Gavin's Blog

For those of you interested in celebrities, Matt Damon and George Clooney were apparently out last night in the pub across the road from where I am staying. I think they are out here filming something or other. Sure holy jaysus!

Iran says it has missiles with a range of some 2000km, bringing Israel into striking distance. The Israelis are clearly worried:

The Israelis say they are concerned, not simply about signs of Iran’s growing military potential, but about Iran’s belligerent manner.

The chief of Israeli military intelligence says Iran could be six months from being able to produce a nuclear weapon.

Six months, that means something serious is likely to happen before those 6 months are up.

Well it is not often one gets the oppurtunity to go inside such an opulent hotel as this. But the interior of the Burj al Arab is quite simply unlike any building interior I have ever seen. I went for afternoon tea in the Sky View Bar, located on the very top of the hotel. As you can imagine I took quite alot of photos, some with spectacular views over the currently under construction Palm Island, some over the recently completed Madinat Jumeirah, and more over the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It is also much taller than I expected, at over 321 metres tall. Here are some more facts about the Burj:

Construction of this architectural and engineering marvel commenced in 1994. Piling goes 40 meters deep into the seabed.

At 321 meters high, Burj Al Arab is taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 60 meters shorter than the Empire State Building.

Burj Al Arab is the world’s tallest hotel building. With its helipad on the 28th floor and a restaurant seemingly suspended in mid air, this hotel has already become a landmark and icon on the Dubai skyline.

The sail façade represented an astonishing technical challenge, featuring a double-skinned Teflon-coated woven glass fiber screen. It is the first time such technology has been used vertically in such form and extent in any building worldwide.

It is dazzling white by day and used as a canvas for a rainbow of spectacular light displays at night, providing a brilliant entrance to the marvels that await the guest inside.
Combining the latest technology with a long-standing reputation of Arabian hospitality, Burj Al Arab symbolizes the very essence of Dubai, embracing the best of the new alongside traditions of the past.

SUITES

An all-suite hotel standing 28 double-height storeys high, Burj Al Arab comprises 202 duplex suites. Convenience, luxury and a highly personalized service are available for every traveler, enhanced by private reception desks on every floor. In-suite check-in, a brigade of exclusive butlers that provides around the clock assistance to each and every guest, and unrivalled attention will charm the visitor.

Reaching new heights of luxury and service levels, the hotel offers a choice of:

142 Deluxe Suites (One Bedroom)
18 Panoramic Suites (One Bedroom)
4 Club Suites (One Bedroom)
28 2-Bedroom Suites
6 3-Bedroom Suites
2 Presidential Suites
2 Royal Suites

They all feature floor to ceiling windows, offering a breathtaking view of the sea, and range from 170 sq. m to 780 sq. m in floor area. All are equipped with the latest technology, laptop computers and Internet access.

The TV and its remote control manage numerous services and functions. The ability to view any visitor to the suite and give access without leaving the comfort of your armchair is only one of them!

Topping all other suites are the two Royal Suites spread over the 25th floor. Palatial surroundings reach unsurpassed peaks of luxury, including a private elevator, private cinema, rotating beds, majlis (Arabic meeting room) and even dressing rooms larger than the average hotel bedroom.

The finest materials have been sourced from around the globe, coming together in exquisitely designed and crafted interiors.

AL MUNTAHA – SKYVIEW RESTAURANT

In Arabic, the “ultimate�, or “highest�, Al Muntaha instantly matches expectations with its location suspended 200 meters above the Arabian Gulf, offering unrivalled views of Dubai and the coastline shimmering in the distance.

Reached by an express panoramic lift traveling six meters per second, the restaurant features seating for about 140 guests who can enjoy delicious Mediterranean cuisine in a sophisticated setting with scenic windows to the world. The incorporated cocktail area is a stylish and exclusive venue for pre- and post-dinner drinks.

I went to the Madinat Jumeirah/Mina A’ Salam in Dubai tonight. The inaugural concert, in the brand new Madinat Theater was on, with a group of Rat Pack cover singers. It was a great night out, and I am extremely impressed with the Madinat Hotel. I will post photos soon, but needless to say it is the last word in luxury.

I also had a very interesting chat with a Californian just back from Baghdad, who was working for a radio station out there. What crazy stories you here in this place.

The website of the hotel is here.

News today of a collapse at the construction site at the new Terminal 3, with a confirmed 5 people killed. Buildings here are usually built at break neck speed, indeed since my first visit in late 2001, I would guess some 30 skyscrapers are built or are under construction, where before there was desert.

The Dubai authorities have closed down many of the roads around Terminal 3, so it would be an issue to get out there for a look.

Dozens of migrant workers die every year out here, thanks to lack of labour laws, working in extremely hot conditions, and general exhaustion. The men killed were most probably very low-paid Indian or Pakistani workers.

Another article on Dubai, the “rising star” of the Middle East. A good article too, I see the hack in question had pints down in the Irish Village in Garhoud. The property markey in Dubai is booming, but I would always be sceptical about buying property in a kingdom with no real property rights, and limited to 90 year leases. Who knows what might happen down the line, it seems other people have similar concerns. Curiosuly there are now some 100,000 Brits living in the Emirates, and some 10,000 South Africans.

“There are no consistent laws to follow,” said Andrew Small, a South African who moved to Dubai a little more than four years ago, over a beer with a business colleague at a faux-Irish pub.

Although he sees himself staying for at least another 10 years, he can’t get himself to purchase property. “I’d rather buy somewhere I have political confidence,” he said.

The piece continues:

Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate company, recently named Dubai as one of the top three “rising urban stars” in the world, together with Las Vegas and Shanghai, in an assessment that took into account a variety of factors including population and construction growth.

These kinds of assessments have helped keep overseas interest high, said Saeed Chinoy, managing director of Dubai Shows Ltd., which hosts property fairs to introduce real estate investments to foreigners. “We’re selling the dream,” he said.

Recently, though, the target market of that dream has become increasingly local. Arab investments are withdrawing from the United States and moving to Europe and the Middle East, Chinoy said. American companies, which used to come to market American real estate, have all but disappeared.

Chinoy reported that trade show attendance is growing for now, but he is worried about the way the Saudi Arabian economy collapsed once Westerners no longer felt welcome.

“What if Europeans and Americans were advised not to come to Dubai?” Chinoy asked. “It would be brutal.”