Atlantis, The Palm, one of the many landmarks of Dubai. We have driven past, dined in, looked over, sailed past and photographed it many times and yet, after 4 years here, we have not stayed. This week, that changes. The staycation is booked!
The Atlantis hotel is a 1,539 room marine themed resort with two accommodation wings overlooking its pool, private beach and directly down the trunk of The Palm to JBR on one side. The views on the other side presides over the tip of the Palm Jumeriah, and gazes directly out into the Arabian Gulf. The hotel is complemented by the Aquaventure water park, the Lost Chambers Aquarium and 23 cafes and restaurants.
Day 1
The bell hops and valets relieve us of our luggage and cars respectively as we pull up at valet parking.
We arrive at valet parking where we are quickly relieved of our luggage and our car by the bell hops and valets respectively. The boys linger for a moment at the driveway to count the number of sporty cars they can see – Ferraris, Porches, Lamborghinis and perhaps an Aston Martin or two are not out of place here. A Bentley also features in the drive. But I am informed they do not count as ‘sporty’ and therefore do not make the cut. From valet parking it is but a short walk into the reception area. Here, we are delivered into the lost city of Atlantis. I am definitely ready to lose myself for the next three days.
Atlantis
The lobby is impressive, a columned roof featuring murals of the ancient gods and in the middle a single columned glass installation in undersea colors ranging from coral bright reds and oranges to blues and greens reminiscent of more tranquil waters. The 3,000 pieces of blown glass that make up the art work by Dale Chihuly tower 18m over its surrounding reflection pool. Enormous shell shaped fountains with equally enormous floating ‘pearls’ also decorate the space. I wander to the windows and look out across the sparkling pool and sea to The Pointe shopping centre. I am eager to pull up one of the sun lounges on the beach for myself.
Check in complete we make our way to our room on the 10th floor. As we explore the guest areas, something that my friend said runs through my mind. “Is it your first time? It’s a bit kitch”. As if she was surprised that we would even consider it. And yes, I guess the coral themed carpet, the shell themed ceilings plus dolphins, sea gods, seahorses and star fish everywhere could be a bit much. Still, I am not disappointed and I realise that my initial response was rather apt: “It is our first time, but we know what to expect”. We live here after all.
We take a moment to enjoy the room and the views. Oh the views! We initially debated the extra few hundred dirhams for the Palm View, rather than Ocean View room. It was most definitely worth it. The whole of the Palm is laid out in front of us extending to the east, fronds and all. The skyline is speckled with other Dubai landmarks – the Burj Al Arab, Cyan Tower and the Dubai Eye.
The boys declare it’s the best room ever. I’m not sure about that but we change and head to the beach anyway. On the way, we are once again distracted by the fish dancing in the lagoon. There are around 65,000 of them swimming around within the Lost Chambers Aquarium which includes the 11 million liter Ambassador Lagoon. Together they form one of the 10 largest aquariums in the world.
I stare through the eight-meter tall, 70cm thick, glass panels and am transfixed by the mesmerizing dance of the schools of silvery fish, manta rays and sharks. They pirouette and glide as gracefully as a ballerina from my recent viewing of Swan Lake. Behind the scenes, 45 enormous filters drone on constantly to keep the water clean. An onsite fish hospital dedicatess itself to the health and wellbeing of the inhabitants. There is even a fish nursery. Seahorses and jellyfish breed in this perfectly created world. I wonder how they feel when they are released into the open ocean! The fish kitchen caters to the the appetite of the marine life in proportion to the size of the tank – it serves up a whopping 472 kg of restaurant quality seafood per day. Each species apparently has their particular favorite.
The Beach
My mind still boggling we continue on. Jason & I pick up some towels and select sun lounges on the beach. The boys run off to the pool. They’re old enough now, strong enough swimmers and there are several life guards stationed around the 1.2m deep sprawling swimming pool. We give them a little rope and leave them to it while I settle in with my book. Jason heads down to the water, donning his goggles for a beach swim.
There was some debate a few weeks ago as to whether the beginning of December would be warm enough to do a staycation. Given that almost all Dubai resort activities are centered around pool, beach and other aquatic adventures, it is worth considering. Mum had mentioned just the other day that it was warming up there, the days were starting to get to the low 30’s. I check the temperature. Today we have a high of 30°C with overnight lows of about 22°C. Rather perfect.
A couple of chapters of my book down, I wander up to the pool to check on the boys. I end up being into the water. We end up down on the beach for a family frisbee session and afterwards swap phones with some tourists to take photos in front of the iconic facade.
A while later, with an empty Long Island Ice Tea beside me and the sun beginning to sink behind the building, I start to feel cold and a bit sheepish about it at the same time. The temperature must have dropped below 30°C. It is winter in Dubai after all. Leaving the beach and pool behind we take the lift back up to our 10th floor room and alternately get ready for dinner and admire the twilight views.
Wavehouse
We have booked a half board package which, in addition to the room, includes dinner, breakfast the next morning and access to Aquaventure, the hotel’s 42-acre water park. Tonight we have booked into Wavehouse, a casual family friendly eatery with a relaxed vibe. Think 50’s diner meets old school arcade. It’s great for the kids who head off to the various 80’s era arcade games before we have even had a chance to order. There’s also a bowling alley and, if you’re up for it, you can book onto the Wave Rider for a bodyboarding or surfing session (best before dinner!).
