Sunday, February 26, 2012

Dubai II: Burj Khalifa and Palm Jumeirah


Right next to the Dubai Mall is the Burj Khalifa, Dubai's new urban masterpiece and currently the tallest building in the world. From up there you can see the World Islands, an artificial archipelago of various small islands being built in the rough shape of a world map. This project is either cancelled or delayed due to the financial crisis.









The other artificial archipelago created in Dubai is the Palm Jumeirah, which has roughly doubled Dubai’s shoreline. On it are homes, villas, and hotels, including the Palm Atlantis, where we spent the afternoon enjoying the sun while the kids swam in the pool. The hotel is modeled after the Atlantis in the Bahamas and features a majestic sculpture made of Murano glass in the lobby and a huge aquarium inside. Oh, and an ATM that dispenses gold, in case you run out of it during the day. From the beach you have a nice view of Dubai, including the seven star Burj Al Arab hotel.











One night we had dinner in the Madinat Jumeirah, another luxurious resort owned by the same company that owns the Burj Al Arab hotel. It is designed to resemble a traditional Arabian town—a very luxurious one.