Atlantis Palm Hotel and Water Park Opens in Dubai
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Like everything else done to excess in Dubai, a hotel themed around the ancient myth of the lost ruins of Atlantis complete with flown-in dolphins from the South Pacific, a massive water park, and a top floor that houses a £13,000-a-night suite complete with gold-leaf 18-seat dining table is set to open today.
Photo EPA
Photo Daily Mail
The sprawling 113-acre Atlantis Palm Hotel with 1,373 rooms and 166 suites is hoping to defy the credit crisis and play a part in sustaining Dubai’s tourist industry after regional oil profits have run dry.
Modeled on a sister site in the Bahamas, the £800million resort on the Palm Island is ocean-themed family entertainment with an enormous open-air tank with 65,000 fish, stingrays and other sea creatures. The resort uses a staggering 15 million gallons of water.
A featured dolphinarium with over 20 bottlenose dolphins flown in from the Solomon Islands was developed despite controversy from environmental groups and some residents of the islands that protested the decision to sell the dolphins, and the 30-hour plane flight to transport them to Dubai.
One of the dolphins flown in from the far-off Pacific. Photo Daily Mail
Guests can wander around a maze of tunnels beneath a lagoon stocked with over 250
species of fish including sharks, eels, rays and piranhas. Photo EPA
Photo EPA
The hotel also boasts a massive water park called Aquaventure with a 3,280 foot (700 meter) long beach and a river ride of over 1.25 miles (2 kilometers).
Aquaventure water park. Photo EPA
Aquaventure water park. Photo EPA
Photo Reuters
But developers seem undaunted by criticism from environmental activists, who claim the construction of artificial islands damages coral reefs and even shifts water currents, pointing at growing water and power consumption.
A swirling glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly graces one of the lobbies. Photo Daily Mail
Photo EPA
Even the corridors are lavish. Photo Daily Mail
The resort shares the island with rows of high-end houses and construction sites, but other international names are set to move in, including Donald Trump for the storied QE2 ocean liner which will become a hotel in the center of the palm and a tourist attraction docked alongside the island tree’s ‘trunk.’
A bedroom looks onto the giant aquarium. Photo Daily Mail
Bath with water cascading from high up in the ceiling. Photo Daily Mail
Or soak up the grandeur of the aquarium while you bathe. Photo Daily Mail
According to the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu firm, the Middle East had the highest hotel occupancy rates in the world during the first half of the year, with Dubai leading the area at 85.3%.
Dubai had the highest room rates in the region, but Deloitte noted that revenue growth is slowing.
Diners can watch the stunning sea life in the giant aquarium. Photo Daily Mail
A massive oven is the centerpiece of this restaurant area. Photo Daily Mail
A quiet, secluded dining room. Photo Daily Mail
Another dining area provides a dark ambiance. Photo Daily Mail
Entrance of Italian celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli’s restaurant at the hotel. Photo Daily Mail
Tourist photographs her husband sliding down the Leap of Faith chute.
Photo AFP / Getty Images
Atlantis is the brainchild of Sol Kerzner, the man behind Sun City. Photo EPA
Source: Daily Mail
Tags:Atlantis Palm Hotel Dubai Middle East travel water park
that’s a gorgeous hotel… just looking at the LONG bridge over the teal water makes me want to go there.
It is indeed, Jeff. That incredibly long bridge seems to lend an air of escaping to some secluded retreat.
The water park looks like a blast, I’d love to try it! There is a massive water park here in town at the West Edmonton Mall that I used to love to go to, but haven’t been there in eons.
They also had dolphins in the mall that I used to go to see every time I went there. But sadly, I don’t believe that they survived after several years, which makes me rather sorry to see that they’ve imported dolphins at this hotel.
I just watched a documentary about this… castle. Its absolutely INSANE. The show was more about the building of the Atlantis and the trainers working in the aquariums (who were apparently ALL from New Zealand). Anyway, excellent pictures.
Stupid Arabs waste their oil money on these kind of things. Not sure how many of these buildings in UAE were built by themselves. And, I bet their local women are not allowed to get in there.
I want a room overlooking the aquarium!!!! Wowzers! is the only thing that comes to mind!
Don’t these fools what Sci-Fi? This looks NOTHING like the lost city of Atlantis! Where’s the ZPM? The gate room? The hyperdrive?
Your tax dollars at work – er, being stolen…
The water park is just the thing I need.. Unfortunately the price tag for such an adventure is not within my budget.
