C'Obs: Atlantis in Dubai

The arrivals halls in Dubai were the largest – emptiest – quietest places I have ever been to. The signage was clear, the train fast and efficient and the pillars sparkled. We sped through customs but were pulled over for bag x-rays just before we got through the exit.

The taxi to Atlantis cost 120Dh and the driver, Malek from Pakistan, pointed out amazing things about the garden of skyscrapers that stretch from the Airport to the Palm. He said that the oldest tower is only 20years old. It is like architect heaven where they were invited to come here and draw up their most outrageous designs and make them happen. The Towers are well spaced so the blinding sun still shines down to the avenues and footpaths.

The tallest building in the world (Burj Kalifa) holds 7 world records for tall things including the longest elevator ride and the highest outdoors observation deck. It has tourist access to the 120^th floor, if you book ahead and are given a time of entry it costs 125Dh (about 50AUS) but just turning up will set you back 400Dh (130AUS). The twisty tower is still being built but looks amazing. The police and fire stations are works of art and the cops drive lambourgines! The ADCB bank has the motto, ‘Long Live Ambition’ - this seems to sum up the attitude of the UAE’s efforts to bring Dubai into the modern world with style and beauty. The Metro stations look like golden nautilis shells and the above ground train lines were smooth and elegant, let’s hope NSW manages to do something as nice on the Norwest line!

There are sea and ship motifs and themes on many of the buildings both in form and in finishing – the most famous is the Burj Al Arab. Looking like a giant sail jutting out into the sea on a man made peninsula it claims to be the most luxurious hotel in the world with private butlers for every suite and optional Rolls Royce or Helicopter transfers.

The Lobby of the Atlantis Hotel - Dubai

We choose to splurge at the Atlantis. The rooms and the restaurants were all expensive but for a special treat for a couple of nights it was fabulous. The huge cutout that separates the two towers dominated the scenery from the time the taxi turned off the freeway and onto the Palm stem. Entering the lobby was a feast of colour and welcome air conditioning, a blast of scented air hit us in the airlock between roasting and cool. The brilliant glass sculpture, coloured glass spiral light fittings around the space, mosaics of nearly every major sea myth known to man around the walls in primary colours and the vibrant floral designs were such a contrast to the sand beige of the country outside it literally took my breath away.

Slide down the pyramid.

Guests have free access to the water park on the grounds that is so long that using the complimentary buggy service along the private beach road to get from one end back to the Royal pool beach side of the lobby was very useful. They are still building and in a couple of years there will be circular hydro slides suspended 200m up in the air. The most daring ride currently is the Drop of Faith, which is a 27m high, open air slide, I had my face so covered in spray that I didn't even see when I slid through the aquarium near the end. The kids assured me that multiple turns were required to get your brain organized enough to wave at the sharks as you whizzed by. The tube rides seemed soft and lazy but be wary of the travelators that take you up to ‘The Plunge’ if you don’t like to drop so fast that the tube comes off the slide! Survival hint – wear footwear at all times, the pavers are so hot we all felt as if we had blisters on our soles. Many people wore their jandals like bracelets because you can get on and off rides at many different places. It was 48 by the pool and 23 inside the Hotel – as we approached the internal doors we felt the temperature dropping.

Aquarium inside the Atlantis

Inside the hotel is a huge Aquarium. Entry to the Lost Chambers is free to guests and has wonderful floor couches to lie on and stare up into the water world full of colourful fish and the relaxing light of water after a day in the water park. A one-hour scuba dive in the tank is definitely something we will do if ever we are lucky enough to be able to return. This was very reasonably priced as was the Royal Dolphin experience that we enjoyed. Having a pair of dolphins pull you through the water as you grabbed their dorsal fins or pushing your foot to surf you back to the beach was amazing, they are so strong that Petal’s board was only just in the water. The trainers told us interesting things and were very careful about how and where we stood or trod water to protect the dolphins. Dolphins lose their entire top layer of skin every 2hrs and have a smiley face so that any water that washes into their mouth can pour out to stop them drowning.

Dolphin Surf

Dolphin beaks are incredibly hard.

Dolphin Rescue

Paradise Desert for Lollyholics

Both the breakfast and dinner banquets at the Kaleidoscope restaurant were amazing. At breakfast there was a table pushed around a corner that had pork sausages and bacon but everything else on offer was Halal and absolutely delicious. Because it was Ramadan while we were there many Moslems were eating there to break their fast. Not eating in daylight hours during this month of celebration is so much harder in the Northern hemisphere where the days are so long. There were so many cuisines available to try, yet the two youngest of our group came back mostly with offerings from the chocolate fountain, the castle of lollies and the desert bar.

We ventured out from Atlantis in the complimentary shuttle to the Mall of the Emirates that houses Magic Planet. This area includes acres of games and rides and neighbours a ski run with nearly 23000 square meters of snow all year around, they even have penguins and little toboggan runs for the tiny kids, ski suits supplied. Inside this mall the decorative details were just beautiful and I think every major store on the planet was there somewhere. Giant stuffed giraffes and real sized stuffed elephants in the toy store windows were gob smacking.

Waiting for the Shuttle

An arcade game - killing Zombies?

Looking up at the Mall of the Emirates

The Swarovski store was asking a lot less for their jewellery and figurines than I had paid for a thank you gift just before leaving Aus. The jewel shops were amazing, their windows sparkled more than any I have seen and huge sapphires, emeralds and rubies were set in rose, yellow, white gold with diamonds all the colours of the rainbow. The settings were delicate and creative with a lot of emphasis on plant motifs, the variety of topaz rings, bracelets and necklaces made it seem not such a disappointing birthstone after all. None of us dared to check out the prices.

We left with no bags having only spent money on experiences and we had a great time.

We caught the metro on to the biggest human mall in the Universe – Dubai Mall. The walk from the metro station to the actual mall was all undercover but was so long that it had travelators. There are great photo opportunities of Burj Kalifa through fairly clean windows. The Mall itself was very quiet with all of the food outlets closed because of Ramadan, they open at sunset and close between 1-3am during the holy month. Tourists are asked to have their knees and shoulders covered and there are large fines for playing rock or pop music out loud. Officially, swearing in public is punishable by a public beating with a rod. We decided to catch the shuttle back from Dubai Mall to Atlantis. If we visit again we will check out the Aquarium, the Ice rink, the Souk Hall and the waterfront restaurants in view of an enormous fountain. Entry to the Burj Kalifa is also in the Dubai Mall.

Leaving the Atlantis was efficiently organised with help from the bellhop button on the room phone and the friendly staff on the front desk organised a minivan to the airport so we didn’t have to travel in two taxis. After our late night swim, one of the family needed ear drops but there was no pharmacy. Luckily the couzies had some so the flight to the UK was more pleasant.

Jellyfish in the Aquarium

Lobsters climbing over a walkway

We had a great couple of days but the most special thing about it was that we spent them with family. Visiting new places with people whose company you enjoy is always really special and can make the drabbest of places a palace. Not that the Atlantis needed much help! It was a funny feeling leaving knowing that we weren’t going home for a couple of years.