. Staff who seem to have memorised your preferences by the end of the first day. It is the most attentive hotel service I have experienced, and the attention never tips into intrusion.

Verdict

Is the Burj Al Arab's reputation fully earned? Yes, more or less. It is genuinely spectacular in ways that are impossible to convey in photographs. Whether you consider it the height of luxury or the nadir of taste is irrelevant to the quality of the experience.

Best for: Once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, those who want to understand Dubai on its own terms Room rate: From £1,500 per night Tip: Non-guests can visit Al Muntaha or Al Mahara restaurants with an advance booking — a lower-cost way to experience the building.