The Crescent Rises in Dubai

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  One&Only The Palm

  © One&Only

The development of the Palm Jumeirah was announced ten years ago and symbolised the scale of Dubai’s vision and ambition to become one of the world’s most exciting destinations to visit and live in. Until 2001, non-Arab nationals could not buy property in the UAE – the Palm changed all of that.

Shaped in such a way to create miles of additional beachfront, the Palm was the biggest land reclamation ever attempted and is now the home to thousands of families in the villas and apartments on its trunk and sixteen fronds; and its 11 kilometre crescent now houses some very high quality hotels. So, along with Jumeirah Beach and Downtown (where the Burj Khalifa, Armani and Address hotels sit), the Palm Jumeirah can now be seen as a Dubai destination in its own right.

Atlantis famously opened in 2008, heralded by a firework display that covered the entire Palm. It is now an established family resort with attached waterpark, dolphin retreat and designer restaurants Nobu, Brasserie Rostang and Ronda Locatelli. In the last few months two new, contrasting five-star hotels have opened on the crescent, offering more outstanding experiences for holidaymakers.

The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – from the renowned hotel chain that includes the Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel – has the feel of a grand Turkish palace and some wonderful facilities. While very opulent and impressive, it is made welcoming and comfortable by the excellent staff one finds at all Jumeirah hotels, which makes them so easy to enjoy.

The rooms and suites in the main hotel building all have balconies overlooking the Gulf and the Palm, while there are 38 stunning four and five bedroom, two-storey villas arranged either side of an adjoining avenue – a bit like a Turkish-style Wisteria Lane. The five bedroom villas have lifts, gardens and are on the beach while, across the avenue, those with four bedrooms have steps directly into a shared lagoon.

All the rooms and villas have access to the hotel’s restaurants – including French/Vietnamese, Indian, Lebanese and (of course) Turkish and the huge spa, the biggest in the Middle East, which has three Turkish Hammams, saunas, steam rooms, indoor pools and 27 treatment rooms.

Just down the road from the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray at the west end of the Crescent, is One&Only The Palm, offering a different kind of five-star experience. This One&Only is a very worthy addition to the group’s multi-award winning hotels in Mauritius, the Maldives, South Africa and its sister property in Dubai, One&Only Royal Mirage, to which it is linked by luxury water taxi.

One&Only The Palm has just 90 rooms, about a third of which are in the main Manor House building, with the remaining accommodation spread across two-storey Mansions and private villas. The resort is beautifully designed and landscaped – think Tuscan village, add gardens and palm trees, with Dubai’s extraordinary Manhattan-style skyline in the background. The impressive spa – operated by ESPA – is tucked away and offers a wide variety of treatments and a luxurious, self-contained Couple Suite.

Rooms are large and decorated in natural colours, which aid the extremely peaceful feel of the resort, as do the views of the gardens, the beach and the houses across the water on the fronds of the Palm. The hotel’s three restaurants are under the guidance of Michellin-starred chef Yannick Alléno and comprise all-day outlet Zest, fine dining in Stay and 101, which offers alfresco dining in the attached marina. 101 becomes a lively nightspot, already much frequented by locals (which is always a good sign) as it can be accessed by private yacht or One&Only’s water taxi from the Royal Mirage.

At night, One&Only The Palm looks particularly enchanting, with the many candles flickering around the pool and outside areas, the palm trees and gardens beautifully lit and Dubai’s amazing skyline creating an almost surreal backdrop. Knowing that so much activity and nightlife is so close makes the One&Only feel all the more like a relaxing haven.

So while the focus on Dubai is often on the biggest, tallest and most expensive, there are many extremely high quality hotels, restaurants and other facilities for the luxury traveller to enjoy. The Palm Jumeirah, arguably the most ambitious property development ever attempted, is now home to two excellent hotels offering different – but equally impressive and high standard – holiday experiences.

The Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and One&Only The Palm are certain to become major players in the five-star Dubai hotel scene.

Location: Dubai