Contributed by travel writer Jens Hoffmann
Salam, the tower of the arabs is a luxury hotel in Dubai. On the coast of the United Arab Emirates you will find this 321 m high building which is one of the tallest hotels in the world.
Talk about money: The price for a suite is up to 25.000 € per night.
The hotel Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m out from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure whose shape mimics the sail of a ship. It is a 5-star hotel often referred to as 7-star hotel. Designed by the architect Tom Wright and opened in 1999. Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve because the hotel rests on an artificial island constructed offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 45 m long concrete piles into the sand.
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group and they are running also a nice hotel complex nearby.
Dubai is a different place, the hotel offers 24-carat gold iPads for kids.
Do not know what for.
The hotel kids package includes rooms with Xbox, the gold iPads and PlayStations, the management says ‘luxury doesn’t have an age limit’, it is a ‘ultimate experience’ for children.
We enjoyed a bit of these things, a Ferrari test drive eg.
I like the “normal” life; that means to travel by the Dubai metro.
The train is divided into three classes. The first, or the gold class, is for the rich and businessmen, while the second is for women and children. The silver class, or the third, is the cheap tickets.
Different strokes for different folks
Emiratis prefer the golden class, as the seats are limited and there are hostesses who receive them and meet all their demands and create a comfortable atmosphere for them. Businessmen hold their morning meetings with their employees on their way to work, and they can hold an online meeting using the wifi.
In the other two classes, wifi is offered as well. Air conditioner and information screens inside the trains helps passengers enjoy their trips.
If you do not want to check in at the Burj Arab I can highly recommend to have a tea during day time or a cocktail in the bar on floor 27.
Photos: Niko Rechenberg & Jens Hoffmann
