Our Burj Al Arab Experience. There is Something Very Special About this Place

Mr SueQsWorld’s Favourite Hotel

Staying at the Burj Al Arab, this iconic hotel in Dubai is my husband’s favourite place in the world – well to be precise, sitting outside on the terrace having breakfast is it! Plus the ‘buzz’ at the Sal restaurant.

Our experiences, over the years, have given us a list that is kind of our ‘gold standard’ that we measure places we stay at against. Mostly this list stems from places like the Burj Al Arab and the Four Seasons Maldives, and to some extent Cameron House Hotel on Loch Lomond and Inverlochy Castle hotel – but not always!

The Burj Al Arab is a special place, as you might expect, but our lasting memories may not be what you would expect…

List to my audio introduction above

First, let’s examine that gold standard list.

• Being expected. That means they know you are coming. Generally there will have been pre-check in communications so when you arrive you are expected, greeted and taken to your room without a fuss.
• Sense of occasion entering the hotel or resort. That can mean different things to different people but not just walking into a beautiful space perhaps, but also being acknowledged quickly and offered refreshments or taking time to chat about your journey and your needs while at the hotel.
• Some feeling of exclusivity. That sounds rather pretentious, but nearly all of us want to experience that place where we feel we are away from the crowds or every day reality. Away from whatever it is you need a break from.
• Staff of all levels talking to you as you move around the hotel and checking on your wellbeing. I remember the first time we went to the Burj Al Arab, walking across to the outside pools and one of the staff coming up to us and asking us this ‘Is there anything I can do to make your stay here better?’. Such class.
• A good vibe. For us that means at least one bar and/or restaurant that buzzes with life and good music.
• Staff that obviously enjoy and want to work there. It’s reflected in the service they give you and the fun banter.

What makes a 5 star hotel worthy of its 5 stars? Why is it some lesser star hotels give better service than some 5 star hotels? Well, if you can answer that for me, that would be fantastic but we think the combination of the above is a good start.

So, What Is It Like to Stay at the Burj Al Arab?

It’s a place where you are remembered, with very personal touches. It’s fun, with a great vibe. Especially the Sal which has a real buzz, super food, fantastic music and what could be better than looking over the pool and the sea. I thought I would only want to go once, just to experience it and not with high expectations, despite it being touted as a ‘Seven Star Hotel’. I couldn’t have been so wrong.

First let’s return to what it’s like to stay at the Burj.

First Visit: On the way to Australia to visit family, we had a flying visit, two nights, two days. The service was excellent, the best we have ever experienced. We were expected and it was a stunning and seamless stay from pick up at the airport in a Rolls Royce, first time for my hubby so special for us, to catching our onward flight to Sydney. We were ‘remembered’ wherever we went in the hotel, with very personal touches to the service we experienced despite the fleeting stay.

Second Visit: We were some of the lucky ones to escape the UK before the Christmas 2020 lockdown, touching down in Dubai the day of that lockdown announcement. We had planned a celebratory week’s stay over Christmas and my son joined us. Dubai had just opened up, as had the Burj Al Arab, with new staff and teams that were still getting to grips with their roles. Plus of course, many restrictions still in place and several inside restaurants understandably not open.

Despite some slightly unco-ordinated issues, typically around the servicing of the room, caused by the hotel being closed down during COVID and then restaffed, we had an excellent stay. Though I did have to teach the new chef that there is a difference boiling an egg out of the fridge for 6 minutes to one that has been out of the fridge! A source of amusement for all concerned, us and staff alike. In fact, we extended our stay another week and spent New Year there… shall I say that again? WE SPENT NEW YEAR AT THE BURJ AL ARAB. My dream! Fantastic event, outside of course. Sneak peak of those in the video below.

Third Visit: On our way back from the Four Season’s island of Landaa Giraavaru. Now this is another resort that ticks many of our boxes, in particular ‘being expected’ – but then it is an island, so that bit is a given. FS Maldives welcome is phenomenal as is their farewell. This time our arrival at the Burj Al Arab was not quite as good as we had previously experienced but we did catch them at a particularly busy time. I’ve always seen our stays in Dubai as dipping our toe into this what is often described as a ‘millionaire’s playground’, and being someone that is concerned about the sustainability of the hotels I stay in, had growing concerns about this. This is one of the areas where I scratched beneath the surface and was pleasantly surprised. There’s a separate blog about that in the making… Safe to say our three day stay was perfect. One of the waiters that looked after us at both at breakfast and our two dinners in the Skybar restaurant on our second visit, Maxime Salembie, now Associate Director of Food and Beverage, recognised our name on the guest list and came to find us to catch up. Classic! This was a really lovely touch, one of those special memories. Here are some of the lovely staff that have looked after us on our stays.

Here’s a few clips of our experience

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Isn’t The Decor OverPowering? And Don’t They Put Style Over Substance?

Our take away is the country is very proud of its architecture, quite rightly so, and the Burj Al Arab is testament to that fact. It is grand. It is opulent. But also innovative, breathtaking and sophisticated. These traits are reflected across the architectural marvels that symbolise Dubai. Despite personally not being a fan of opulence, it just works here.

It’s hard to capture in photographs, so please do watch the short video below.

Now you could interpret ‘Don’t they put style over substance?’ in a couple of ways. There is substance in that the Burj Al Arab is not just about the building and the opulent decor. It has a set of super people doing their utmost to look after their guests, making their stay a very personal, but never intrusive, experience. We remember on our second longer visit, ordering a room service meal one night just because we had this HUGE table and chairs we wanted to utilise at least once! Our meal arrived and was laid out via a staff entrance to our room, without us even knowing! And then cleared in the same way. There is a feeling of exclusivity, yes, but only to preserve privacy for perhaps those guests that need time away from a more public life for example.

It is an incredibly luxurious hotel. What does that mean? Crisp sheets, changed daily, eiderdown duvets and nine types of pillow to choose from, high end toiletries, champagne and fruit naturally in your room? Maybe. But I would say it’s about offering an exceptional EXPERIENCE to the guests through the way they are treated.

The other way you could interpret this ‘substance’ topic I address in my next blog, but just to give you a clue it involves turtles!