The weekend started with a late lunch at white beach at
Atlantis the Palm, with beautiful views of the city and a relaxing atmosphere accompanied by the DJ's relaxed tunes. It was a great way to start the weekend, but then it was over to Atlantis The Royal for the launch of Gastronomy - the resort's unrivalled dining experience. Entering the hotel, the lobby is striking, surrounded by incredible views of the city on one side and the water on the other; with large tanks filled with fish and a spectacular metal sculpture in the main area. The hotel was full of celebrities, media and influencers from all over the world, building a buzz of excitement.
Sitting on the second floor, Gastronomy is a showcase of top chefs and incredible menus with all cuisines covered: a Pizza station, Pasta, Asian, Greek, Latin American. Gastronomy also features its own live oyster bar and impressive wine cellar. The Little Venice Company was in attendance with Mitch Turner, the cake maker for the royal family, having a shop on the lower floor. The dessert section was ultra-indulgent, with every type of dessert you could wish for beautifully displayed alongside flowing taps of white, dark, and milk chocolate! Each morning, this space is transformed into the breakfast area where guests can make their own blended coffee to take home and enjoy tailored granola. Every little detail has been thought through, it reminded me of Harrods Food Hall with extra extravagance.
Outside on the terrace was the Moet Champagne Bar, surrounded by outdoor dining and entertainment, and it was truly an evening to remember. Moet is the Champagne partner, and it flowed all weekend across Gastronomy's outdoor bar and beautiful terrace, as well as the small trucks set around the pool area and the dotted Moet vending machines.
We didn't see many of the rooms as it was fully booked, but I had the opportunity to visit a couple of months earlier for a hard hat tour, which made it even more special to see it fully open! The rooms and suites are truly beautiful with many having their own pools (the hotel has an incredible total of 44 swimming pools), outdoor lounging areas and private balconies. And with 43 storeys, the views are amazing and have a feeling of sitting amongst the clouds! This is a stay that you'll show off for years to come.
We had some time on Saturday afternoon to explore the resort before getting ready for the main event. Despite the hotel's vast amount of space, it has been designed in a way that feels intimate and personal. There are many pools with the main one being the Royal Pool; staff are beautifully dressed and the level of service makes it feel as though you had your own staff member attending to you. Private and personalisable cabanas line the pool areas, and the food served here is health conscious and beautifully presented on a tray erected from your sun lounger.
We popped up to see Cloud 22 which is the most beautiful sky bar - it certainly has the wow factor with the most amazing views and many private cabanas. It is only available to hotel guests which makes it feels more intimate and private, and offers one of the best views of Dubai!
Wellness is taken very seriously, integrating fitness with Yoga, Meditation and first of its kind holistic therapies and treatments. There is an aesthetic wellness clinic and state of the art fitness centre, as well as an outdoor yoga and meditation pavilion, and the food throughout the resort is an experience in itself - healthy choices are always an option.
Heading into the evening, the security was strengthened to protect the stage area as the excitement built up. We had dinner first at the new Nobu in the Palm, taking in the amazing skyline from the bridge suite that was transformed into a rooftop bar. As I have come to expect from Nobu, the food was absolutely incredible.
We arrived to the event at 8:30pm; whispers of what to expect became flourishing anticipation and excitement for the evening entertainment. Beyonce took the stage for her hour show at 11pm to a roaring welcome - staff were walking round with Magnums of Moet all lit up and the show took on a Hollywood old-glamour style, with mesmerising dancers and having been written just for her performance at Atlantis The Royal! For the grand finale, Beyonce rose up from a platform into the sky surrounded by the hotel's dancing fountains and followed by an extraordinary fireworks display. Next up was Swedish House Mafia who had the crowd dancing until the early morning.
The weekend closed with the grand opening of the new Nobu on the Beach, the first of its kind, and Milos, renowned for its finest Mediterranean seafood. Having been to The Palm's Nobu earlier in the week, we set off for brunch at Milos with high expectations. The restaurant more than lived up, with the most spectacular location that boasts views of the city on one side and across the fountains on the other, whilst serving the most amazing fresh seafood. Along the way, we managed to sneak a peak at Nobu, which looks as beautiful as you could imagine with a private pool area.
We finished the incredible weekend with an evening meal at Hakkasan in Atlantis, The Palm, though some of our group took to Heston Blumenthal's new hotspot at Atlantis The Royal who came back with amazing tales to tell about the immersive experience and each dish having its own story.