The Burj Al Arab hotel is undoubtedly one of Dubai’s most iconic buildings, towering at an impressive height of 321 meters, making it visible from large parts of the city. This luxurious hotel is part of the Jumeirah hotel group and is renowned as the world’s only 7-star hotel. It’s worth noting that this title was bestowed upon the hotel by its owner; officially, the hotel holds a five-star rating, as this is the maximum star rating available. Curious about the cost of a room in this ultra-luxurious hotel? Current prices can be found on the Booking website.
The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai is famous for its unique sail-shaped structure and is often considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. It is situated on an artificial island in the Persian Gulf, about 300 meters away from the mainland. The distinctive design of the building is inspired by a dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel, and was conceptualized by architect Tom Wright. Thanks to its long access bridge and location at sea, the privacy of hotel guests is impeccably protected; non-guests and onlookers cannot pass beyond the access gate at the beginning of this bridge. Only guests, invitees, and individuals with reservations at the Skyview Bar on the 27th floor or at one of the hotel’s restaurants are permitted entry at the gate.
The 7 star hotel in Dubai
In 1999 konden guests voor the first time experience the extreme luxury of the hotel in one of its 202 suites, ranging from 169 to a whopping 780 square meters. Regardless of which room you’re in, you always have a panoramic view of the Persian Gulf and the Dubai skyline. No expense has been spared for the interior. Everywhere you look, you see gold leaf. In total, over 1500 square meters of 24-karat gold leaf and 25,000 square meters of marble have been used for floors, walls, and bathrooms, among other things. What’s also remarkable is that each floor has its own private butler available 24 hours a day.
According to rumors, the construction of the hotel has been so expensive that it would take 400 years of fully booked occupancy for it to be profitable. The exact amount spent on construction has never been disclosed, but it’s said to be over $650 million. A night’s stay at the Burj Al Arab hotel is therefore not cheap. Prices range from over five hundred to thousands of Dollars per night; for current prices, you can check Booking.com. Allegedly, the two royal penthouses can be booked for a whopping $30,000 and $50,000 per night! For that price, you do get a private butler available 24/7 and a chauffeur always ready to drive you around in the hotel’s Rolls Royce or Maybach.
The world’s largest atrium
The hotel’s lobby is just as impressive as the rest of the hotel. From the lobby, you can take the escalator past aquariums and water fountains to a majestic atrium that is an impressive 180 meters high. The atrium offers a breathtaking view of 27 floors, to give you an idea of how high it is. The Statue of Liberty in New York would easily fit, including its pedestal, in the Burj Al Arab’s atrium.
The Skyview Bar at 200 meters high
On the seaside of the Burj Al Arab hotel, on the 27th floor at a height of 200 meters, there is a wide horizontal section where the Skyview Bar is located. Here, you can reserve the popular afternoon high tea or enjoy a delightful cocktail in the evening. However, always remember to make a reservation, as non-hotel guests are not admitted to the Skyview Bar without one. As you would expect from a luxurious hotel like the Burj Al Arab, high tea or a cocktail at the Skyview Bar is not cheap. There is a minimum spend per person of 80 US Dollar; for this amount, you can enjoy two cheaper cocktails or one more expensive cocktail.
Beside to the Skyview Bar, you can also dine or have a drink in one of the many restaurants in the hotel. One popular restaurant is the Al Muntaha, literally translated as “the highest”, which, like the Skyview Bar, is 200 meters above the Persian Gulf and offers a stunning view of the coast of Dubai and the city itself. Another restaurant, the Al Mahara, which is reached via a simulated underwater journey, features a large deep-sea aquarium containing more than one million liters of water.
The costs for a room in the Burj Al Arab
According to rumors, the construction of the hotel turned out to be so expensive that the hotel would need to be fully booked for 400 years to be profitable. The exact amount spent on construction has never been disclosed, but it is rumored to be over 650 million dollars. Staying a night at the Burj Al Arab hotel is therefore not cheap.
