Hello Earth! How's the summer in Dubai treating you so far? If you will ask mine, I'd honestly tell you I never enjoyed summer in the dessert as much I have enjoyed it this year. Why, you ask? This summer I was able to experience 2 of the most expensive nights in my entire life: I was able to stay and experience the most luxurious hotel in the world - Burj Al Arab hotel in Jumeirah!
How I managed to stay in this glamorous hotel is another story - I won the stay from a photo competition organized by Visa Middle East and Jumeirah Group from our #betterwithjumeirahmeet (that meet was the BEST instameet I have ever attended in Dubai so far, we were extremely pampered!). And since I have all the time during Ramadan and Eid, I took advantage of the shortened hours and booked the stay for a summer staycation!
The stay was complimentary - inclusive of breakfast, taxes, and tourism dirham (the government fee you pay per room per night). Curious me checked the rates before checking in and a whopping AED9000 ++ flashed on my Booking.com app. Ok, so this better be a very great staycation.
When we arrived at the hotel lobby (that stunning lobby that you probably saw in my instastories a few weeks back), I was about to go to the reception when a lady named Jenny approached me and said "Hi Ms. Maryjoy, welcome to Burj Al Arab hotel!". Surprised and puzzled on how she got to know me (I've been to the hotel twice in 2014 and last year for the IG meet, it couldn't be the reason), I politely answered a short hello and she immediately replied "Your room is ready, allow us to bring your luggage in your room and we will do the check-in procedure in your room as well." This started my staycation hashtag: #mystaycationiswaybetterthanyours .
The 170 square meters suite (take note: it's a two-storey suite!) that we got was facing The Palm Jumeirah - one of the best views of Dubai that you could ever see at night. It's so huge you can play hide and seek inside, with first class amenities like a 21-inch iMac, a range of 42-inch and 32-inch widescreen interactive HD TVs, Bose iPod/iPhone docking station and media hub, remote controlled environment including curtains and doors, TV, en-suite music and lights and a private all in one printer, copier, scanner and fax and many more!
Jour d' Hermes is now my favorite scent of all time after staying at Burj Al Arab. Just imagine wearing this scent all throughout the day (and something that you can take home from your stay too!), I feel so expensive, haha!
So yeah, they have many in-house restaurants but the buffet breakfast that comes along every reservation is being served at Junsui or Bab Al Yam. You have the option to choose over international (served at Bab Al Yam) or Asian (served at Junsui) breakfast. Or if you are too lazy to get up from bed (breakfast is only up to 11:30am on both restaurants), you can always opt for room breakfast and your personal butler will be there to serve it to you in a flash minute!
Though the scorching June sun was at 45 plus when we stayed at the hotel, we managed to take a dip at The Terrace between 12:30 to 2pm - the infinity pool is temperature controlled. It was a little breezy while lounging at the sun beds, we were also given refreshments and cold towels to keep us cool. See? Summer in Dubai isn't really that bad after all!
How I managed to stay in this glamorous hotel is another story - I won the stay from a photo competition organized by Visa Middle East and Jumeirah Group from our #betterwithjumeirahmeet (that meet was the BEST instameet I have ever attended in Dubai so far, we were extremely pampered!). And since I have all the time during Ramadan and Eid, I took advantage of the shortened hours and booked the stay for a summer staycation!
The stay was complimentary - inclusive of breakfast, taxes, and tourism dirham (the government fee you pay per room per night). Curious me checked the rates before checking in and a whopping AED9000 ++ flashed on my Booking.com app. Ok, so this better be a very great staycation.
BUT #mystaycationiswaybetterthanyours BECAUSE...
When we arrived at the hotel lobby (that stunning lobby that you probably saw in my instastories a few weeks back), I was about to go to the reception when a lady named Jenny approached me and said "Hi Ms. Maryjoy, welcome to Burj Al Arab hotel!". Surprised and puzzled on how she got to know me (I've been to the hotel twice in 2014 and last year for the IG meet, it couldn't be the reason), I politely answered a short hello and she immediately replied "Your room is ready, allow us to bring your luggage in your room and we will do the check-in procedure in your room as well." This started my staycation hashtag: #mystaycationiswaybetterthanyours .
I don't have to wait in line to cue for check-in
Yes, Jenny did my hotel check-in inside my DELUXE ONE-BEDROOM SUITE (as you can see on the photo above). Isn't that amazeballs?!
