Unspecified/General

At the apex of the eastern crescent of the Palm Jumeirah artificial archipelago in Dubai, Atlantis The Palm is the most prominent single resort hotel on the Palm Jumeirah and one of the most heavily visited integrated resort hotels in the broader United Arab Emirates. The 1,539-room resort opened in September 2008 at a total construction cost of approximately 1.5 billion dollars, the result of a joint venture between the South African Kerzner International hotel group and the Emirati real-estate developer Istithmar World. The resort was conceived as the flagship Middle East venture for the broader Kerzner-operated Atlantis resort brand, which had originated with the celebrated 1998 Atlantis Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas. The Dubai resort follows the broader Atlantis brand template, with the central architectural composition based on the mythological lost city of Atlantis from ancient Greek mythology. The dramatic pink-and-coral coloured central hotel building combines a 23-storey central guest-room tower with two dramatic angled wings extending outward at 45-degree angles, with the central archway between the two wings providing a dramatic pedestrian gateway from the central drop-off plaza to the sea-facing beach beyond. The resort houses several major guest amenities beyond the 1,539 hotel rooms. The Aquaventure Waterpark on the eastern side of the resort is one of the largest water parks in the broader Middle East, with more than 30 individual water attractions including the celebrated Leap of Faith body slide (a near-vertical 27-metre slide passing through a transparent acrylic tunnel running through the centre of a shark-filled lagoon) and the celebrated Aquaconda (the world's largest waterslide). The Lost Chambers Aquarium, housed in dramatic underground galleries beneath the central hotel building, presents an extensive collection of marine animals in environments themed to the mythological ruined city of Atlantis. The collection houses approximately 65,000 individual animals representing some 250 species, with the dramatic Ambassador Lagoon central tank holding some 11 million litres of seawater. The resort's celebrated Dolphin Bay marine-mammal facility provides the popular dolphin-encounter programmes. The resort houses more than 20 restaurants and bars including several celebrity-chef venues, a substantial spa, several private beach areas and a comprehensive children's programme. The resort is connected to mainland Dubai by the Palm Jumeirah Monorail.

Type: Hotel / Resort

Address: Crescent Road, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Telephone: 04-426-2000

Website: atlantis.com/dubai

Opening Date: 24/09/2008