The prices for an overnight stay at the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel range from over five hundred euros for the cheapest room to tens of thousands of dollars per night for the luxury suites. For current prices, you can check Booking.com. Allegedly, the two royal penthouses and the presidential suite can be booked for roughly 30,000 to 50,000 dollars per night! For that price, you do get a private butler at your service 24 hours a day, as well as a chauffeur always ready to drive you around in the hotel’s Rolls Royce or Maybach. If you’re interested in booking a night at the Burj Al Arab hotel, you can reserve a room by Booking.com.
Can I visit the Burj al Arab in Dubai?
If you haven’t booked a hotel room, it’s quite challenging to gain free access to the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai to admire its magnificent interior. However, there are several options available for visiting the Burj Al Arab for a fee. You can book a guided tour of the hotel or reserve a high tea or Afternoon Sky Tea in one of its restaurants. Alternatively, you can book lunch or dinner at the Burj Al Arab hotel. Below, we’ve listed the various options for you.
Please note that neat clothing is required when visiting the Burj Al Arab. Shorts, bare shoulders for men, and flip-flops are generally not accepted. Refer to this page for more information on the general dress code guidelines in Dubai.
Tour Inside Burj Al Arab
The most budget-friendly way to catch a glimpse of the luxury interior of the hotel is through the Inside Burj Al Arab tour. During this exclusive tour of the Burj Al Arab hotel, you’ll have the opportunity to admire the beautiful atrium of the hotel, explore its luxurious interior, take a peek at the expansive Royal Suite on the 25th floor, and enjoy breathtaking views of Dubai’s skyline, the Dubai Marina, and Dubai’s beaches.
Additionally, you’ll have access to a special section of the Burj Al Arab, where you can relive the history and construction of the hotel through interactive screens. At the end of the tour, if you opt for it, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a 24-karat gold cappuccino at the UMA Outdoor Cafe on the ground floor. For more information about this exclusive tour of the luxury hotel, please visit our Inside Burj Al Arab page.
As expected with the Burj Al Arab, the exclusive tour of the hotel comes with a hefty price tag, but fortunately, the price is considerably lower than staying in the luxury hotel itself. Moreover, there is an option to enhance the tour with a beverage or even a 24-karat gold cappuccino at the UMA Outdoor Cafe.
Ticket prices Burj Al Arab tour
Adults and children aged 13 and above: $68 USD per person
Children aged 4 to 12 years: $27 USD per person
Children under 4 years old can join the tour for free when accompanied by a paying adult. For the Inside Burj Al Arab tour, you have the option to choose from a morning tour available between 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, an afternoon tour available between 12:15 PM to 3:15 PM, a sunset tour available between 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM, and an evening tour available between 5:45 PM to 8:30 PM.
Click here to book your Inside Burj Al Arab tickets
Book a High Tea or dinner at the Burj Al Arab
Another way to experience the Burj Al Arab hotel from the inside is by booking a high tea or afternoon tea, or a dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel. It is also possible to book a lunch in the luxury hotel, which you can read more about on our page ‘Lunch and Dining in the Burj Al Arab.’
A High Tea at the Burj Al Arab hotel is often fully booked weeks or even months in advance. Therefore, it is wise to reserve your high tea at the Burj Al Arab in advance to avoid disappointment. Our partner Viator offers you the opportunity to reserve the high tea at the Burj Al Arab hotel online via the Viator website. You can easily and securely pay for the high tea using iDeal, PayPal, or credit card. It is also possible to book a dinner at the Burj Al Arab; more information about this can be found on our ‘Lunch and Dinner in the Burj Al Arab page.
For more information about the different high teas at the Burj Al Arab, please visit our special page ‘High Tea & Afternoon Tea in the Burj Al Arab.
Photographing the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
If you want to capture beautiful photos of the Burj Al Arab, unfortunately, there are not many public places where you can photograph it well. The beaches to the left and right of the hotel are private beaches of the hotels in Madinat Jumeirah, including the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the adjacent Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel. The Umm Suqeim Park beach was a good location in the past, but due to the construction of the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel, the view of the Burj Al Arab is now largely blocked.
You can take photos of the Burj Al Arab from the gate of the hotel; if you stand in the middle of the road with a zoom lens, you can capture photos of the Burj Al Arab without the fence or many distracting elements in your picture. If you’re taking the Inside Burj Al Arab tour, the guide briefly stops halfway across the bridge to the hotel, allowing you to take stunning photos of the hotel from there.
