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April 16, 2015
Feature | Dubai's Luxury Travel Frontier | Chapter 2: The Most Beautiful Hotels in Dubai
Feature: Spotlight on Three Hotels!
Dubai's Luxury Travel Frontier
Chapter 2: Dubai's Most Beautiful Hotels (1)
Burj Al Arabwas highly popular among Chinese and Russian travelers who favor overt luxury. Next, the "One&Only Royal Mirage," lauded as Dubai's most beautiful hotel, is a favorite among Europeans.
Photographs by MATSUI HiroText by OBARA YukikoEdited by TANAKA Junko (OPENERS)
Three Distinct Styles
The One&Only Royal Mirage comprises three buildings: "The Palace" (235 rooms) in Moroccan style, "Arabian Court" (172 rooms) in Arabian style, and "The Residence & Spa" (50 rooms + 3 villas) offering contemporary style and high privacy. The 457 rooms and three villas are supported by a staff of 1,000 from 40 nationalities.
The Palace, in Moroccan style
Arabian Court, in Arabian style
The Residence & Spa, in contemporary style
Shuttle buses operate between buildings, but you can also call for a buggy to take you. This stay was in a Superior Gold Club Suite at The Palace. The Gold Club offers a dedicated lounge and reception, with breakfast, evening cocktails, and all-day soft drink service available in the lounge. There's also a private entrance for Gold Club members, plus priority buggy service. Furthermore, suites of the same class in other buildings are slightly more expensive, making this the best value for money.
The Superior Gold Club Suite has a simple layout of a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and balcony, offering a comfortable and well-proportioned space. While the interior is primarily Moroccan, a renovation about two years ago has given it a stylish update. The turquoise accents throughout add a refreshing touch.
According to a letter from the hotel, guests also have access to cabanas by The Palace pool. I decided to check it out. The pool faces the beach, creating a unique setting with Dubai's skyscrapers in the background. Palm trees are dotted around
A refreshing Superior Gold Club Suite
The poolside, lined with palm trees, offers a resort-like scene, but when captured in a photograph, the towering skyscrapers create a curious contrast. The cabanas, one of the perks of the Superior Gold Club Suite, provide an ideal shaded spot for leisurely reading.
Skyscrapers rise behind the palm-tree-lined pool
A cabana offers welcome shade under the scorching sun
From European to Tagine
While the One&Only Royal Mirage consists of three buildings, each section feels like a separate hotel with its own extensive grounds and facilities. With a total of 13 restaurants and bars, it is also popular with local gourmands. Guests staying in any building can access the facilities of The Palace and Arabian Court, but restaurants and bars at The Residence & Spa are exclusively for its guests.
The hotel's signature photo features a shot through the fountain at The Palace, where the European cuisine restaurant "Celebrities" is located on the first floor. Having been completely renovated to a stylish and chic ambiance, Celebrities remains a popular choice, and simply observing the elegant guests enjoying French dishes offers a sense of refinement.
Appetizer: "Lobster and Spring Vegetable Salad with Herb Dressing"
Celebrities is located down an elegant staircase
Moroccan-inspired interior at Tagine
Moroccan music plays in the background
Tagine dishes are a popular choice here too
At The Palace, the signature Moroccan restaurant "Tagine" is not to be missed. The moment you step inside, you are enveloped in the dimly lit, exotic atmosphere of Morocco. Moroccan music plays in the center of the restaurant, making you feel as if you've been transported to Marrakech. Tagine, which was briefly a trend in Japan, can be enjoyed here in its authentic form.
And currently, Dubai's hottest bar lounge is the "Jetty Lounge," located between The Palace and The Residence & Spa. From this jetty, you can take a shuttle boat to the sister resort, One&Only The Palm, on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah. Outdoor dining and bars are common in Dubai, but on a night when the temperature is still close to 30 degrees Celsius (this visit was in June, just before the hottest part of the year), where else can you enjoy champagne and tapas while feeling such a pleasant sea breeze? The tables filled with stylish patrons confirm its status as an extremely popular spot.
Feature: Spotlight on Three Hotels!
Dubai's Luxury Travel Frontier
Chapter 2: Dubai's Most Beautiful Hotels (2)
What is an Oriental Hammam?
Like other hotels in Dubai, the One&Only Royal Mirage competes with its spa facilities. The "One&Only Spa," produced by ESPA, and the Oriental Hammam steam bath are popular for their comprehensive facilities and spa treatments.
The Oriental Hammam, located on the first floor of the spa building at The Residence & Spa, is unique among Dubai hotel spas, despite being a traditional bathing style found throughout the Middle East. It's an experience you can only have here. The Royal Hammam (80 minutes, approx. 13,000 JPY) begins with a steam room to soften the skin, followed by a deep cleanse with Moroccan black soap and a body scrub.
We lie down in a line on the stone slab in the center of the hammam, and the series of treatments begins. The room is filled with steam, impairing visibility, and we move as instructed by the therapist, unsure of what's happening.
At a water basin, hot water is poured over us with a ladle to wash off the black soap. Back on the stone slab, a clay called "Ghassoul," scented with eucalyptus, is applied to the entire body for a traditional body wrap. Honey is applied to the face for a simultaneous facial pack. After another rinse with water from the ladle at the basin, the treatment concludes with a relaxing massage on the stone slab. The 80 minutes pass in a blur.
The path to the hammam, which also leads to the post-treatment relaxation area
Traditional hammams often involve vigorous scrubbing and may not always be comfortable, but this Oriental Hammam offers the appeal of experiencing a traditional Middle Eastern style while enjoying a relaxing treatment. The spa building at The Residence & Spa (Health & Beauty Institute) also houses a fitness center and a hair salon.
Achieve Baby-Soft Skin!
When I decided to stay at the One&Only Royal Mirage, I was particularly looking forward to visiting the "Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio" by world-renowned podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez. In Western countries, a podiatrist is a qualified professional who provides medical treatment for feet, distinguishing their services from what we typically recognize as pedicures.
Nails, cuticles, and calluses are all left smooth
A luxurious pedicure and manicure course, concluding with a hand and foot massage
Corns and hardened calluses are gently and meticulously removed, cuticles are trimmed to the minimum necessary, and even ingrown toenails are expertly treated. Your feet are reborn as smooth, soft, beautiful, and healthy, like a baby's. The natural shine of your bare nails is restored, and a massage from ankle to knee promotes circulation, leaving you with a sense of healthy feet. While it might feel like going out without makeup, after this treatment, your feet will be sparkling and your soles will be so smooth that you'll appreciate the natural nude color of your bare nails.
As I expressed my delight, the therapist smiled and said, "Don't you feel like dancing ballet?" The Bastien studio is available at all seven One&Only resorts in six countries worldwide. It truly offers a "one and only" experience.
One&Only Royal Mirage
PO Box 37252, Dubai, UAE
Tel. +971-4-399-9999
http://royalmirage.ooresorts.com/ja/
Inquiries
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
www.myfavoritedubai.com
dubai.japan@aviareps.com