Having a dip in the tub alongside the aquarium would almost give you the sensation that you’re right in there with them, Joel
Not within my budget either Peety, we’ll just have to settle for the fantasy
I can’t wait until all this washes away and people realize, if only for a second, that this is indulgence beyond any that we as a people deserve. I’m sure your great-grandchildren will feel exactly the way you do when feeling the affects of sh** like this.
http://www.atlantis.com/
(before you get too worked up about “stupid arabs” or stolen “oil and tax money” do your homework. The ORIGINAL Atlantis hotel has been in the Bahamas (That’s the Caribbean – AKA America) for over a decade. Paradise (Hog) Island was purchased in the 1980s by American Donald Trump for $79 million, then sold to American Merv Griffin for $400 million. It was last sold for $125 million to the current owner, South African born Sol Kerzner (SHOWN IN PIC ABOVE). The current estimated value of Paradise Island is about $2 billion USD. The one in Dubai is just a copy and an example of international investment at work in the global market.
Good shout Doc. Few people shouted about race or miss-gotten funds when the All those super casinos were being thrown up in Las Vegas or when Disney Built its multi-billion resorts in Paris and Florida (well some ridiculously patriotic French folks did, but they don’t count). Unfortunately the funds for all of them weren’t the result of elbow grease and hard work.
UAE still fosters a massively unequal society with a sickening level of gender discrimination, which I personally feel would preclude me from giving them my cash. But you can’t fail but be impressed with what they’re building out there. It is in effect the first “sci-fi city” and you can bet if anyone invents flying cars Dubai will have them first. Women won’t be able to use them though their flying will be inferior to that of any man.
Amazing as people may find this resort there is a darker side to just how some of the animals were obtained. The dolphins in there were captured from the wild in the Solomon Islands just over a year ago (28 were shipped out from the SI but notice now they only have 24 in the resort – what happened to the others?)- removed from their families to swim with paying customers, and the SI government overturned an existing ban on the capture of wild dolphins which had been in place for many years just to satisfy the demand – seems money talks very loudly if you want something enough; even existing laws in place in a country can be ignored to supply it.
Wow! Absolutely beautiful. Thanks Doc and Dom for the reminders. @ emdee – is that really the case? I’m not saying I don’t believe it, but I did a quick Google on this, and I’m coming up short on where the mystery 4 dolphins came from/went missing from. Either way, good point about these wonderful creatures in captivity.
This’s very very amazing hotel in the world, i think $13.000/night is worth it with the facilities and experience we will get
beautiful!! Does anybody make enough to take me there? lol
A massive future ghost town.
Hey Doc, you don’t know what your talking about. The Bahamas is not part of the United States. Just because its close by doesn’t make it a part of America.
isn’t there something like this in the bahamas? it’s also called Atlantis and it’s in Paradise Island. The exteriors are very similar. I guess it’s in the same hotel chain?
whoops, my apologies. i only saw the comment above after i posted the first one.
Parabenizo a todos que diretamente e indiretamente construiram essa beleza de hotel, bom eu nunca estive ai, mais vendo as fotos, me encantaram muito e quem sabe um dia eu posso desfrutar dessa beleza. PARABÉNS!!!
JORGE CERQUEIRA
http://www.jmaratona.blogspot.com
This is what oil money has bought these people. It’s really rather obscene, actually.
who ever has said such foolish things about this hotel doesn’t knows anything about arabian fairytales
LOL, at the Jealous comments I’m out here right now on the 34th floor overlooking the world’s tallest building its absolute extraordinary and well played to the Arabs and Dubai for creating such a fascinating place. Everything i see has been made to beauty and perfection in every detail; I think it’s a fascinating country and unfortunately has hit a credit crisis but it’s still at the top of its game out here you see the future and you see technology given to Dubai from the world’s most incredible engineers .
Hy This is ANEES. I wanna make a World Beautiful Hotel. If ‘God’ will i will success in my Goal.
hello.Iam behzad from iran.ilove UAE very much.hotel atlantis and al arab are most beautiful on the word.I will come dubai about 2 weeks later.see you latter ATLANTIS………
Going to the waterpark in the near futur.. looking forward to it..
so many beautifull pictures
thx for sharing with us!
hi.
I went there . it was very beatiful & enjoyable . go there.
HEIIO! theres nothing like gender discrimination in the arab world, we do enjoy our selfs just NOT NAKED!!!
amazing i wouild rate it 6 star if i were them but i guess i dont know the critera to rate it a 6 and i have not seen the service