The verdict on the world’s first ‘ultra-luxury resort’

The hotel

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai

Check-in

The sculpture Droplets, by GA Group, stands more than 11.5 metres tall in the centre of the sprawling lobby.Credit: Getty Images

Billed as the first ultra-luxury resort, Atlantis The Royal doesn’t believe in managing expectations.

The bar was set to heights rivalling the Burj Khalifa when Beyoncé opened the 795-room and suite hotel in January last year, picking up a rumoured $US24 million ($36 million) after her final bow.

Before Atlantis The Royal, cloud-soft bathrobes from Frette and jaw-scraping views were enough to qualify for a five-star luxury rating. Now Beyoncé is as much part of the hotel’s stellar reputation as the building’s distinctive silhouette of six towers of stacked boxes, resembling Jenga blocks.

Beyonce performs at the opening of the hotel.Credit: Getty Images

The fairy dust of the Grammy winner is working. A well-heeled and designer sneaker-clad crowd of Emiratis, expats and those accustomed to the pointy end of a plane slide from chauffeured cars in a porte cochere the size of a soccer field.

To keep the fairy dust fresh, the hotel, designed by New York City architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox and reportedly built for $US1.6 billion ($2.4 billion), celebrated its one-year anniversary by collaborating with Louis Vuitton. Nowadays, it’s just not enough to only have a Louis Vuitton store the size of a city boutique off your lobby (there’s a Valentino as well).

The look

The view from Cloud 22 Bar at Atlantis The Royal takes in the Palm and Arabian Sea.

Describing a soaring marble foyer with aquariums encircling lifts and dramatic sculptures as “restrained” seems ridiculous, but Atlantis The Royal impresses with ease instead of excess. OK, the fire show by the entrance is a lot.

If you want to experience the glitz of Dubai, the views of the city skyline alongside guests in designer bathers from the infinity pool of Cloud 22 tick the boxes.

Equally satisfying are moments for quieter contemplation in the hotel’s manicured gardens or on a secluded sun lounge by the Royal Pool, with terraces leading to a private beach.

There are also opportunities to engage with eye-catching architecture or occupy a sofa to enjoy peacocking guests swinging bags containing tomorrow’s outfits as they flit from boutique to boutique.

The room

A Seascape room at Atlantis The Royal offers soothing views of the Arabian sea.

Dubai’s reputation for excess rivals Las Vegas and Brisbane, so the mellow aesthetic of the entry-level Seascape room is a surprise. After the flames and fish of the foyer experience, the view shows the sky blending seamlessly with the Arabian Sea, the occasional superyacht disturbing an ombre effect worthy of a celebrity hairdresser.

The cool blue palette seeps inside, and the 55 square metres are filled with comfortable sofas, a step-in wardrobe, a king-size bed, and a generous bathroom. Gold (coloured) toothbrushes are the only concession to traditional Middle Eastern glamour.

As well as the usual selection of channels on the wide-screen television, there’s a comprehensive guide to the hotel’s extensive dining and entertainment options.

This is signature stealth-wealth style (minus the gold toothbrush).

Food + drink

Gastronomy, Atlantis The Royal.

Rather than solely rely on having an in-house Heston Blumenthal restaurant, there are 17 eateries including the impressive La Mar by Gaston Acurio and poolside service from Nobu. Stiff white tablecloth experiences have been replaced by a warm yet professional approach, making it easy to maintain the holiday mood from your towel or an intimate restaurant booth.

Along with the restaurant names worth dropping, Atlantis The Royal’s culinary triumph is a breakfast buffet at Gastronomy to rival Harrods Food Halls. Food stations offering baked goods, dumplings, poached eggs, French cheese and coffee to silence picky Melbourne sippers cater to all tastes on countless repeat visits. Forget fasting days.

Out + about

The hotel’s exterior of six towers of stacked boxes resembles Jenga blocks.

Located on The Palm, 28 kilometres from the Dubai CBD, Atlantis The Royal is designed so that you can stick within the hotel’s sprawling grounds during your stay without experiencing a shred of FOMO. Rather than traipse to Dubai Mall, visit the Level Shoes store in the hotel to have your favourite shoes or bags delivered from the complex to the Atlantis for your consideration.

The only reason to leave the hotel grounds is for a waterside run when the Dubai heat relents, but I prefer the gym, worthy of Chris Hemsworth’s personal trainer. There is also free access to the neighbouring water park if you need a break from exquisite comfort.

The verdict

This is contemporary luxury at its finest, making the best of the best, from food to design, seem accessible. The warm and efficient service helps you become accustomed to the good life, with no one looking down their noses at requests during the entire stay.

Instead, the staff greet you on every occasion with a gesture halfway between a salute and a prayer. This is luxury with its own choreography. Beyoncé should be proud.

Our score out of five
★★★★★

Essentials

Entry-level Seascape King rooms at Atlantis The Royal from $853 a night. You are welcome to spend more on one of 44 suites with their own infinity pools.

There are eight accessible rooms, and ramps and elevators around the property, including the beach and pool. See atlantis.com

Highlight

The friendliness of the service at every touchpoint, from the front desk to the spa. There is a warm efficiency that enables you to relax well before ordering a martini.

Lowlight

Fight the urge to leave the resort. Travelling to central Dubai in traffic can be stressful, especially when thinking that you could be back at the breakfast buffet.

The writer was a guest of Atlantis The Royal.