To celebrate the opening of Atlantis The Royal, we were amongst some of the world’s most recognisable faces for a three-day-long extravaganza of curated events and experiences in Dubai across its “Grand Reveal Weekend.” This was definitely a weekend to clear your diaries for and Luxuriate Life Magazine were invited.
43 floors high and spanning 406,000 square metres, Atlantis The Royal is a show-stopping project that aims to reimagine and challenge luxury. Transforming the bespoke resort vertically into a 500-metre-long, 178-metre-tall, mega structure, this architecturally unique icon is also well located on The Palm Island. This location which allows the building to have two different types of waterfront views: towards either the Arabian Gulf or the sheltered lagoon of the Palm Island and the Dubai skyline.
The Grand Opening
The weekend (20-22 January 2023) was a stellar affair full of numerous celebrities and thrilling events that were carefully curated with all-in mind. With Beyoncé headlining the event and Swedish House Mafia continuing the celebrations at the after-party, this celebratory weekend was full of incredible memories. Here are some highlights from the spectacular weekend:
Friday 20th January 2023
The weekend began with the ‘Feast of Dreams’, where we enjoyed an exclusive dining experience from the kitchens headed by iconic celebrity chefs, including Heston Blumenthal, Jose Andres and Nobu Matsuhisa. Imagine the best buffet you have ever had in your life. This really is it. This took place at Gastronomy, the buffet restaurant at Atlantis The Royal, where each of the dining outlets at the hotel showcased their finest offerings from the Meat Fruit at Dinner by Heston to the finest lobster sushi rolls at Nobu. It was a treasure trove of culinary experiences, with lashings of truffle and caviar at every turn.
Kendall Jenner at the 818 Tequila launch party
Kendall Jenner also celebrated the launch of her 818 Tequila brand in the UAE, with a star-studded event at Atlantis The Royal’s Cloud 22 Skypool. One of the curated events during Atlantis The Royal’s exclusive Grand Reveal Weekend, celebrity attendees and special guests including Amir Khan, Chanel Ayan, Ronan Keating, and Millie Mackintosh joined Kendall above the clouds.
Located on the 22nd floor and offering panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and Palm Island, Cloud 22 is set 96 meters above The Palm and spanning 90 meters in length. Cloud 22 features an endless infinity pool with swim up bar and floating beds, 14 air conditioned cabanas with private plunge pool and a two-floor cabana which comes with a private pool and floating infinity pool on the second floor.
Saturday 21st January 2023 – The Grand Reveal
THIS IS IT. The day has finally arrived.
This evening’s Red Carpet featured global A-Listers including Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne, Rebel Wilson, Ellen Pompeo Winston Dukes and Letitia Wright. Stars from around the world also gathered including Germany’s Verona Pooth, Kirsty Gallagher, Kimberley Wyatt, Mark Wright, Michelle Keegan, former Australian Masterchef judge and chef Gary Mehigan, as well as former champion boxer Amir Khan. Dubai faces Huda and Mona Kattan and Mahira Abdelaziz joined Bollywood stars Sibani Dandekar and Farhah Khan on the carpet that brought together celebrities from all over the globe. Guests walked the carpet being interviewed by the world press including Richard Arnold from Good Morning Britain. Celebrities were showcasing an array of eye-catching outfits including Beyoncè dazzling in custom Dolce and Gabbana dress and coat, with shoes from Rene Caovilla and bag from Marzook.
The Beyoncé Dubai Performance
Beyoncé’s 73 minute performance – her first live show since 2018 – opened with a stunning rendition of the Etta James’ classic, “At Last,” before she treated us to some of her biggest career-spanning hits, including “Halo” and “Crazy in love.”
With powerful vocals, high-energy choreography, and an awe-inspiring production, the global superstar was accompanied by Firdaus, a 48-person all-female orchestra, mentored by Academy Award-winning composer, A.R. Rahman. America’s Got Talent winners, The Mayyas, an all-female precision dance group from Lebanon, were also featured on stage, with stunning choreography by Fatima Robinson.
In an extraordinary finale, set against the stunning backdrop of Atlantis The Royal, Beyoncé was raised high into the air amidst one of the world’s unique performance fountains, Skyblaze. Surrounded by a field of water and fire, a powerful rendition of “Drunk in Love” closed the magnificent and awe-inspiring show with what has now become known as the Beyoncé Dubai Riff.
The epic performance was followed by a fireworks and drone extravaganza, lighting up Dubai’s newest icon, in an echo of the 2008 display that launched Atlantis The Palm to the world. As the fireworks settled, Swedish House Mafia took to the stage to perform hits, including “One” and “Don’t You Worry Child,” as we celebrated into the night with champagne.
Sunday 22nd January 2023
Sunday gave us the opportunity to fully immerse into Atlantis The Royal, with a day to relax and enjoy the resort including spa and wellness treatments, pool and beach experiences, water sports and not forgetting Aquaventure – the world’s largest waterpark. The blackout slide is a must with a two second vertical drop to start the day off.
This opening weekend ended for us with a Royal Oasis Brunch – an exclusive event at Nobu by the Beach (Nobu’s debut pool and beach club). Co-hosted by Whispering Angel and featuring special guests, this brunch was definitely fit for royalty.
The Royal Tea Room (Image courtesy of Atlantis The Royal, Website)
Culinary Experiences
With 17 restaurant and bars, the resort offers the ultimate gastronomic experiences with a wide selection of dining options for guests to enjoy. Gastronomy and The Royal Tea room are ideal for more casual dining whilst for more speciality dining, headed by industry icons, you can enjoy signature dining experiences from Gaston Acurio, Ariana Bundy and Costas Spiliadis to name a few. There’s something for everyone’s preference and to further explore and go on a culinary adventure to tantalise your palate. Look out for an exclusive feature on this soon.
Cloud 22 (Image courtesy of Atlantis The Royal, Website)
In a nutshell
The grand opening weekend is only the beginning of the Atlantis The Royal. Eight years in the making, Atlantis The Royal has been specifically designed to challenge the boundaries of imagination and reshape what ultra-luxury travel means.
Tim Kelly, Managing Director of Atlantis Dubai says “This is it. Our moment is finally here to reveal Atlantis The Royal as the world’s most ultra-luxury entertainment resort. Openings of resorts like this one only come around once or twice in a decade, and we can’t wait to share it with the world. This is a resort like no other and the building itself will become an instantly recognisable icon of the Dubai skyline. We are excited to begin welcoming guests and treat them to an experience they’ll never forget.”
Reservations are now open for stays from February 2023 onwards.
To discover more, visit: atlantistheroyal.com
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All imagery courtesy of Atlantis The Royal unless stated otherwise.