Atlantis, The Palm

Thursday, March 4, 2010

For some time now the world has been hearing about Dubai's economic progress and how it is building the most expensive, most opulent and tallest hotels. Well, the little sheikdom has done it again. Atlantis, The Palm is mind-blowing.

The seven-star hotels have breathtaking artworks, furniture and excesses never seen before. Even the hand soap comes with flecks of gold.

The legendary city of Atlantis was a fabled civilisation of the ancient world, lost beneath the sea 11,000 years ago. Thought to be lost forever, Atlantis has arisen — in Dubai.

It has reappeared as the majestic focal point of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island in the middle of the desert. Its mammoth scale and ingenuity are dazzling and it took seven years to create. The residential and resort island is made up of 16 fronds ringed by an 11km crescent.

The $2.5 billion Atlantis, The Palm is the centrepiece. The launch party alone cost $30 million with 2000 celebrities being entertained by Kylie Minogue and a fireworks finale seven times the size of the fireworks display at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

As you would expect, accommodation is out of this world. There are 1539 guest rooms with views of the Arabian Gulf. Marble and granite have been used everywhere.

Top of the line is the Bridge Suite which costs around $40,000 a night! A private lift takes guests to the suite on the 22nd floor. It has master and king bedrooms with balconies, his-and-her ensuite bathrooms, a library, 24-hour private butler service and a staff of five who will cook meals for you and your guests.

Lost Chambers Suites have bedroom and bathroom views into the Underwater World of the Ambassador Lagoon.

The focal point of Atlantis is the Ambassador Lagoon. It holds around 11 million litres of salt water and accommodates 65,000 sea creatures, including a controversial baby whale shark, all swimming through the ruins of the lost city.

About 3000 members of staff keep the resort running, and 218 lifeguards keep you safe on the beach, at swimming pools and at the water park.

Aquadventure is the signature slide, dropping you nine storeys in five seconds. There are seven slides, a 2.5km river for floating down and a wave machine that cranks waves up to 2m.

Shark Attack propels riders into the dark core of an ancient temple and spits them into a shark-filled lagoon. At Dolphin Bay you can spend time with the friendly dolphins who love a little pat on the back.

The choice of cuisine is extensive. Levantine serves a taste of Arabia, accompanied by live entertainment. Nasimi serves poolside throughout the day, and dinner is a choice of Asian and European food.

Dubai is a shopper's paradise. It has more than 50 shopping centres and many souks, all offering a tempting array of items at attractive, tax-free prices.

Insider's Guide to Dubai

Location

Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates.

Cost

Atlantis, The Palm deluxe rooms are around $281 a night between May 9 and September 8, 2010. Entry to Aquaventure and The Lost Chambers entry is included.

Lost Chambers suites are around $8930 a night and the Bridge Suite is around $39,050 a night.

Aquaventure costs around $60 for adults and $50 for children for day visits.

Lost Chambers costs around $30 for adults and $21 for children for day visits.

Dolphin Bay shallow water interaction is around $189 per person and $245 for deep water interaction for resort guests. Day visitors pay around $239 for shallow water interaction and $295 for deep water interaction. Observers pay $30.

Emirates has flights to Dubai.

Fares from:

Perth $1737
Adelaide and Melbourne $1791
Sydney $1810
Brisbane $1813

Prices correct at March 4, 2010.

For further information

Emirates
Ph: 1300 303 777
www.emirates.com

Atlantis, The Palm
Crescent Road
Palm Jumeirah
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Ph: +971 4 426 1000
www.atlantisthepalm.com
reservations@atlantisthepalm.com

Visas: Visas are not required for entry into Dubai but passports must be valid for at least six months.

Electricity: Plugs are European with two circular metal pins.

Time zone: GMT +4.

Currency: UAE dirham.

International dialling code: +971.

It is recommended travellers to Dubai see their doctor at least six weeks before departure as there are specific vaccinations recommended for Dubai. Other health precautions and preventions may also be recommended and are best discussed with your doctor. For further information, visit www.smartraveller.gov.au.

