Photos: Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Ski Dubai
After spending a day wandering through the old town, we decided it was time to see the Dubai we’d read about it. And there’s a lot to see. We jumped on the open-topped “Hop-on, Hop-off” bus with a goal to get to a hotel called “Atlantis,” located on a group of artificial islands shaped like a palm tree and appropriately named “The Palm,” for lunch.
On our drive, we passed malls with various themes from Greek to Roman to Egyptian. We paused to admire the Burj Al Arab, a seven star hotel designed to look like a billowing sail. The hotel offers only suites and has its own helipad. When we were there, the cheapest room went for US$2178/night. Guests may also request a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce during their stay.
We made it to Atlantis after driving up the trunk of the Palm Islands. The archipelago was much larger than I had imagined. There were residential buildings and hotels along the central corridor and lovely homes out on the palm fronds. Atlantis The Palm (http://www.atlantisthepalm.com/default.aspx) was as opulent as we had heard – and huge. Its claim to fame is The Lost Chambers, an aquarium that stretches through a series of halls and tunnels where guests may enjoy viewing over 65,000 marine animals.
After lunch, we went to Mall of the Emirates, covering roughly the same area as 73 soccer fields and boasting 466 retail outlets and 65 restaurants. At this point, we were numb to these impressive numbers because everything in Dubai seems to have “one of the biggest” in its descriptor. I had wanted to visit this particular mall because I wanted to see Ski Dubai.
Ski Dubai is an indoor ski area open 365 days a year. Visitors, who arrive in summer clothes, are required to rent skis, boots, poles and the appropriate winter wear before entering the ski area. It’s amusing to watch the skiers – all in identical equipment and clothing, coming down the slope and patiently waiting for the chair as bright lights shine down from the ceiling above.
I especially got a kick out of the rental calf-length black down coats, appropriate for covering Emirati men’s dishdashas and women’s long abayas. Prior to entering the snow zone, one woman dressed from head to toe in her black abaya, sheyla (head scarf) and parka looked and me while fanning her face and said, “HOT!” I could only imagine. The day we visited, it was 80 degrees outside and 32 and snowing at Ski Dubai.
Another highlight was Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. It opened on January 4th and the official height of the tower is 2,716 feet. To give a sense of what this means, the Empire State Building in New York is 1,250 feet tall and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan is 1,674 feet. My husband was disappointed that the observation deck was closed for repairs, but I have to admit I was a bit relieved.
While Dubai has oil, its supplies are limited. With this in mind, recent Sheiks have sought to to diversify and reinvent the Emirate – quite successfully – as a shopping and vacation destination. Today, oil comprises only 7% of its economy. The city’s blend of old and new as well as its diverse demographics – 80% of its population is foreign – make it a fascinating place to visit.