Palm paradise

It's a $1.5 billion (Dh5.5bn) city within a city, a 46-hectare (113-acre) leisure paradise and it is set to open in September.

Billed as 'the new landmark', Atlantis – The Palm's flagship hotel – is poised to rock Dubai's tourism sector.

CEO Sol Kerzner, in Dubai this week for the unveiling of his mega-project, said: "Atlantis is a special brand and we are confident it will be an enormous success. When I first heard about The Palm, I was fascinated. Now it's a reality and it's been an exciting journey."

The 1,539-room resort – a joint venture between Kerzner International Limited and developer Nakheel – sits on the Crescent of The Palm and plans to attract tourists from across the Middle East as well as its primary market of the United Kingdom. The sister hotel of the Bahamas' Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, the Dubai resort is the second launch of the Atlantis brand and boasts leisure, dining and business facilities, including the region's largest waterpark, a dolphinarium and endless entertainment, culinary and retail delights.

Brett Armitage, senior vice-president sales and marketing for Atlantis, said: "This is a one-stop destination offering different layers of experience for the visitor. There will be 24 hotels on The Palm and we will be the first to open and put a public face to the man-made project, sending an important message to Dubai. From the sculpture in the lobby to the Ambassadors' Lagoon and the retail experience in the Avenues, it is a resort centred around fun.

"But it's also the perfect location for the business traveller. We are taking bookings for our convention centre for 2010.

"We reviewed the requirements of meetings planners and feel confident – we are setting the standard for hospitality on The Palm Jumeirah."

Ahead of its September opening, Atlantis will undergo a rigorous testing schedule to ensure it is ready for guests.

Armitage said: "Every room will be slept in three times and we have a thorough checking procedure to make sure everything works."



FOOD and BEVERAGE

Including four exclusive eateries from world-renowned chefs, 17 restaurants, bars and lounges and culinary expertise in every type of cuisine will leave guests spoilt for choice.

- Four celebrity chefs will debut. Nobu Matsuhisa opens the famous Nobu restaurant, Georgio Locatelli unveils Ronda Locatelli, Parisian sensation Michel Rostang debuts Brasserie Rostang and three-star Michelin chef Santi Santamaria brings Ossiano 

- Saffron – a modern buffet will offer 20 cooking stations with a variety of cuisine

- Each eatery has been designed in a unique style by world-renowned designers, including Jeffrey Beers and David Rockwell



CHILDREN'S FACILITIES

With the adults catered for, the designers haven't forgotten about children. For kids, there are fun-filled clubs and programmes designed to engage and excite.

- Atlantis Kids Club – an interactive group for ages three to 12 providing dedicated edutainment under the watchful eye of supervisors. The club is broken up into four areas:

- Cinema – First purpose-built children's cinema will seat 140 

- The technology lab will feature computers and gadgets

- A shipwreck and climbing walls for different abilities 

- An arts and craft room for children to let their imaginations run wild

- Club Rush - a fully supervised "no adults allowed" private club for teenagers and pre-teens



RETAIL AND ENTERTAINMENT 

- In a cosmopolitan area of luxury boutiques called The Avenue, guests can browse some of the world's most sought-after brands, including Harry Winstone, Graff, and Tiffany and Co 

- An ultra-chic nightclub, housing five bars, three DJ booths and with a capacity of 600 people will be spread across 4,000 sq m. There will be a inverted dome standing at 11 metres high, a 20-metre wide bar and a rotating bottle unit




SPA

Indulgence on a mega scale is the order of the day at Atlantis Spa. 

- The two-storey 1,900 sq m spa has 27 treatment rooms for men and women plus a Royal Suite with an exclusive entrance, a private jet tub with a rain shower and a treatment room with two beds. Prices for the Royal Suite start at Dh1,800 for a basic package for two-and-a-half hours of treatment

- Guests can choose a specific 'journey' treatment, which includes healing massages, facials and scrubs using aromatic scrubs and creams

- A basic massage will cost Dh425 for 60 minutes and Dh545 for 90 minutes

- The gym offers Techno-gym equipment



THE GRAND LOBBY

- Arriving in the Royal Towers Grand Lobby, guests will be greeted by a wall of windows, marble floors and a colourful glass sculpture by artist Dale Chihuly, who was commissioned by CEO Sol Kerzner. The 10-metre installation took two years to create as 3,000 pieces of brightly coloured glass were intricately woven together

- The lobby's 19-metre arched ceilings create a sense of space and feature eight hand-painted murals on canvas by Spanish artist Albino Gonzalez and a wall of windows offering stunning views of The Palm Jumeirah 

- With 15 check-in desks plus a VIP check-in lounge, new arrivals should expect a speedy transfer to their room



MARINE LIFE

A whopping 42 million litres of salt water will be home to more than 65,000 fish and sea creatures. The different marine exhibits will be managed by 165 specialists, including vets, divers and biologists.

- The Ambassadors' Lagoon is an 11 million-litre marine habitat where fish sourced from the Gulf swim around exhibits from the mythical lost world of Atlantis. The fish are fed 200kg of shrimp, squid and 30kg to 40 kg of lettuce twice a day. Steve Kaiser, Vice-President Marine Sciences and Engineering, said: "The food is top quality – the same calamari is fed to the fish that guests eat in the restaurants."

- The Lost Chambers features 21 tanks centred around the Lost City of Atlantis storyline. Visitors are welcomed with a glittering tube of swirling anchovies and can also see stingrays, moray eels, lobsters and a live pearl tank

- Dolphin Bay – A 4.5-hectare lagoon with three interaction coves complete with seven pools and the first marine mammal rescue and rehab centre for stranded animals



ACCOMMODATION

With 1,539 rooms, from deluxe to suites each boasting breathtaking views of The Palm guests won't be disappointed 

- The Bridge Suite, measuring 925 square metres, with a private lift and three bedrooms is the most lavish and expensive room to occupy. Costing a whopping Dh91,800 per night the suite offers six TVs, the latest technology, a theatre-style music system and a gold leaf dining table that seats 18

- Lost Chambers Suites – floor-to-ceiling window walls look on to a lagoon creating an illusion of being under the sea

- Imperial Club – a resort with 150 rooms and suites and a private club



BUSINESS FACILITIES

Atlantis also caters to the business world with conference, banqueting and entertainment facilities. 

- One of the biggest ballrooms in Dubai – that can be broken down into five sections – can host 2,500 people at a reception and 360 delegates

- The hotel can sleep 600 delegates under one roof 

- A 5,600 sq m conference centre will feature the latest technology and presentation equipment

- The Palm Grove provides an outdoor entertaining option with butler service



AQUAVENTURE

This water park will be the largest in Dubai and be known as the adventure playground of the hotel. 

- 18 million litres of fresh water will be used to power seven waterslides, a 2.3km river ride, tidal waves and water rapids at the Aquaventure

- 750,000 litres of water will be used per minute to create water surges and waves with swells reaching two metres

- Water escalators will carry guests up slide towers and through rapids 

- The Ziggurat – the centre piece of the attraction reaching 30 metres into the sky and visible from the fronds of The Palm. This tower features seven waterslides including:

- The Leap of Faith – a 27.5 metre near-vertical drop propelling body surfers through a clear tunnel submerged in a shark-filled lagoon and out into a plunge pool

- Shark Attack – two person tubes will spin people into the blackness of the Ziggurat tower through the shark-filled lagoon

- Stinger, The Falls, Shamal and The Surge – high-tech tube slides will create a roller coaster

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