It was departure day, so I was hurrying through the restaurant when I spotted him. The need to check out probably saved me the embarrassment of fan-girling too hard, but I had to say something and show appreciation at least.
Given his global status – if you know, you know – it was hardly surprising Black Coffee, the Grammy-winning DJ and producer, had chosen to stay at Dubai’s hottest new luxury hotel. Much like this mega-star of the electronic music world, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is cool, calm, collected – and has everyone enthralled right now.
Dubai is a city full of icons of all kinds these day – especially those of the architectural type – with buildings that scrape the sky in ever-daring ways, and they of course include the original attention-grabber, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab.
Erected as a beacon of the emirate’s global tourism ambitions, it can also now be admired in all its glory from its new sister hotel, which has opened just across the water from it. But nobody puts this baby in the corner: Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is a sibling that’s here to make a very strong statement of its own.
So, what do you get for almost £1,000 a night, apart from seeing superstar DJs in the restaurant? Well, you’re checking into one of Dubai’s most impressive new hospitality complexes, where several pools and a plethora of in-demand restaurants will be at your disposal.
Designer dreams
You’re paying for attentive service, endless views and the beautiful design. The hotel is the vision of Shaun Killa, who tells me he drew design inspiration from the world’s finest super yachts to complete this marine-inspired seaside trilogy. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab now joins the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and that iconic sail shape of the Burj, intended to resemble a billowing sail of a traditional Arabian dhow when it was first imagined by British architect Tom Wright more than 25 years ago.
The roll call at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is impressive: spread over 16 floors, there are 386 rooms and suites, 11 restaurants, four bars and even a Viennoiserie shop by Pierre Herme. It’s also part of a wider development that includes an 82-berth marina, and a matching promenade with six independent dining spots of its own, helping to create a whole new destination in an ever-shifting city.
The eye-catching moments are many in the hotel – starting from the sweeping approach that brings you to The Arch, a striking steel structure designed to elevate the guest arrival experience, standing 12 meters tall and constructed with over 3,000 tonnes of steel.
From Mercs to Maybachs; Range Rovers to Rollers, all the glam cars you could think of swish up to this entrance. This then leads elegantly past a series of mini lounges and cubbies where locals and guests come for meetings or afternoon tea.
Restaurant roll call
But that’s merely the amuse bouche to a smorgasbord of culinary immersions.
The hotel boasts The Fore, an impressive and unique concept where four restaurants make up a central hub and offer distinct cuisines and dining environments, yet are all interconnected when it comes to breakfast. They are Umi Kei (an immersive izakaya experience, with Japanese classics); The Bombay Club by chef Manav Tuli (divine Indian cuisine); Mirabelle (super chic setting and cuisine inspired by the Cote d’Azur); and Madame Li – unbelievably good selection of Asian dishes.
This means you can truly roam the world on a culinary quest to have the most exciting first meal of the day you’ve probably ever had. Dim sum – sure! Lobster and a seafood platter? Why not. The freshest of pastries? You’ve got it. A curry? Absolutely. I’m not usually a fan of the ‘melting pot’ cliché, but this breakfast set-up really is almost as diverse as Dubai itself when it comes to nationalities. The best part of all, it runs from 7am to 11.15am, so there is plenty of time to graze your way around (handy if you’d been out the night before to sample some of Dubai’s nightlife, perhaps to see Black Coffee playing at Pacha Icons).
You’d be happy with these options alone, but oh no – there’s more. Dubai’s social scene is built around restaurants, their bars, and their al fresco elements. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Rialto, where a grand impeccably-designed Italian restaurant is paired with a matching gorgeous indoor-outdoor bar inspired by 1950s Italy. They are both packed with vintage charm and a flourish of theatrics – the maître d’ at lunch was straight off the set of The Godfather; he made us lots of culinary offers we couldn’t refuse, serving our jet-lagged crew endless highlights of Pompeii-born chef Roberto Rispoli’s flavour-full menu.
Elsewhere, The Cullinan offers a premium steakhouse experience, while Kira brings a Japanese-Mediterranean twist courtesy of chef Carlos De Los Mozos. A standout for me was Kinugawa, with its relaxed beach club decor – it’s next to the adult-only pool – and excellent Japanese fusion cuisine. The heat can be intense here though, so the venue sensibly closes during summer, reopening in September. Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab is not done yet with the restaurants either, as still to come is Orizonta, a chic Eastern Mediterranean restaurant with views of the Burj Al Arab.
My top billing however went to Iliana, a chic beachfront restaurant inspired by the Athenian riviera with superb cuisine by chef Andreas Gkipalis – also complete with pool club, unforgettable views of the Burj and a rooftop bar.
The final piece of the socialising jigsaw is Litt, a bar-club that I thought perfectly encapsulated Dubai’s boujee vibe, somewhere to ‘see and be seen’ until the early hours.
Leisure centre
Outside of eating, an array of leisurely distractions unfurl around the hotel, giving it very much a resort feel. Painstakingly planned landscaping makes it feel as if the hotel has been here for a while, and pathways lead you here and there; or you can hop on a buggy to take you to the restaurants and pools around the complex. For hotel guests, this includes access to two private beaches and a 2km shoreline, as well as four pools, including an adults-only pool with spacious cabanas.
There’s also an impressive 20-metre indoor pool at Talise Spa, which spans three floors (including a dedicated female-only floor) and boasts a high-tech fitness centre, 13 treatment suites with terraces, hammam, sauna, and cutting-edge therapy rooms including cryotherapy and hyperbaric chambers (while my treatment was enjoyable, there were some general service glitches which will presumably be massaged out over time).
Sleeping beauty
Crafted by HBA, AVROKO, and LTW Design, each of the 386 rooms and suites is designed to maximize indoor-outdoor living, with terraces offering Insta-worthy views of the surrounding Arabian Gulf. My Ocean Deluxe Suite was a beautiful, generous space, featuring every detail you can imagine from a top-notch hotel (monogrammed slippers anyone?).
I had a large living-dining area, huge walk-in wardrobe, wide terrace and vast comfortable bed, while details such as a Dyson hairdryer, Bang & Olufsen speaker, and even a pistachio-knafeh-filled bar of ‘Dubai chocolate’ in my personal bar made it feel extra special. Butler service, breakfast, and access to Iliana Pool Club are also included. Even the welcome amenity was something out of the norm: a pretty selection of savoury feuillette, which was the perfect little snack after a largely sleepless night flight when you don’t know if you should be craving breakfast or booking lunch.
On a mission to show how the OG of the UAE can really evolve in a complex and every-growing hospitality landscape in Dubai, Jumeirah has really thrown the book at this hotel (rumour has it, it was even delayed after a realisation that it wasn’t quite as luxurious as it needed to be).
The only downside for me is its very popularity: yes, it’s still the ‘new kid on the block’ and locals love a shiny new toy to explore, but this means there are just people everywhere, all the time, in the main areas. Yes of course, as a guest you can head to the adult-only pool or find a quieter spot on the beach, but whenever you come out of the lifts or walk the lobby corridor, it’s super busy. Maybe that will drift away over time, but if I were paying the eye-watering rates here, maybe I’d want a little more exclusivity and privacy.
But then again, perhaps in the showiest city in the world the ‘being seen’ part here is more important. And after all, you never know who you might bump into at breakfast…
