A sneak peek into living life king size in Abu Dhabi

Two years ago, I made a video on the most expensive suite of Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. The Royal Suite, priced between Dh50,000 and Dh70,000 a night, is palatial in every sense. The video was widely watched, garnering nearly half a million views on Facebook alone.

This time, we decided to move farther from Dubai and feature the most expensive suite at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi in our Inside UAE’s most famous buildings video series.

With photojournalist M. Sajjad, I waited patiently at the lobby of the regal hotel and soon we were escorted to the Palace Suite on the seventh floor. While we were inside the elevator, I noticed that we didn’t have access to the eighth floor, where Ruler Suites were located. We were told that it was only reserved for presidents, rulers and state leaders, and a common man couldn’t reach that floor unless accompanied by police officials. Moreover, the Ruler Suites weren’t open for reservation to the general public, even if they had the means. The most expensive suite at the hotel that can be booked by anyone is the three-bedroom Palace Suite. Priced at Dh55,000 a night, there are 16 such suites at Emirates Palace, eight each on the sixth and seventh floors.

The Palace Suite has hosted several world leaders and celebrities, including the Queen of England, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, members of the royal families of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, as well as celebrities including Shakira, Elton John and Bon Jovi. While doing the piece-to-camera for the video, I sat on the same majestic bed as the Queen of England and I won’t lie, it felt like my own brief moment of royalty.

Each Palace Suite can be divided into a further three suites – diamond, pearl and coral suites – and each of them can be separately booked. With an area of 680 sq. m, the suite seemed so huge that it was easy for us to get confused and lose our way while filming. I was amazed by the level of luxury, hospitality and service befitting kings and queens. The most impressive feature was the private elevator that takes you directly to the fifth floor from the suite. The moment we opened the doors to the balcony, a gush of breeze blew through the curtains, leading us to breathtaking views of the Arabian Sea.

We thought we would complete the filming in half an hour. However, it took us a little over two hours to capture every intricate detail of the grandiose accommodation. As we said goodbyes, I joked to return someday with Dh55,000 in my hand. Till then, I would be happy with 550,000 views on the video.

Nilanjana Gupta