The Burj Al Arab is a luxury hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Managed by Jumeirah hotel group, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, eventhough 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.
This is one of the famous and luxurious hotels in the world, which was opened to public in 1999. This is considered as the only 7 start hotel in the world (probably a debatable topic)
Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280m from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a ship. It took 2 years to build the island and another 3 years to build the hotel.
For the first time in history of 20+years, Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab welcomes guests to an exclusive tour, to discover the untold stories of a true UAE landmark.
The ‘Inside Burg Al Arab’ tour started on 15th October 2021. It means you don’t have to book a room here to get an access inside the hotel.
If you have been always curious (like me) to know what is inside the most expensive hotel in Dubai, then book this tour and give a pause to your quest.
There are various ways in which you could reach this place. Few of them are captured in the below image (taken from their official website).
There are a few tour options available, but the General Admission Guided Tour for 90 minutes (accompanied with a dedicated butler) is the most popular one out of all tours. The charge is around 249 AED. Kids of age 12 or under have a charge of around 99 AED. Children up to the age of 4 years are free of charge when accompanied by a full paying adult.
NOTE: Its good to note that the ticket price for this tour is still on a higher side, when you compare the ticket price with other tourist destinations in Dubai. But this would be a completely different experience.
There are around 20 different time slots (per day) available starting from 9:30 AM till 8:30 PM with a interval of 15 minutes, so that you could book the one which is most convenient for you. This is a group tour and the group size is restricted to around 12 people (in respect of social distancing). This tour starts from the Ticketing lounge. You would be asked to reach this lounge atleast 15 minutes before your designated tour time.
As soon as you enter the lounge, you would be received by the staff at the reception who would cross check and confirm your tickets.
They would also serve you with a special drink.
The tour starts in a buggy from the entrance of the lounge.
There is a special pathway for the buggy, to reach near the iconic Burj Al Arab.
The first stop of the buggy will be at a short distance from the iconic hotel where you can get some beautiful snaps of the hotel and its surrounding beach.
After that you would be taken to the ground floor of the hotel, where you would be received by few other staff’s who would take you inside the hotel through a separate entry gate exclusively for the non-guests who come as a part of this guided tour. You will also be given a specific Burj Al Arab hand towel.
From there you would be taken through the colourful lobby of the hotel (includes a visit to the famous hotel atrium/fountains) to the panoramic elevator that will take you to the 25th Floor. You would also find some luxury brands showroom, enroute elevator.
You will then be taken to the royal suite, wheer you will be greeted by the private butler, the suite sits over two floors, the second of which is reached by an ostentatious gold and marble staircase, lined with leopard print carpet..
Now this royal suite is not given for hotel guests and its exclusively for the viewing purpose of the non guests who book this tour. Earlier this suite was given for guests for a rate of 25000 USD/Night. You will be guided to different places like the reception room, his/her bedrooms, living rooms, TV room and so on.
‘Her’s’ features a luxurious pink-hued lounge and a huge round bed with a mirror on the ceiling, marble bath tub and Hermes products. ‘His’ has a dramatic round bed that actually rotates a pillared marble bath tub and a walk-in shower fitted with 24-carat gold tiles.
Throughout the tour, you will get countless opportunities to capture some very iconic moments.
There is a royal touch (like a palace) in each and every part of this suite (including the bathrooms) and you would never feel that you are inside a hotel room or suite.
After the suite, you will be taken to the experience centre, where you can see the history of Burj-ul arab, guests who stayed , why and how it was build and so on.
In the Architects studio, you could get to see the very first sketch of this hotel.
You would also be served with Arabian Coffee and dates.
This would be the last part of the tour, after which you would proceed back to the exit door. If you are interested in doing some shopping, dont worry; You would find a gift shop (INSIDE BURJ AL ARAB BOUTIQUE) near to the exit.
The tour ends back at the ground floor where you can experience the beautiful views of the Arabian gulf. A buggy would be already waiting for you at that place which will take you back to the Lounge.
You can find more details about this tour in the official website : https://insideburjalarab.com/
Summary / Important information to Note (courtesy: https://insideburjalarab.com/)
- The tour takes 1.5 hours on average.
- Visitors are not allowed to bring food and beverages with them.
- Tour ticket enables access to the 25th floor and inside Burj Arab only.
- Be advised to arrive 15 minutes earlier to take your ticket and have a valid photo ID with you.
- Please mind that the tickets are non-refundable or transferable and valid only for the time slot and date marked on your confirmation.
- In case of late arrival, guests may join the next tour when it is available and may be asked to pay an additional charge.
- Please respect other guests’ privacy and comfort when visiting the place.
- It is not permitted to take flash photos and use professional cameras.
- Burj Al Arab is a place of luxury. Please don`t put on beachwear. Smart casual clothes are appropriate.
- Tickets cannot be cancelled.
- As a part of tour, they will take your photograph at 2 different occasions (with some extremely great background). You could buy these photographs, offcourse with an additional payment.
- It is possible to extend your tour with drinks, high tea, lunch or dinner after the tour (includes additional payment).
- If you are planning to include this tour in your itinerary, its better to book a slot well in advance.
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels.
