By Rama Gaind
It has been the season for awards: the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the AFI accolades and one can’t help but reminisce about some of the sparkling gala events of recent years.
One of them was the opening of the spectacular hotel – The Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai.
It goes something like this…
An all-too-brief stopover in Dubai in the early 1990s left a desire for a longer stay – and the world’s only seven-star Hotel Burj Al Arab had not even been completed!
Now there’s another luxury hotel which opened in spectacular style last month as Dubai disregarded the worldwide economic crisis with the grand opening of the $1.5 billion hotel The Atlantis, The Palm.
It is South African billionaire, hotel and gambling tycoon Sol Kerzner’s Atlantis resort and also performing at the $20 million party was Australia’s Kylie Minogue.
More than 2000 world celebrities were invited to the event where a spectacular fireworks display was unveiled by Indian actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra.
The 28-year-old dazzled in a figure-hugging gold-yellow floor-length satin gown with a single jewelled shoulder, vertically pleated bodice and bandage torso.
Accessories included a chunky watch, teardrop earrings, golden heels and a glittery box clutch bag.
The fireworks display, designed and executed by the Grucci’s, lit up the 43km of the palm- shaped shoreline and illuminated the entire island with more than 100,000 specially-designed pyrotechnic devices.
Hollywood actors
Labelled “party of the decade”, the event was attended by Bollywood highflyers including Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Mallika Sherawat, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham and Arjun Rampal.
Hollywood stars included Robert de Niro, Charlize Theron, Mischa Barton and Wesley Snipes, singers Lilly Allen and Janet Jackson, Shirley Bassey and catwalk model Yasmin Le Bon.
A leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, The Atlantis was created by Kerzner International Holdings Limited. The stunning new 1,539-room resort, which first welcomed guests in September 2008, is made up of two pale rose towers, which are linked by a bridge which houses a $35,000-a-night suite that has said to have a long waiting list.
The Dubai hotel is inspired by the original Atlantis that Kerzner built in the Bahamas, but is not an average 5-star hotel. The new lavish hotel is something quite extraordinary and the world has now come to know of its glittering entry on the world stage.
Atlantis, The Palm, in the enviable location atop the crescent of The Palm Jumeirah, is redefining tourism in Dubai as it is the area’s first integrated entertainment resort.
Guests are bound to be transported into a dazzling, imaginative world.
The resort encompasses a 46 hectare site with 17 hectares of water themed amusement at Aquaventure, extensive fresh and saltwater pools and lagoon exhibits, an open-air marine habitat with 65,000 types of sea life, along with an enormous whale shark, that swim in 11 million litres of water. There’s also a seemingly endless stretch of beach, luxury boutiques, numerous dining choices including four celebrity chef restaurants, an exciting nightclub, a spa and fitness club and 5,600sqm of meeting and function space.
Major attraction
Being one of Asia’s major tourist destinations, Dubai is a sight to behold with astonishing artificial islands and palm-fringed beaches, sand dunes, theme parks and historic ruins.
Referred to as the ‘Venice of the Gulf’, it offers tourists a remarkable choice of sightseeing and recreational opportunities.
A must on your sightseeing tour is the Dubai Museum with its fine collection of life-size figures and galleries depicting Arab houses, marine life, desert and date gardens are a must.
Other highlights include Al Fahidi Fort, Grand Mosque, Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House, Heritage Village and Jumeirah archaeological site.
Fervent efforts will now have to be made to stay at the Hotel Burj Al Arab which dominates the Dubai coastline and was designed to resemble a billowing sail of 321 metres. Of course, equal time also needs to be spent at Dubai’s ultimate fantasy hotel – The Atlantis!
Can a dream become reality?
