Thursday, February 12, 2009

Incredible Hotel Atlantis

It's the latest word in Gulf excess - a sprawling $US1.5 billion ($A1.8 billion) resort boasting a $US25,000 ($A30,044.50)-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific, all atop a palm tree-shaped island.


Inspired by the legend of the lost continent, the resort offers "experiences that are new to the Middle East," said its president and managing director Alan Leibman

At Atlantis, this includes water thrills, a marine habitat and more than a dozen restaurants run by world-class chefs including Japanese sushi mogul Nobu Matsuhisa and Michel Rostang of France.


"Aquaventure", a water playground of over 18 million litres of water, is accessible to visitors for prices ranging from A$64 for children to A$75 for adults.


The waterscape features water slides with names such as "Leap of Faith", including two which catapult riders through shark-filled lagoons


Atlantis' marine habitat will be stocked with thousands of marine animals and include a "Dolphin Bay".




The hotel opened on schedule despite a recent fire which ravaged its lobby, though the pomp and ceremony have been put off until the formal inauguration in November



A room with an underwater view ... the interior of a suite at the Atlantis Hotel.
Much of the focus at the Atlantis, modeled on a sister resort in the Bahamas, is on ocean-themed family entertainment.


The hotel's top floor aims squarely at the ultra-wealthy. A three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite complete with gold-leaf, 18-seat dining table is on offer for $25,000 (A$30,000) a night


A few employees work on the computers as the rest listen to their boss at the Kid's Club of the Atlantis hotel.


A water slide made as a historical building, Zigurat, at the Atlantis hotel.


Environmentalists have long criticized both Palm Jumeirah island and some of the features of the Atlantis hotel

For the moment, the Atlantis shares the Jumeira Palm Island only with rows of high-end houses and construction sites. But other international names are set to move in.