PINNACLE OF LUXURY
A Royal Suite in Dubai
We were on the causeway leading to The Palm, an enormous man-made island resort off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, when our guide got the call. Would we like to have a quick peek at what Forbes Magazine called the “world’s most expensive hotel room?”
The 1,500-room, nautically-themed Atlantis resort has two accommodation wings, the east and west towers, linked together by a sky-bridge near the top that is the Royal Suite. We arrived at a private entrance at the rear of the hotel where a valet stood by to assist us with private parking. The suite has a private elevator to keep away the riff-raff. We rose quickly to the 22nd floor to a 50-metre long hallway tiled with pure white marble, the ceiling decorated with an Arabian Nights motif.
The Royal Suite at the Atlantis hotel is not really a “room.” For the rates they charge, you get a bit more space than that. The suite measures a tad under 1,000 square metres, includes three plush bedrooms and four dazzling bathrooms, each with its own Jacuzzi. The entrance hall alone boasts more square footage than most people’s houses, the dining room seats 16 people in style, and you could easily party with 100 in the living room.
Our first stop was the living room, its 10-metre ceiling supported by elaborately carved white marble columns. Also cool was the gigantic plasma TV set and embedded surround-sound system, perfect for those occasions when you want to invite a few friends over for a party.
Should you wish to enjoy the view, step outside to the infinity balcony, where you can gaze off into the endless void that is the Arabian Sea. The view from the other side of the suite is of downtown Dubai, thousands of sparkling glass towers where the ordinary millionaires live and work. Peering over the balcony, you can see the sunbathers basking around the resort’s pool far below.
We were free to stroll around the suite and take photos, so I headed immediately for the master bedroom, something of a disappointment in size and decor. I took the opportunity to bounce on the bed. Evidently the Royal Suite is booked almost constantly, and we were lucky to sneak in for a quick peek. Who books the suite? A lot of oil sheiks, apparently, and movie stars. Those for whom cost is not an issue.
Looking up the rates online later, I found the suite listed at a mere 129,000 dirham, so perhaps the rate is variable.
That works out to $43,492.80 Canadian per day and doesn’t include the 20 per cent hotel tax, and a gratuity. Let’s just say $50,000 per diem and call it even.