Another location to photograph the Burj Al Arab well is from the beach of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel or the Madinat Jumeirah complex. Please note that both are private beaches accessible only to guests of the hotels within the complex. From the Madinat Jumeirah complex, you can also capture great photos of the Burj Al Arab along with palm trees and the beautiful Arabian architecture of the shopping center. If you want to photograph the iconic hotel from the side, you can use the pier of the Pierchic restaurant.
Burj Al Arab Terrace
Would you like to luxuriate in the sun in Dubai and be attended to all day by a butler? You can do that now at the Burj Al Arab Terrace, an extension of the ultra-luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel. This remarkable platform is also accessible to non-hotel guests, allowing you to indulge in a full day of five-star luxury under the sun and by the sea.
The extension of the Burj Al Arab includes a 100-meter deck at the back of the striking hotel. The deck is constructed on pillars placed in the seabed, giving the impression that the entire deck is floating above the Persian Gulf. On this platform, you’ll find a regular pool measuring 612 square meters, along with an infinity pool of 828 square meters filled with saltwater and featuring a pool bar. Surrounding the pools are four jacuzzis, 32 ultra-luxurious cabanas complete with butler service and air conditioning, a large sun deck with 126 sun loungers, and the Scape restaurant inclusive of a bar.
“Rent a luxury cabana at the Burj Al Arab.”
At the Burj Al Arab Terrace, you’ll find 32 luxury cabanas. These cabanas, resembling luxurious beach houses, are equipped with air conditioning and offer beautiful views of Palm Jumeirah, the Persian Gulf, and Dubai’s impressive skyline.
In total, there are 24 luxury cabanas and 8 ultra-luxurious Royal Cabanas. All cabanas feature air conditioning and can accommodate up to four people. Additionally, the luxury beach houses come with a private minibar stocked with premium wines and soft drinks, fresh fruit, an espresso machine, Bang & Olufsen TV with seating area, and deluxe sun loungers. The standard cabanas measure 18 square meters, while the Royal Cabanas are a spacious 75 square meters and include a private bathroom with shower and veranda.
Luxury Cabana:
-18 square meter beach house by the pool
-Butler service for all cabana guests
-Special cabana menu available from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
-Minibar stocked with various international wines
-Fresh fruit basket
-Complimentary coffee and tea
-Cabana spa menu
Royal Cabana:
-75 square meter beach house by the pool
-Butler service for all cabana guests
-Special cabana menu available from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
-Minibar stocked with various international wines
-Fresh fruit basket
-Complimentary luxury Burj Al Arab slippers
-Complimentary luxury Burj Al Arab beach towels
What is the price of renting a cabana?
Normally, the Burj Al Arab is only accessible to non-guests if they book a high tea, have an invitation from a hotel guest, or have a reservation at one of the restaurants for dinner or lunch. With the introduction of the Burj Al Arab Terrace, there is an additional option for non-guests to visit, though it comes at a cost!
Prices start at 2000 dirhams for the rental of a cabana for one day, which is circa 544 US Dollar. The price is slightly higher on weekends. Below is the complete overview of the prices for cabanas and Royal Cabanas. The Royal Cabanas are larger and more luxurious than standard cabanas. Cabanas are booked per day from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Reservations can be made via email at BAAReservations@jumeirah.com or by visiting the Jumeirah website for more information.
If you are a guest of the Burj Al Arab, you can visit the Burj Al Arab Terrace without an additional charge and receive a 50% discount on the rental of a cabana or Royal Cabana.
Luxury Cabana
Daily, 2,000 AED (600 AED Credit on F&B) for 2 guests (about 544 US Dollar, 163 US Dollar credit on F&B)
Royal Cabana
Daily, AED 7,000 for up to six people (about 1906 US Dollar),with AED 1,500 F&B credit included (about 408 US Dollar)
The prices mentioned above may be subject to change due to price adjustments and fluctuations in the dirham exchange rate against the euro. For the most current prices, please refer to the Burj Al Arab website.
