Fashionable Retreats

- Dominic Ellis

I don’t know where to look on entering the first Bulgari resort in the Middle East. In the space where most hotels would have car parks is a luxurious marina and as I’m sweeping round in a buggy for the launch press conference.

Even by UAE standards, this is some property, where luxury starts at the entry level Superior rooms (AED 3,500/₹61,057 a night) and keeps rising. I thought the four flagship Bulgari suites on the end of each corridor, each spanning 120 sqm, couldn’t be eclipsed (AED 9,000/₹1,57,005 a night) but that’s before I stepped into the 20 villas with their vast lounges, abundant light and terrace pools – one of which covers a mind-boggling 540 sqm and can host up to 100 people. You’re looking at AED 22,000/₹3,83,791 a night for a stay in the villas although if you want a luxury-budget option (if such a thing exists) you can rent out the cabanas for AED 2,000/₹34,890 a day.

Walking through the grounds, enjoying the pleasant temperature and lush landscaping, I could have been in any high class Indian Ocean resort. Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin gushed that it will be the “third landmark” in Dubai after Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab and whether you agree or not, it’s certainly distinctive with classy Italian residential furnishings and vintage celebrity photos.