Burj Al Arab, also known as “Arab Sail”, is the most expensive and luxurious hotel in the world. The are no “standard” rooms here. Each one of the of 202 rooms is a deluxe suite. All rooms are two-storied, the smallest being 1830 square-feet large, and the biggest – 8400 square-feet. The cheapest suite will cost you $1500 per night. Claiming to be the world’s first 7-star hotel, it has truly become the symbol of Dubai. Before the economic crisis, one could only book a room number half-a-year in advanced. Right now, rooms are usually available within a week or so.
Sheikh Mohammed – the ruler of Dubai – perfectly understood that his emirate needs a recognizable symbol. Same as the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York. For that purpose, he hired the British architect Tom Wright. The idea of building a Sail-shaped hotel came to him accidentally. You can’t just walk in on Burj Al Arab territories just like that. The hotel stands on an artificial island, only accessible through a secured bridge. Two city tour options are available at the airport: a simple guided tour for $55, or a tour to the Burj Al Arab for $175. I, of course, refused to drink tea with cookies for $120.
On entering the hotel, you would face the staircase fountain, with an escalator on each side. The fountain periodically starts to play, spitting short streams of water. Burj Al Arab has the highest hotel lobby in the the world: 180 meters. The hotel is shaped into a triangle and the front side actually looks like a taut sail from the inside.
