When people feel like their lives are going through a quarter-life crisis instead of a joyous silver jubilee, they set out in search of perspective or perhaps take on a marathon — doing things they feel they should have done before completing two and a half decades on earth. We took a slightly different approach and visited an engineering marvel that also turned 25 this year — Palm Jumeirah.
The View at The Palm, located on the 52nd and 54th floors of The Palm Tower above Nakheel Mall, we learnt how the world-famous man-made island came to be — from the conceptualisation of its iconic palm-tree shape to its construction using reclaimed land in the Arabian Gulf and its transformation into a global landmark visible from space with the naked eye. The curated walk-through, with audio-visual rooms, an interactive gallery and museum, eventually led us out onto a completely open-air deck with panoramic views.
The glass walls, here, tilt outwards, creating sections where you can step right up to the edge, look straight down through the glass beneath your feet and feel as though you are leaning out over the island 240 metres below. We needed to do this to see how the island and the life on it weren’t built in a day and are still constantly being developed.
Perhaps our own lives are much the same — they change, evolve, take us through their ups and downs and yet we keep building the best we can.
It was a fitting way to begin a trip that seemed to have a luxury answer to every mood. We held on to the view a little longer over a slow lunch at Sushisamba, on the 51st floor of The Palm Tower, one floor below the main observation deck, pairing Savoury Miso Soup, Peruvian Corn Salad, Maki Rolls, Assorted Mochi and Seasonal Sorbets with the city spread out below us.
By sunset, the mood had changed. Clad in a dress channelling mid-20th-century New York, we stepped into Carbone, the high-end, retro-style Italian-American restaurant by Mario Carbone, in the lobby of our hotel, Atlantis, The Royal. Tomato Caprese Salad, Spicy Rigatoni and a slice of Black Forest Cake with berry compôte kicked off the evening before we stepped out to catch Skyblaze Fountain — the Middle East’s first permanent fire-and-water performance fountain.
If the afternoon had been about slowing down, the evening was unapologetically about celebrating. The following day called for something different altogether: being taken care of.
At Zabeel Saray’s Talise Ottoman Spa, a traditional hammam beneath an ornate ceiling was our calling and we took it with both hands. The treatment was followed by time in the thalassotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, experiential showers, jacuzzi and heated marble chairs — culminating in the snow room.
By the time we reached lunch at Al Beiruti Café DIFC for Falafel Rolls, Za’Atar Manakish, Hummus, Pita, Strawberry Juice and Fattoush Salad, even our bodies seemed to have slowed down. We couldn’t quite make it back to our room at the Sunrise Tower and instead took a nap by The Royal Pool, feet dipped in the water.
Rested and recharged, the adrenaline took over! We found ourselves at No Grip DXB, where the thrill came not from clocking the fastest linear lap but from controlled sliding and drifting across differently levelled tracks. After joyous squeals, unintended car bumps and drifting around every cor ner, we quickly changed into dresses and heels and headed out for Saturday night.
At the new J1 Beach area, Gigi Rigolatto brings the allure of Italian living to Dubai’s shores with a lush garden, private pool, Bellini bar and a concept store. It was girls’ night, golden hour and a tower of stacked Pistachio Gelato alongside Hand-Cut Fries and Gnocchi.
But where’s the fun when things go according to plan? As we were leaving the Burj Khalifa sparkled in the distance and, suddenly, we were on our way to get a closer look.
At 11 pm, the fountain area was buzzing with tourists as though it were the middle of the day. It was surprising to see so many people out at the peak of summer and even more so at that hour. We stayed for the laser and music fountain show, explored the small exhibits, grabbed some Baklava and finally crashed at 1 am, with our second day having clearly instilled a new energy in us.
Day 3 was about striking a few long-standing wishes off the list. First was the Museum of the Future, which asks visitors to imagine what the world could look like in the next 50 years rather than displaying artefacts from the past.
The journey begins with a simulated rocket launch to a futuristic space station set in 2071, before moving through The Heal Institute, an interactive digital recreation of a tropical ecosystem exploring biodiversity and ways of repairing the planet; and Al Waha (The Oasis), a sensory zone designed around human well-being and disconnecting from technology.
Lunch at Sohum Wellness Café was an unexpected treat. We tucked into a Bean Burger with Potato Wedges — brioche bun, smashed avocado, bean patty, tomato, red onion and Chinese cabbage — alongside ceremonial-grade Hot Cacao infused with rose and cinnamon. It was the perfect illusion of eating junk food while knowing everything on the plate was anything but, while also being exactly the fuel we needed for the long day ahead.
We then wandered through the nooks and crannies of Al Seef, petting neighbourhood cats, learning to identify saffron, picking up souvenirs, exploring spice stores and old architecture and sampling oud before taking a few quiet moments by Dubai Creek, watching the famous abras ferry people across the water.
From something old, we moved towards something new. We went hopping from store to gallery at Alserkal Avenue, discovering the creative district one detour at a time. At Efie Gallery, even the speakeasy-style vinyl room added to the feeling that art here is not confined to white walls.
Set within Al Quoz’s industrial landscape, the district has transformed old warehouses into contemporary art galleries, design spaces and creative community hubs — with specialty coffee shops, artisanal roasters and concept cafés sitting alongside them. Stores selling artisanal contemporary jewellery, clothing and homeware offered more reasons to pause, while UrArtU Gallery — a radical, highly aesthetic flower shop — made even flowers feel like part of the art trail. We ended the night at Girl & the Goose with comforting tacos and Corn Ribs.
Monday mornings are usually about catching up with work and getting things done, but for us it was about interacting with a lemur. That’s right. We stopped by The Green Planet Dubai and got up close with species including lemurs, cotton-top tamarins, sloths, flying foxes and blue-and gold macaws, alongside creatures such as the Burmese pythons. We later grabbed lunch at a charming, heritage-style restaurant located right on the edge of the historic Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood in Dubai — The Arabian Tea House near Al Seef
Our final day was deliberately unrushed. After spending the trip chasing views, drifting around cor ners, wandering through old neighbourhoods and staying out far later than planned, we let Atlantis, The Royal have our attention.
Beyond its retsurants and the beach, there was Aquaventure World, the Lost World Aquarium, Awaken Fitness and Nobu By The Beach (one of the the world's first pool & beach club) to explore before it was finally time to pack. Yet it was our Palmscape King room that made the goodbye harder. With its private balcony overlooking Palm Island and the Dubai skyline, plush king bed, walk-in wardrobe and dressing area and marble bathroom with a walk-in shower and standalone bathtub — it was a little retreat of its own.
The view, in particular, was one we knew we would miss — not least because we had spent the trip looking for it from everywhere else. And perhaps that was the real indulgence of Dubai: not simply having somewhere spectacular to go, but having the freedom to decide what you wanted the day to feel like.
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