You can’t help but notice the Burj Khalifa when you are in Dubai. By the way Burj means tower in Arabic. At around 830 metres high it’s not far off being a kilometre into the air. It dominates the skyline and dwarfs all other buildings.
It’s located at 1 Sheihk Mohammed Rashid Boulevard, Dubai right next to the humongous Dubai Mall. Construction was begun in 2004 and completed in 2009. It was originally known as Burj Dubai but when it opened in 2010 it was called Burj Khalifa. Oh and did I mention it is the tallest structure in the world?
It’s style is quite futuristic and its surface shines beautifully in Dubai’s sun. The decision to build the building is reportedly based on the government’s decision to diversify from an oil-based economy, and for Dubai to gain international recognition. Actually I think the Dubai government have been quite clever and forward thinking. They have used the great profits from their oil industry to make sure they continue to have a strong economy well after the oil has dried up.
Tickets for Burj Khalifa can be bought on the lower ground level of Dubai Mall, however, having done this I would suggest you buy them online ahead of time to save standing in queues and to get the time slot you desire. I turned up at 5pm hoping to go up at sunset and found out the first time slot available with the cheapest ticket that night was 11pm. I bought it then sorted out a way to spend 6 hours waiting. This turned out to be watching a James Bond film Spectre upstairs in the cinema in Dubai Mall. The tickets are not cheap. I only went to the 124th floor which was AED125. If I had gone before 6.30pm it would have cost AED200 (AUD75). These are the less expensive tickets. To go to level 148 it costs AED500 (AUD187.00) before 6.30pm and AED300 afterwards. Taking the lift up your ears pop as the elevator moves an extraordinary amount of floors in a minute. Although I only went to the 124th floor, the view of the night lights of Dubai was beautiful.
I have already mentioned Dubai Mall a few times in this post. Actually during my time in Dubai I ended up at Dubai Mall on three separate occasions and I dislike shopping malls! I did survive though.
Over 13 million square foot (equivalent in size to more than 50 football fields), the Dubai Mall has a total internal floor area of 5.9 million square feet (55 ha) and leasable space of 3.77 million square feet (35 ha), about the same as the West Edmonton Mall. However, in terms of total area it is the largest shopping mall in the world. There are 1,200 shops, a 250 room hotel, a 22 screen cinema, 120 restaurants and cafes, an aquarium, ice rink and a nice fountain.
Burj Al Arab meaning Tower of the Arabs in Arabic is a luxury hotel located on an artificial island 280 m from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It has been called “The world’s only 7 star Hotel” and is the third tallest hotel in the world; however, 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. It has a helipad near the roof at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground. It is not open to the public, you need a reservation either for its accommodation or one of its restaurants to be allowed onto the premises.
I checked out Burj al Arab (from a distance) on Jumeirah Beach. The beach is a nice family one that people hang out at. Swimwear is acceptable but not nudity. Anyway you can have a nice view from there.
Another place to check out is the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Island. I just did a drive around of this, it was worth a look though.
