Kingdom of Luxury Dreams: Dubai

The tiny Persian Gulf state of Dubai is an amazing place. 

Wedged between Saudi Arabia and Oman, it is one of the seven United Arab Emirates, and ruled by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Until oil was discovered it was a sleepy little fishing village with five hotels and one paved road.

Today, it is a busy international city, with 180 nationalities, lots of luxury hotels, 49 malls, and a 12-lane highway.

The population is now 1.4 million, with only 10% being native Emiratis. It went from 1,500 hotel rooms to 70,000 in ten years.

The best time to go is October through April. It gets to 150 degrees in the summer months.

My husband, Roy, and I flew on Emirates airline in business class, 13 hours non-stop from San Francisco.

This was the most efficient airline I have ever flown on. Excellent food, with flat beds and superb service. Gorgeous china and cutlery, both with their crest on. By the time we walked through customs, our luggage was already on the carousel.

We were met by Arabian Adventures who do the meet-and-greet, plus tours for the Kingdom.

We were taken by limo to the Burj Al Arab, the most luxurious hotel in the world, part of the Jumeirah Group. This is an icon, the tallest hotel in the world, built on an island shaped like a sail. It has the highest atrium in the world, huge waterfalls and aquariums in the lobby.

There are 1,800 staff members to look after 202 suites ranging in price from $2,000 a night to $13,000 a night. All suites are on two levels, complete with a butler. 

Upon arrival, we had a team of people lined up to greet us. One holding a burning incense holder, then a hot towel, then a brass vase with rose water to sprinkle on our hands in welcome, a plate of dates to choose from, and a plate of chocolates.

Then, two members of the staff to take your handbag and guide you up the escalator to your suite. There is no lobby staff.

There were seven bouquets of flowers in the suite. There, we found a large desk with a leather comfortable office chair, a lap top computer, printer, fax, and internet use was free. A magnificent staircase went upstairs to the largest bathroom I have ever seen, complete with eight full-size Hermès amenities for you to keep. The perfume is $150 a bottle. There were also 19 other amenity items for your use.

This is a secure hotel; you cannot get onto the island unless you are a guest, or have a reservation at a restaurant. Each floor has a 24-hour receptionist.

It was our wedding anniversary. The butler brought in a colleague complete with a guitar, and they sang a love song to us after presenting me with a bouquet of red roses and a glass of champagne. 

The restaurants were outstanding, world-class celebrity chefs. Al Mahara is a sea food restaurant, and Al Muntaha is on the 27th floor with a lovely view of the Arabian Gulf.

The ultimate arrival from Dubai International Airport would be to land on the Burj Al Arab's special helicopter pad on the 27th floor, which guests can, indeed, do.

After our two-day stay there, we went to another Jumeirah property on the beach nearby, the Madinat where we had a villa complete with two butlers. This property is built around 4 miles of canals, and they have 40 dhow—wooden boats—which take you around the area. They also have golf buggies. You ring your butler and he orders one of them for you. There are 40 different restaurants on the grounds, and the Madinat souk, or market which holds 75 shops full of treasures. They gave us a discount book with up to 30 percent off any of the restaurants in the complex.

We took a city tour which showed us the three souks (markets) textile, gold and  spice. Gold is 50 percent of the cost of anywhere else in the world. I could not believe the busy city. The hotels are at 90 to 100 percent occupancy, and I heard lots of Russian and European accents. Nine golf courses and nine under construction. I was amazed to see three of my favorite London department stores with branches there.    

The Emirates business class lounge at the airport holds 1,500 people. Luxury couches and arm chairs, several restaurants to help yourself to food, even an ice cream bar, complete with spa and hair dressing salon. First class lounge holds 800 people. They have great duty-free shops.

If you have clients going to India or Egypt, put them on Emirates, you save a day in travel by not going through London.