To find out more about the hot deals mentioned on the show, check out Holidays for Sale.

User comments

I love the show usually, but they should be disgusted with themselves for covering this hotel under the current situation. Not only should the hotel release the whale shark, but Getaway should not have publicised it as a good thing the way they did! Very disappointing!

I agree with Q from Sydney's comment - What was the music used during this segment?? Particularly the last two songs..pls help! The tracks selected for this segment went soo well with the visuals. If only there was a way to find out.. This is easily one of the best Getaway stories I can ever remember seeing to date, especially thanks to the well-selected choice of music tracks to go with the beautiful visuals. If anyone out there can identify the music from this segment (esp. the last 2 songs), we would be very grateful!!

"Set the Whale Shark Free from the Atlantis Aquarium Dubai" See this facebook group to find out what people around the world REALLY think of Atlantis.

Why are you doing stories like this on your show? Your producers must be very out of touch with what the public wants. The Atlantis are also out of touch. This sort of gross extravagance is not in keeping with the current world-wide economic situation. And keeping a whale shark in captivity goes against the advice of environmental groups around the world, and world-wide public opinion. I would never stay at this hotel, partly because I think it is an absolute waste of money, and partly because I support the release of the whale shark. I urge everyone to boycott the Atlantis as well. Bad taste. Bad timing. Bad research.

I was appalled at the gross excess of the Atlantis hotel, and the environmental destruction it has caused. Why would any Australian want to stay at such a monstrosity of a hotel, at an awful man-made beach, when we have so much natural beauty here? I am boycotting Atlantis and urging others to do the same, because they are cruelly holding a whale shark without concern for her well-being (or that of the endangered species as they have taken a female out of the wild). They have done this purely for greed. I would much rather swim with these magnificent creatures in the wild at Ningaloo. Atlantis also bought wild dolphins from the Solomon Islands, again for profit. The man-made Palm island has caused problems with natural tides etc. When will they realise that their short-sighted and selfish actions are destroying the planet? I wish that your segment was better researched. The timing was not good either, with so many people being financially stretched.

I am disgusted that you did a segment on Atlantis. It is not a baby whale shark they have in their aquarium, it is a large female of breeding age that was captured from the wild purely for greed and profit. Whale sharks are endangered, and holding her is against the CITES convention. Many conservation groups are fighting for her to be tagged and released, so she can be monitored and researched. Atlantis have lied about her capture and are arrogantly maintaining silence, hoping the bad publicity will go away. It won't! Many thousands of individuals, and some travel agents, around the world are boycotting Atlantis until they do the right thing release the whale shark. Whale sharks are migratory, and an aquarium cannot replace their natural swimming habits. Their feeding patterns cannot be replicated either. The whale shark is already showing signs of illness because of living in a confined space. I hope you tell your contacts at Atlantis that their actions are not acceptable.

To include the fact an endaged species is being kept there is not on. This Whale Shark was supposedly taken in haveing been found injured. The said plan was to release it, yet it appears to be an attraction. No Whale Shark has survived in captivity. Your show should be pushing for the release of this animal and not encouraging people to view this overpriced circus.

What an amazing resort ... so classy and luxurious BUT watching Dermott wander around this beautiful resort in JEANS AND THONGS was too, too much..... At least he took his thongs off when he jumped onto the bed in one of the luxury suites, only to show us the dirty soles of his feet!!!!!

I was very surprised to hear your presenter referring to the well known "Persian Gulf" as the "Arabian Gulf" last night in the show. There is the "Arabian Sea" which is on the eastern side of the Persian Gulf. But Dubai and UAE are located in the "Persian Gulf" and there is no such thing as the Arabian Gulf. It'll be great to use the correct term for future programs. Thanks

They also have a whaleshark in their aquarium which they caught from the wild. Despite a huge amount of protests and calls to release the animal, they continue to keep her, parading her in front of visitors like some sort of trophy. I, for one, will never set foot in Atlantis and I am sure there are many others who feel the same. Sue Giles Duibai