The One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel

february 2013 094 — Entrance to One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel

This hotel was one of the first “Arabian”themed hotels and the architecture is very traditional..in my humble opinion, this style of architecture works phenomenally well in this part of the world….it blends in with the surrounding landscape and creates hidden and mysterious courtyards with fountains and domed hallways. The sound of fountains gently trickling can be heard everywhere and the entrance to the main hotel features a fountain which is filled with rose petals daily…what luxury! The gardens are lush and green and exquisitely maintained and this resort is truly an escape from the dust and sand of the desert.

The decor is traditional with an Arabic feel, but the domes are really very traditional Arabic in design and decoration. We used traditional patterns and combined them with strong colour and touches of gold leaf …the whole concept was very tasteful and despite the hotel being over 5 years old, it still feels very current and fresh.

I was fortunate enough to get the project to work on some of the decorative domes in the Arabian Court,and I also worked on a massive dome in the spa entrance (see image above), which was about 25 meters off the ground…quite nerve wracking to say the least!We had to climb a set of stairs every day to get to a platform with a trapdoor and that was where you had to stay until you simply HAD to go back down to answer the call of nature!

The arches were plastered with alight gold Venetian Plaster and then we stenciled a design over that which complemented the dome design above.

Dome - one of seven in the main atrium done by my colleague on the project — Dome – one of seven in the main atrium done by my colleague on the project

Entrance to One and Only Royal Mirage Hotel — Courtyard off the tea lounge

I still frequent the hotel on a fairly regular basis as their afternoon tea is spectacular….my tea of choice is Earl Grey loose-leaf tea,which is served in a silver tea pot with linen napkins and china. The waiter then brings you a cake stand which holds small sandwiches, Arabic sweets and pastries or scones and cream…..it is positively decadent and the most wonderful and uplifting treat when one feels a bit down or if you have something to celebrate…..I have celebrated my birthday at the Royal Mirage for the last three years and I love it! It is very civilised and in the winter months, the outdoor terrace is the place to be…with the breeze coming off the sea and the sound of the pianist drifting out through the open doors. It is absolute bliss!