ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST CELEBRATED OCEAN ROYAL SLEEPOVER

The QE2 Hotel celebrates everything that made the ocean liner special and modernizes it for the utmost in luxurious accommodations.

liners, the Queen Elizabeth 2, has established her new reign in the fashionable harbor of Dubai, UAE. Far from an impending retirement, she has reemerged as a luxury hotel property, a regal alternative to the skyscraping hotels that monopolize the city’s flourishing skyline.

Forsaking those cloud-enshrouded accommodations for sea-level luxury is an opportunity to soak up the ship’s historic cruise legacy without ever leaving port. The exacting standards of the legendary vessel have been upheld in every aspect, and guests will find new amenities a gratifying addition. The sweeping bow-to-stern refit evokes a modernized feel while retaining the nostalgia of her glamorous public areas, hallowed halls, and restaurants, harkening back to the swank days of world cruising.

Classic rooms and sumptuous balconied suites are spread over multiple decks with varying degrees of size, style, and design. Gone are the basic, diminutive cruise ship bathrooms, pleasingly replaced by spacious, gleaming marble-tiled facilities.

It’s not only the staterooms and public areas that dignify her inherited regal status, but the dining alternatives that circle back to the golden days of cruise travel as well. Once reserved for first-class passengers only, the Queens Grill is Dubai’s most authentic British restaurant, restored to showcase its former quintessential glamor. The nine-course menu, reinvented from the inaugural sailing of 1969, is a culinary celebration tailored for aristocratic standards complete with classic wine pairings. The Lido on the Quarter Deck serves up an international buffet in a more relaxed, chic white-marble ambiance. Paying homage to the exalted British tradition, afternoon teatime in the quaint Gin Bar is a memorable event not to be missed.

If self-indulgence is more your personal cup of tea, the QE2 Spa pampers guests with a diverse menu of massages, treatments, and wellness rituals. A private island retreat, set against the backdrop of Dubai’s impressive skyline, offers sun-seeking guests the ultimate in secluded relaxation.

The inevitable reference to her esteemed legacy as an ocean liner is manifested in a tour of the vessel’s treasure trove of artifacts and historical exhibits, conducted by a former cruise director lending authenticity to world-travel recollections. If the ship’s walls could talk, the anecdotes and stories of visiting royalty and celebrities would fill volumes.

By today’s hotel standards, the QE2 Hotel evokes less ostentatious extravagance in favor of a vintage texture tinged with the refined, time-honored class of yesteryear. QE2.com