As a standard procedure, my passport and hotel voucher were collected and scanned. Also, if you are planning to book a night's stay, they will be collecting a deposit that will be returned to you after you check out in case of incidental charges. Check-in took only a few minutes, I was introduced to my personal butler right after.
A PERSONAL BUTLER AVAILABLE 24HOURS!
Wait, what? A personal butler?! But no I'm not making this up. After we finished checking in, I was introduced to Raymond. If you're not familiar with Burj Al Arab's hotel service, they have the largest brigade of private butlers available 24/7. He bought in some snacks and welcome drinks and showed us around our humongous suite. And since he's from my home country, we really felt at home. He even prepared my midnight jacuzzi!
Burj Al Arab's Deluxe One Bedroom Suite is soooo huge. Period.
The 170 square meters suite (take note: it's a two-storey suite!) that we got was facing The Palm Jumeirah - one of the best views of Dubai that you could ever see at night. It's so huge you can play hide and seek inside, with first class amenities like a 21-inch iMac, a range of 42-inch and 32-inch widescreen interactive HD TVs, Bose iPod/iPhone docking station and media hub, remote controlled environment including curtains and doors, TV, en-suite music and lights and a private all in one printer, copier, scanner and fax and many more!
And don't get me started with their bathroom because this is my favorite part of everything!
Full size Hermes Amenities are to die for
Jour d' Hermes is now my favorite scent of all time after staying at Burj Al Arab. Just imagine wearing this scent all throughout the day (and something that you can take home from your stay too!), I feel so expensive, haha!
Options for Burj Al Arab's breakfast are way too many!
So yeah, they have many in-house restaurants but the buffet breakfast that comes along every reservation is being served at Junsui or Bab Al Yam. You have the option to choose over international (served at Bab Al Yam) or Asian (served at Junsui) breakfast. Or if you are too lazy to get up from bed (breakfast is only up to 11:30am on both restaurants), you can always opt for room breakfast and your personal butler will be there to serve it to you in a flash minute!
They have the nicest pool terrace over looking the Arabian Peninsula!
Though the scorching June sun was at 45 plus when we stayed at the hotel, we managed to take a dip at The Terrace between 12:30 to 2pm - the infinity pool is temperature controlled. It was a little breezy while lounging at the sun beds, we were also given refreshments and cold towels to keep us cool. See? Summer in Dubai isn't really that bad after all!
On another note, here are some money saving tips if you are planning to stay at the world's most luxurious hotel
Staying at the world's most luxurious hotel can seriously break the bank (ask around for rates and you'll know what I mean) - the service and amenities are over the top (you are sure to get what you will be paying for) but didn't you know that you can still save for this kind of staycation if you wish to stay for a couple of nights? Here's how:
- Know the seasonality. Low season starts at end of May until September, the rates during this period is extremely low. Pick a date in between these months and you are sure to get the best available rate directly at the hotel or via booking.com .
- Book in advance. Room rates at Burj Al Arab are cheaper if you book more than 45days in advance.
- UAE residents get better offers - especially during summer! They have on going promotional offers for UAE residents. Check out this offer from their website and take advantage of amazinf deals when you show your Emirates ID.
- Dine out of Burj Al Arab - for a change! Lunch and dinner inside the facility of the world's only 7star hotel can be a little pricey but hey, Jumeirah Restaurant Group has other options you can try which are stationed at Souq Madinat Jumeirah! And here's a little secret: beginning July 1, some participating restaurants from Jumeirah Group will be offering three-course set menus for only AED150 per person available through the RoundMenu app - that's a steal! Some of the participating restaurants that I know of are Trattoria Toscana (one of my go-to for seafood!), 360°, The Agency, Segreto, Al Nafoorah, Perry & Blackwelders and ET Sushi.
It was the best 3days and 2 nights of my Dubai life I tell you. If you are a resident of the UAE, it's an experience that you should not want to miss, now I'm ticking this off in my my personal bucket list!
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I won a 2-night staycation at Burj Al Arab from an Instameet organized by Visa Middle East And Jumeirah Group. Photos and opinion are solely my own unless specified.
Wow, Burj Al Arab is one of my dream staycations!! Thanks for sharing this experience for people like me na wala pang budget for this, Ate! Hahaha. Ganda nung place sobraaaa :)
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