Deciphering the Dazzle in Dubai

Looking more, at times, like a film set dreamed up by Stephen Spielberg or George Lucas than a modern city on the sands of the Persian Gulf, Dubai begs to be noticed. And succeeds. Where Egyptians built monuments to the dead, Dubai raises towers -- each bigger, broader and more brazen than the last -- to the living, as an iconic city eternally in search of itself and knowing the answer lives in the next amazing thing.

Enter Burj Dubai, a missile reaching toward Mars that will become the tallest building on earth when it opens January 4. It will feature a mere 57 elevators -- one rising 1,653 feet along 138 floors - the world's highest elevator and at 30 feet per second, probably the world's fastest.

"When Burj Dubai was first planned, it was to be a 90-story structure, but Sheikh Mohammed asked us, 'Why stop there?'" Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Director-General of Dubai's Department of Economic Development said in a recent interview.

The once backwater pearl-diving port found diamonds in oil development and turned those diamonds into golden sands that shape this desert in cemented steel and glass as one industry after the other makes its Euro-Asian hub on this Persian Gulf peninsula. Within the metropolis of nearly 1.5 million souls are such places as Media City, where the world's media giants cluster and Internet City where top names in IT collide. And soon there will be Studio City - the largest film backlot in the world, as well as NASCAR City, Dubailand themepark city to add to Dubai Sports City, Industrial City and other superpods of commerce and entertainment.

But tourism is Dubai's true oil and it is manifesting its might in an unending line of five-to seven-star city and beach resorts, nearly five dozen luxury malls, some of the tallest buildings in the world and construction projects counting more than a fifth of the world's available high rise cranes.

The effect is dizzying. The iconic Burj al Arab, once the tallest building in the land, is now the stubby step sister of the gallant Burj Dubai. At the base of that tower is Dubai Mall, now one of the largest malls in the world with 1,200 stores and amazing water shows out front courtesy of WET Design, the force behind Bellagio's fountains and Mirage's volcano.

But why stop there? As the city claims the sea as its next frontier with a series of man-made island developments in the shapes of palm trees, a globe and the planets, new hotels are opening just about every week and all with a unique story to tell.

A year ago, with such notables as Lindsay Lohan, Robert DeNiro and Sir Richard Branson checked in, Atlantis The Palm opened atop the crescent of The Palm Jumeirah marking the first of many luxury properties in that area to come, all connected to the Jumeirah Beach mainland by causeway and, eventually, monorail. The Sun International property brings its legendary awe in the form of 1,539 ocean-themed rooms, a mesmerizing aquarium with guest rooms, corridors and attractions looking onto the mysteries of this deep. Its backyard is a complete, 40-acre water-themed adventure park with extraordinary rides fashioned around the motif of ancient Mesopotamia. Abutting the beach and sea is Dolphin Bay, a 10-acre dolphin park with programs for guests to interact with the intelligent sea creatures. For dining, there is a Nobu as well as signature restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs Giorgio Locatelli, Michel Rostang and Santi Santamaria. The Spa & Fitness Centre at Atlantis feature Middle Eastern massages and therapies inside a labyrinth of tranquility.

Also opened in the past year or so is Raffles Dubai, a superluxe sibling of Raffles Hotels & Resorts connected to the uberscale Wafi Center mall and souk. This 19-story pyramid-shaped hotel is a city property with golden panoramas of the Emirate from guestroom terraces and penthouse restaurants and clubs. All 248 rooms are palace-sized suites with comfortable furnishings, espresso machine, free Wifi, a 40-inch LCD TV, iPod dock, a cushiony lounge spread with soft throws and pillows, a grand marble bathroom with a deep soaking tub and a bed fitted with soft high thread count linens. A spa, library, even a botanical garden to wander through add to the stay, as does the property's corridor connections to one of the city's top shopping venues, which recently put the finishing gloss on an amazing medina where fine Middle Eastern artifacts, clothing, jewelry, foods, perfumes and artworks can be found.

The beach scene in Dubai is anything but quiet. The bulldozers have been busy along this once sleepy littoral building a bastion of one-of-a-kind resorts, mostly under the Jumeirah Group brand. The world famous Burl al-Arab, at 1,053 feet, maintains its title as the tallest hotel tower in the world. Only 202 suites in this sail-shaped structure. Each suite is double story and leaving the guest wanting for little. They come with a complete turnkey office, a floor concierge, and dedicated butler to unpack and draw the bath. Windows run floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall looking out to sea, automatic everything - from curtain drawing to door answering. Bathrooms big enough to set up house present his and hers complimentary full-sized amenities from Hermes, otherwise found in finer stores and a round Jacuzzi tub to take away stress. The closet is actually the corridor between the bedroom and bathroom and the bedroom offers a large bed under a full-mirror for a guest to watch the sea when watching self becomes less interesting. Plenty of sitting areas here - living room, bedroom cubby, dining room, all entered by a marble foyer leading to a grand staircase.

The Burj is connected by pathways to the spread of resorts, restaurants, shopping and waterways of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel (and connected Wild Wadi waterpark) and the Madinat Jumeirah - a winding waterway navigated by complementary abras, through more than 40 cafes and restaurants, a huge indoor/outdoor souk-themed mall and three more moderately-priced Arabian-themed luxury hotels.

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