We leave the Wave Rider for tomorrow and make our selections from the half board menu – nachos and calamari for starters and we have both chosen the Barbecue ribs served with coleslaw, grilled pineapple and a side of sweet potato fries. The kids are content with pizza and burgers with the promise of ice cream for dessert.
The entrees are tasty and filling, the ribs are excellent. The boys come back for food and then disappear back to the games. It is a nice night although a bit noisy sitting outside next to the wave machine. The vibe during the day when people are riding is a bit different but despite the delicious ribs, I had hoped for a bit more of a refined night. We end up taking our dessert away and getting the boys to bed.
Day 2
The morning is a bit of a lazy one. We sleep in and it is nearly 9am by the time we are dressed and ready to go. Swimwear on, sunscreen packed, today we explore Aquaventure. But first, breakfast.
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope is the hotel’s buffet restaurant which proudly boasts “[n]o matter what you’re craving, you’ll find it at Kaleidoscope”. Usually these statements can be taken with a grain of salt but this morning I realise that it is true. The buffet breakfast offers Arabic, Asian and continental favorites. Everything from (turkey) bacon and eggs to fruit, pastries, dim sum, noodles, sweet & sour tofu and paratha. There is even a chocolate fountain.
We sit outside in the delightful restaurant garden and enjoy the meal, the weather and a second cup of coffee before we round up the boys from the nearby playground and make our way over to the Waterpark.
Aquaventure
Aquaventure, like the hotel, has also been developed around a lost city theme. The Tower of Neptune and the Tower of Poseidon form the centre of the park’s water slides. Each tower, of Mesopotamian ziggurat design, shoots forth a range of body and tube slides ranging from calm and enjoyable to downright terrifying. The majority of the tube rides link up with the lazy river which meaders for kilometers around the park. Two of the rides shoot you through the shark tank although if you brave the 84 degree plunge from the Leap of Faith you may not remember the shark tank at all!
If you prefer to take it in at a slower pace, try floating through the Shark Tunnel in an acrylic tube or kicking back in the children centric Splasher’s play area.
First ride is the Wave Rider. We each manage to have a pretty good turn each on the body board before wiping out. The seven tonnes of water-per-second force can be a bit brutal. This is not one for the faint hearted no matter how easy the pros make it look! After this the boys move on to the Leap of Faith which I sit out of this morning. Then we move onto the The Surge which takes us on a double tube down and then literally surging up a series of drops down to the lazy river and on to The Rapids. The lazy river, along with the rapids and the torrent river, together add up to around 1.4km of water fun for the whole family.
After the initial thrills, followed by a calmer stretch where we float tranquilly along, we end up back at the lagoon where our bags are. We decide to move over to the Tower of Poseidon where the family rides (3 – 6 riders) are located. Here the Acquaconda, one of the park’s most popular rides, and the Zoomarango are located.
The Aquaconda is the world’s largest (up to 6 people) tube ride, taking you rushing, spinning and at times plunging down the 210m of slide at up to 35 km per hour. Slightly more frightening is the Zoomerango which seems to start off nice and calm until the mega drop hits with a second’s worth of weightlessness at the top of the return, what a thrill. I scream my lungs out while the boys watch on laughing.
We quit while we’re ahead. The boys are begging to go to the Kid’s Club. They join for the afternoon session which includes a shark education session and visit to the fish nursery. Jason and I head back to the beach for another lazy session on the sun lounges. After a delightful interlude, we pick them up again at 5:30pm, they come bounding out. The Kid’s Club has been a raging success.
Ronda Locatelli
We have booked dinner at Ronda Locatelli‘s for 6:30pm. This is the resident Italian Restaurant where Michelin starred chef Giorgio Locatelli creates authentic style meals in a relaxed dining atmosphere.
The boys spend most of the evening at the nearby playground. This gives Jason and I a chance to sit back and enjoy our delicious meal in (near) peace.
Day 3
A relatively late start again. I head down to breakfast with the boys while Jason enjoys a rare sleep in.
Our breakfast choices are easier this morning as it is the same spread as yesterday and much less overwhelming. I sit with coffee and my breakfast selection. The boys go back and forward to the buffet gathering their favorites. Soon, Jason joins us at our table in the garden. The boys promptly run off to the playground again as soon as they are finished. Jason and I sit and enjoy another leisurely coffee and pastry. They are seriously good!
The Lost Chambers
After breakfast we venture into the Lost Chambers Aquarium. Our accommodation package includes our entry tickets. This allows us to make the most of roaming the Lost Chambers and its 21 exhibits. The resident clown fish, moray eels and the enormous grouper fish flit, wriggle and stare at us. The manta rays once again mesmerise us as we watch them fly across the lagoon.
After this exploration we head back to pack up our room. Checking out, we make our way over to the Aquaventure waterpark again.
This morning we start at Poseidon’s tower with some family tube rides. A race on the Slitherine enshews – Daddy wins on the timing! Then, we gather some more tubes and line up for The Storm, another tube ride (single or doubles), which ends with a lap (or two) of the lazy river.
It is now time to warm up. We find ourselves a table near Splasher’s and grab some lunch in the sun. The fun continues at the park for the remainder of the afternoon. Eventually it is time for us to pack up and head home. Staycation complete.
Good To Know
Atlantis Dubai has various packages available for all adventure lovers.
Would I Return?
Yes. It’s simply good fun!
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