Dubai
United Arab Emirates


The Experience

Soaring to 1,053 feet, the Burj Al Arab is covered in eye-catching, reflective Teflon and is all about design superlatives: the world's tallest hotel, the world's largest atrium -- nearly 590 feet high -- and the world's first (self-described) seven-star hotel. Sure, this is technically hyperbole (though the hotel certainly demands seven-star rates), but the Burj certainly goes to extremes -- which are often ridiculous for most travelers -- to please its über-wealthy clientele. Still, set nearly 900 feet out in the Persian Gulf on a man-made island, this sail-shaped icon has come to signify Dubai's tourism ascent since it opened in 1999, following five years of construction. Reached via a private land-bridge, it has a mere 202 suites, but more than 20,000 square feet of real gold leaf was used throughout the $650 million property, linked together via high-speed elevators.

The Rooms

Starting at an over-the-top 1,700 square feet, the Burj Al Arab's rooms span two floors each and are among the largest in Dubai -- if not the entire Middle East. The excess continues unabated -- grand mirrors hovering over canopied beds topped with Versace bedding, ensuite kitchens and whirlpool baths. Rooms are a riot of velvet and satin and gilded edges, rivaled in their majesty only by the jaw-dropping Persian Gulf views. Grander suites like the Royal and Presidential were clearly built for a sheikh, coming with private cinemas and some two dozen telephones, full-size bars and their own elevators. All rooms have access to chauffeured Rolls-Royces or BMWs, along with helicopters for the short flight to the airport.

The Service

Considering the regular royal clientele, it's hardly surprising that private butlers come standard at the Burj. They also enter via their own entrances, to unpack luggage into drawers hidden from sight, draw therapeutic baths and help with checkout at the hotel's 27 reception desks -- one on each floor. The staff is charmingly helpful yet respectful, well aware that they may be checking in a dressed-down sheikh or sheikha.

The Highlights

The 27th-floor Skyview Bar is the best place to appreciate the heights of the world's tallest hotel while checking out the crowd of chic sheikhs along with the hotel's supermodern design. Follow it up with an equally gimmicky-glam -- yet surprisingly tasty -- dinner at Al Mahara (for seafood under an aquarium ceiling and accessed via a faux submarine ride), Al Muntaha (for Mediterranean food 600 feet in the sky) or the Bab al Yam (for international food along the Persian Gulf shores). There's a fully equipped spa, a club for kids and a private beach on site, along with every imaginable water sport a short stroll away at the Burj's sister, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. At night the hotel's facade shifts shades every 30 minutes as part of a choreographed Technicolor light show that illuminates the hotel's high-tech translucent skin. It's a bit tacky and a bit over the top: in other words, it's perfect for the Burj.

-- David Kaufman

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»