Raffles Dubai

An “extra” ordinary city

Audacious, decadent, ambitious are but a few adjectives one could use to describe Dubai, this coastal city in the Arabian peninsula which, since the 1990s has become a paradise for the most extravagant real estate projects on the planet. The Dubai skyline is a perfect illustration of the image of this unique Emirate capital with its skyscrapers and buildings as far as the eye can see. Dubai is an oasis of ultra contemporary technology and a limitless urban laboratory. Dubai fascinates, enrages and questions. Here, each neighborhood has its own idea of what a modern city should be, whether it’s downtown Dubai where the world’ tallest building, the Burj Khalifa stands, or Sheik Zayed Road with its long string of skyscrapers. Wafi City is a commercial complex in the heart of the city consisting of a mall of course, with 350 different boutiques, restaurants, residences and a nightclub. The entire complex is decorated in ancient Egyptian style. There’s even a traditional souk, the Khan Murjan. But the main attraction however, is the pyramid that dominates everything else, a surprising building, and one with five stars to its name.

Elementary luxury

The Raffles Dubai is one of the most stunning jewels of the Asian hotel group, first by its form including nineteen stories capped by a gold cupola, which scintillates during the day and is illuminated at night. The standard rooms are the most spacious in Dubai measuring seventy square meters. All of the hotel rooms have a private balcony with a magnificent view of the city’s rooftops. With its eleven bars and restaurants and its spa, the Raffles is equipped with the basic services of a luxury hotel, as well as a unique addition: a one hectare botanic garden inside the hotel itself, on the third floor, with more than 129,000 plant species, 260 trees, 650 palms and 1,400 bamboo plants. It’s an exceptional garden which also contains a great many “traveler’s plants” originally from Madagascar, which have become the symbol of Raffles. The garden is divided into four parts, each invoking one of the elements: water, earth, air and fire. The four elements are a major theme of the entire hotel since the four presidential suites employ it as well. In addition, the restaurants make the same reference in that the salad is often served on an iced plate, and the Japanese heating stones invoke fire. Thanks to its original architecture and modern interior decoration, the Raffles attracts an international clientele in search of the numerous pleasures of the city while enjoying the life of a luxurious and peaceful retreat.

The Raffles Dubai is one of the rare establishments in the group to have been built from scratch. Usually, Raffles reinvests in already existent buildings like for example, the Royal Monceau in Paris.