City, Interrupted: Dubai
It’s been given several titles: “Las Vegas of the Middle East”, “Venice of the Middle East” or “Disney World of the Middle East.” Quite likely by people who’ve never actually been there. The truth is Dubai resembles no other city on earth, let alone a theme park. It’s a mind-numbing land of hallucinations that was somehow conjured up during a crazy decade-long bender. A visit here leaves you so exhilarated – and high – you begin to see sense in wealth as a city-wide theme.
Save kissing her in public, anything is possible here. No excess is too excessive. Been to a rooftop party on the 56th floor with a view worth the vertigo? There’s a crazier one happening and it’s on the 82nd floor. Think you’re staying at the glitziest hotel with the biggest pool? There’s another one just around the corner with a bigger pool, and its own racecourse. You’d think erecting the tallest building in the world is a pursuit both pointless and frustrating – someone will always build a bigger one. But if that does happen, Dubai will build an even grander one and do it faster and better than any other city in this world.
Stay
The Anantara Dubai Palm Resort & Spa (dubai-palm.anantara.com) is the freshest coat of paint in town. The decadent beach resort has cottages with roofs peaked like temples, clustered around three large lagoons that are actually swimming pools. Don’t like chlorine in your lagoon? Stay in one of the 18 water villas, constructed over the waters of the Palm Jumeirah instead. Of course, no visit to Dubai is complete without being in the highest, largest or longest something, so if that’s your thing, the JW Marriott Marquis (marriott.com), the tallest hotel in the world, will do just fine. 1,608 rooms within two identical towers rise to 1,164 feet, housing 14 places to dine and drink – a visit to the steakhouse, Prime 68, is a must. Those repelled by flashy high rises can stay at XVA Art Hotel (xvahotel.com), a soulful boutique hotel in the heart of Bastakiya, Dubai’s oldest district. The former home of the Seddiqi family (Dubai’s Rolex retailers), it offers 10 individually designed suites and a café that’s Gordon Ramsay’s favourite secret place to eat at in the city.
Eat
If there’s a better place than Dubai to sit down to a high-end Middle Eastern dinner to club music we haven’t found it. Ottomans (ottomans-dubai.com) at the Grosvenor House has a splendid alfresco section with a movie set-like view and food that lives up to the heightened expectations. Get the Pachanga & Sigora Boregi, a fried yet surprisingly light stuffed pastry. At Tomo (tomo.ae), you’ll find several tables of Japanese diners amid the westerners and locals – a promising sign of authenticity. Walk past the sushi counter, the shabu shabu tables and many a private dining room until you reach the window table à deux with a 360-degree view of the city – that’s the one you want. French culinary godfather Pierre Gagnaire’s (pierre-gagnaire.com) eponymous restaurant is a rococo combination of chandeliers, mirrors and multifaceted food served with theatre. Remember to book in advance, and pray it’s not frog season.
Drink
Begin your evening with a drink at the Beirut-inspired rooftop bar Iris Dubai (oberoihotels.com) at The Oberoi before heading to the GQ Bar (marriott.com), set across two floors and an outside terrace, for some of the best cocktails in town. Later, you can move the party to the notorious VIP Room (viproom-dubai.com) in the same hotel. People by Crystal (peopleofdubai.com) is a favourite among locals; the artist line-up is interesting and the views are exhilarating. White Room at Meydan Hotel (meydanhotels.com) is a new addition to Dubai’s social scene and is already generating a lot of buzz for featuring top international DJs every weekend. At Qbara (qbara.ae), Persian carpets, ornate wall carvings and giant chandeliers compete for attention as wealthy sheikhs enjoy duck breast with pomegranate molasses in the lounge.
Do
If you’re accustomed to shopping in London and Milan, you’ll find the stuff on offer pretty average. It’s the larger experience that really blows your mind. The Souk Madinat (jumeirah.com) inside the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, for example, boasts its own waterway to transfer people from its shops, bars and restaurants to the neighbouring clutch of hotels, while the Mall Of The Emirates (malloftheemirates.com) has an indoor ski slope, with real snow. Visit the world’s largest shoe shop – in Dubai Mall, the world’s largest, of course – Level Shoe District (levelshoedistrict.com), or go golfing at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club or the Emirates Golf Club (dubaigolf.com), both so scenic that they’re worth visiting just to sightsee. If you need to get away from all the excess, head to Alserkal Avenue (alserkalavenue.ae) in the Al Quoz industrial area which has a Brooklyn- hipster vibe and is a great spot for detoxing from all the hedonism.
- Megha Shah
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