Saturday, February 09, 2008

Friday night at Madinat Jumeirah

At last we’ve been introduced to a more tourist-friendly part of Dubai. One of the team, an old Dubai hand, took us to the coastal resort of Madinat Jumeirah, where creeks have been dug into the sand and an olde-worlde warren of bijou shops, restaurants, hotels and clubs created. Water-boats chug around between piers – hop-on and hop-off.

No expense has been spared, and beautiful people from a diversity of nations wander opulent corridors and walkways of Ottoman empire-style elegance. Over it all, lit up in blue, towers the Burj Al Arab, the world’s only 7-star hotel. Bathetically, it rather reminded me of Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower.


The view from Madinat Jumeirah looking to the coast

We’re working at “The Springs”, near Dubai Internet City, and our new hotel is only a few kilometres away, at Al Barsha. From my 6th floor window I can see the Burj Al Arab (pictured).


My hotel room view

But as you can see, nearer at hand, the hotel is in the middle of a construction site! My somewhat noisy home for the next two weeks.