Burj Al Arab -- We're still unsure why one might need a revolving four poster bed, but at $24,000 a night you can deliberate for yourself in the Burj Al Arab's Royal Suite. Located in the world's first seven-star hotel and decadently furnished across 8,400 square feet, it's still perhaps the most coveted place to lay your head in Dubai. And with a choice of 14 types of pillow, you'd expect a restful night's sleep. The Royal Suite's most extravagant touch? The 24 carat gold iPad guests are given to contact the concierge. A useful backup should all 27 phones dotting the suite happen to go down.
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates -- You can stay in Dubai and largely avoid the desert heat. But staying at the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates takes cool to a different level. Celebrating its 10th year, the hotel has installed new "Aspen Chalets" backing on to the indoor artificial slopes of Ski Dubai. Ski Dubai is approaching its 12th anniversary, and has became a symbol of the city's geography-defying ambition. Its piste is 279 feet high and 1,312 feet long, but it's about to be trumped by the Meydan One project -- also in Dubai -- featuring a 3,937 feet long ski slope.
The Underwater Suite at Atlantis, The Palm -- The Underwater Suite at Atlantis, The Palm is not the first hotel room in the world to give you a fish eye view. And if you want a real ocean experience in Dubai, there's a proposed over/underwater villa in the pipeline. But the suites at The Atlantis are perhaps the gigantic hotel's most famous feature.For approximately $12,250 a night, guests can look out of any of the three-floor suite's windows and see sharks and stingrays among 65,000 sea creatures occupying a humongous aquarium.
The Rosemont Hotel in Dubai -- The Rosemont Hotel in Dubai will have a 75,000 square-foot artificial rainforest when completed in 2018. The verdant megaproject will sit within a complex consisting of two 53-story towers, including 448 hotel rooms and 280 apartments.The artificial rainforest will feature a Jurassic period inspired marsh, and include a sandless beach, waterfalls, pools and streams. Rain will fall but guests need not worry about getting wet -- a motion detection system will surround people with rain, but leave the space they occupy mercifully dry.
The rainforest may be the Rosemont's key selling point, but the towers will feature a number of other luxury hallmarks, including a glass-bottom infinity pool on the 25th floor, as well as robotic luggage handling.
The Palazzo Versace -- More is more might be the unofficial motto of Dubai, but it fits the bill for Versace too. The opulent Italian fashion brand cut its teeth in hospitality 17 years ago with its first hotel in Australia, and their Dubai establishment continues the theme. Its unique selling point: every piece of furniture and textile within is designed by the House of Versace. The hotel, built to mimic the maximalist aesthetic of a 16th century Italian palazzo, contains 215 luxury rooms and is believed to have cost $625 million to build.
Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa -- Located a 50 minute drive inland from Dubai City, Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa lies within a conservation zone which, among other things, reminds guests just from what the UAE arose: a vast swathe of hot, unforgiving desert. Of course, this being a luxury retreat, you need not feel the heat of the beating sun, with capacious suites ranging from 808 to 5,705 square feet.The presidential suite sleeps up to six in blissful isolation, with unrestricted dune views. Camel treks, spa treatments and desert picnics are all thrown in to the deal for the resort's most exclusive guests.
Dukes Dubai -- The Dukes Hotel is a London institution, tucked into a quiet corner of plush Mayfair. As it undergoes refurbishing, the company opened a new venture in Dubai in January. Located on the Palm Jumeirah overlooking the city's towering CBD, it offers a slice of anglophilia for any homesick British expat, including Liberty prints and Andrew Martin furniture in bedrooms -- a first for the UAE. The 506-room complex includes 279 bedrooms, with 20 suites on the Duchess floor designated women-only, intended to cater for female solo travelers. [cnn]
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