A couple of months ago , I had the opportunity to visit this amazing hotel for a cup of coffee with my sister and a friend.
Situated on the Palm Jumeirah, it is designed with an Ottoman inspired theme. As with most 5 star hotels in Dubai, it is really over the top luxurious ,with acres of marble floors, gold leaf on every surface and intricately painted domes with chandeliers to rival those of a palace.
Huge gold leafed columns dominate the main lobby with a lovely fountain which creates a soft bubbling sound as you enter the hotel.
I loved the choice of colours in the tea lounge ceiling..a delicate duck-egg blue with gold leaf…it looked like something Faberge might have designed…just exquisite.
The corridor leading off from the main lobby has soaring double volume ceilings with,yes, you guessed it, even more elaborate chandeliers…I particularly liked the grey and white marble laid in stripes on the walls…
The detail in the arches of the corridor…..
This regal room is one of the restaurants…it truly looks like something from a movie set…the waiters who were setting up for dinner when I stuck my head in to take photos, must have thought I was mad because I was wondering around with my head tilted back to see the ornate ceilings….
Details of the spectacular ceiling….
As you can see, the detail on the ceilings is mind boggling….actually the attention to detail all over the hotel is mind boggling. It is a must see for someone like me who works in decorative finishes as almost every wall, dome and ceiling is has some kind of pattern work on it.
Column details with gold leaf application….
Looking down the length of the restaurant….
An interior fountain….
The entrance to the Turkish Restaurant..this was my favourite …the decorative painting was unbelievable and just blew my mind!
Amazing detail on the ceiling and walls…apparently done by Turkish artists specifically brought out to do the work.
The walls of the restaurant..again lots of detail and gold leaf….beautifully executed pattern and design.
A more detailed view of the central lobby dome…
Detail of the dome at the entrance to the main restaurant….
One of the many domes in the hallways….
The entrance to the Talise Spa…I did try and get in to take some photos but they were busy and politely declined!
A view of the magnificent marble floors in the corridor leading to the main lobby dome.
Our visit to this hotel was almost an overload on my senses and by the end of two hours, I felt a bit overwhelmed…I would love to go back again just to try and see some more of the detail which I missed on this visit….my sister and I have decided that we want to go back for a spa visit, so hopefully I will be able to take some photos of the interior of the spa and see some more of the rest of the hotel!
A Decorator's Notebook 