Words by Mariam Ahmed
Dubai has always been the natural choice for those who enjoy opulence and the wow factor. The city hosts the world’s tallest building and largest observation wheel, among an array of luxury five-star hotels – even the city’s law enforcement officers boast a fleet of supercars which would impress the most avid car fanatics.
Hotel
It’s no surprise then that one of the latest brands expanding in the city is Raffles; a luxury hotel dating back to 1887 promising its guests gilded settings, glamour and extraordinary service. The brand already has one property inland, but this is the first beach side Raffles and they have chosen the Palm Jumeirah for their new location allowing each room to boast either uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf or Dubai’s cityscape.
The property is sprawling and offers something for every different kind of guest. There are six dining destinations for foodies, a huge central pool and 500 metres of private beach for sun worshippers, a kid’s club with a daily itinerary for families as well as a beautiful new spa for those seeking rest and relaxation.
Room
The resort is impressively large, with 390 rooms made up of premier rooms, suites and villas. Each room comes with 24-hour butler service, providing a dedicated point of contact to help with all your needs; think restaurant reservations, spa bookings, room personalisation, celebrations and any extras.
The bedrooms are decorated with lavish carpets, silver leaf gilded headboards, silk curtains, Portuguese marble in the double sink featured bathroom and furniture from Italian atelier Francesco Molon. Most impressively, there is a Swarovski crystal chandelier in each and every room to make sure that guests wake up to a luxurious view every morning. It certainly feels like you have arrived in your own miniature palace.
Food
There are six dining destinations here and I tried four of them during my stay. Matagi is a Japanese restaurant with moody, dark interiors, which serves a unique fusion of Japanese and Italian style cooking called itameshi (literally meaning ‘Italian food’ in Japanese).
We ate chargrilled edamame with yakitori sauce and truffle oil, raw fatty tuna with orange dressing and shaved parmesan and matcha tiramisu. The star of the meal was a Wagyu A7 tenderloin fillet with yakiniku sauce and crispy leeks; it came served on a pandan leaf atop a gentle flame ensuring it retained its hot butter like consistency until we had finished the very last piece.
Piatti By The Beach is the beachfront restaurant offering views of the Dubai skyline as the sun sets and the twinkling lights of the city light up the night sky. You could easily imagine you were sitting on the Amalfi Coast amongst the restaurant’s display of crates filled with fresh vegetables, fish and lemons all within a Mediterranean inspired white washed room.
We ate the freshest tuna steak with baby tomatoes and lamb chops covered in herb jus with sides of pesto and courgette tagliatelle; all washed down with homemade lemonade.
Blüthner Hall, just off the lobby, offers one of the most opulent afternoon teas in Dubai and with a nod to local flavours you can have an Arab inspired or traditionally British afternoon tea, the former featuring falafel and shawarma wraps and traditional Middle Eastern sweets.
There is also Le Jardin where breakfast and dinner is hosted with an array of different cooking stations; plus Sola Jazz Lounge and the Raffles Patisserie.
Spa
Despite only being open for eight months at the time of our visit, the spa had already won awards for its design and treatments. Cinq Mondes is a Parisian brand with ownership of 20 spas worldwide, experts at creating tranquil spaces which also feature innovative treatments and practices. The space is huge; it features two private spa suites, 23 treatment rooms, two hammams plus a hair salon and nail bar. Just next door are the leisure facilities including a gym, yoga studio and vast indoor pool which is perfect when the weather is too hot. It’s also open late, closing at 10pm for night owls wanting some downtime.
To do
You’re well placed to seek out everything that Dubai has to offer from this central location. A mere 10-minute drive away is The Pointe, a waterfront destination offering shopping, restaurants and a nightly fountain display – often set to live music. Dubai’s famous malls are also close by, Nakheel Mall on the Palm offers a shuttle service and concierge can swiftly arrange transport to Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates.
Factbox
Rooms can be booked from £231 per room per night.
Address: Raffles The Palm Dubai, West Crescent, Dubai
Phone: +971 4 2488888
Email: reservation.thepalm@raffles.com
Website: raffles.com/thepalm-dubai
Photography courtesy of Paul Thuysbaert
