Dear Asma,
Two of my closest friends visited me in Dubai for ten days, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like a truly proud host. Not only because I could show them the corners of this city that I hold close, but because, through their eyes, I discovered it anew. Dubai has a way revealing something different each day, as if the city itself enjoys keeping us curious.
I once read that it would take more than thirty-five years to try every restaurant here if one dined at a new one daily. I never checked the accuracy, but I loved the idea. Facts become softer, sweeter, when you allow yourself to romanticize them.
And here I am, already wandering into digressions. But stay with me, Asma, as I’m about to get lost in the charm of a place that needs no introduction, perhaps the most iconic in the region, if not the world. Bias aside, I couldn’t help taking my friends for a staycation at Jumeirah Burj Al Arab. One night, one day, and everything in between. It was magnificent, as expected of the king of hospitality.
The moment we stepped through the rotating doors, the doorman recognized us. We entered a lobby that has never once failed to awaken every sense: the colors, the geometry, the movement of the pyramidal fountain rising as if to greet the sky. Above it, a vast UAE flag stretched proudly, as we visited during the month of Flag Day celebration. Something inside me stirred. Belonging, perhaps. The feeling that this flag has become mine too. Saying it out loud felt right.
At the escalator, I saw Giovanni, elegant, unmistakably Italian, guiding a delegation with the charisma only he possesses. Few years ago, when I was leading Marketing and Communications for Burj, a single conversation with him made me fall in love with the property. He is a storyteller by nature. Behind him was Delphine, the hotel manager, moving with a grace that reveals her history as a ballerina, a fact one could guess simply by observing her once. Our eyes met, and we exchanged a quiet message wrapped in Arabian hospitality. Gratitude washed over me for the people this city has brought into my life.
We arrived early, so instead of settling into the suite, we left our far-too-many bags (a one-night stay somehow inspires a week’s worth of packing, when you stay at the Burj!) and walked to the beach at neighboring Jumeirah Beach Hotel. I stretched out on a sun bed with “Crveni Kofer”, a book Marija brought me, and watched the Burj on my left and Marsa on my right. Between the words of Lana Bastašić and the view before me, I felt, for the first time in months, as if I were on a real vacation. Watersports hummed in front of me, a party drifted behind me, and yet nothing felt overwhelming. Next to the Burj, nothing ever does.
When it was time to check in, we ascended the escalator and passed Les Desserts by Tom Coll, one of the most exquisite pastry boutiques in Dubai. Chef Tom is as talented as he is humble: open, supportive, creative without arrogance. People like him remind me why Dubai feels like a place where possibility is always within reach. I often say that if we don’t make it here, the fault lies only within ourselves.
Inside the elevator, my friends stared wide-eyed, absorbing every color and pattern. Their expressions transported me to my own first visit years ago. Moments like these remind me how essential presence is, and how memory softens the details, but being here, now, sharpens them beautifully. We must feel the feels, Asma. All of them.
Our duplex suite, as all suites in Burj are, was a world of its own. A table overflowing with fruit, a beautiful cake from Tom, and the wittiest note from Delphine awaited us. I felt loved, and I allowed myself to rest in that warmth. Even a single suite here is a masterclass in design: a retro-tinged workstation where I’m writing this letter to you now, a dining area, a sofa large enough to host my full friends list, and a glass wall opening to views stretching from Palm Jumeirah to Sal, shimmering below like a contemporary jewel, which I’ll tell you more about in a bit.
Up the circular staircase, the master bathroom glowed with Hermès amenities, followed by a walk-in wardrobe that could easily stage a fashion campaign, a thought I hope becomes reality soon – maybe with Villa88! The bedroom itself was fit for royalty, mirrors catching the light, and a view that refused to end.
“Where shall we dine?” I asked — Al Muntaha among the clouds or Al Mahara beneath the sea. Both irresistible. But my friends didn’t want to leave the suite; they were two Alices in a wonderland of gold and color. So we ordered in-suite dining and slipped away to Talise Spa while dinner was prepared.
The spa was everything I needed at the moment – warm water, quiet air, a sense of renewal I had been missing. When we returned to the suite, we discovered we’d followed the exact same routine. Great minds think alike, or simply many years of friendship, and knowing each other to the core? As Adrijana would say, “Oh well…”
Dinner turned into a feast, and for a moment, we allowed ourselves to feel like royalty. Later, we ended the night at Skybar, looking toward Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab. Elegant, sleek, redefining the coastline with her presence. If Burj is the king, Marsa is his queen. Yes, I’m romanticizing again. And I love it.
I slept better than I have in years. I’ll leave it at that.
Morning brought a breakfast that felt like a celebration. My shakshouka was perfect, and the cheese selection won my loyalty immediately. Anyone can win me over with cheese. I am, admittedly, a cheese person, sometimes even cheesy. I can already hear Adrijana’s “Oh well…” again.
We ended our stay at Sal, Burj Al Arab’s pool club, a modern mirror box flowing seamlessly from the sail’s architecture, the pool stretching toward the horizon. Burj is royal; Sal is contemporary. Two worlds speaking the same language of beauty. My stay began with a book and a view, and it ended the same way. I put on my earphones, turned on my “Liked Songs” playlist, and Tamino’s Habibi filled the moment:
“Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
As I am yearning”
With Love from Burj,
Milo
