Afternoon Tea At The 7* Burj Al Arab, Dubai

 The Burj Al Arab is without doubt the worlds most luxurious and iconic hotel, with no less then 7 stars to attribute to its name. The hotel rises from the Arabian Gulf on a man made island, just metres away from the shores of the stunning Jumeirah beach. The shire brilliance behind masterminding and creating the Burj Al Arab which stands majestically at 321 metres, imposing itself on the Dubai coastline is something remarkable that you can get accustomed to in such a cosmopolitan city such as Dubai.

The Burj Al Arab stunningly executes an unforgettable entire hotel experience for its guests, with the magic beginning even before you step foot in the hotel. The Burj Al Arab has the world's largest chauffeur-driven fleets of Rolls Royce's which can be hired by guests to transport them to the hotel. On the 28th floor of the hotel is the helicopter pad, where guests can take advantage of the hotel's dedicated helicopter transfer service. The Burj Al Arab has a told of 202 duplex suites across 27 floors which are comprised of a range of different suits each with their own individual charm. The very essence of luxury is indoctrinated into every suite, I have picked out a few facilities that I find particularly desirable to share with you all! A pillow menu with a range of 13 pillows and quits to choose from, walk-in shower and Jacuzzi/Spa bath with a complimentary bath menu with music and aromatherapy associates bath oils prepared by your butler and a full range of men and ladies Hermes amenities (full size). The Burj Al Arab has numerous different restaurants guests can select from, including 'Al Mahara' which has been voted as one of the top ten hotel restaurants in the world.

In the Skyview Bar, the Burj Al Arab hold afternoon tea. The Skyview Bar is located on the 27th floor, and is 200 metres above sea level, ensuring that whilst guests enjoy their afternoon tea they are also treated to sensational views of Dubai. In light of all the above, I could not think of a more appropriate location for an afternoon tea fanatic like myself to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea on their birthday!

Kate: Alas, Chelsie and I did not arrive at the Burj Al Arab in a Rolls Royce or helicopter but the excitement, and suspense at visiting such a prestigious hotel was still overwhelming. The Burj Al Arab applies very strict security regarding entry into the hotel. Entrance is only granted if you are either staying or dinning at the hotel, so make sure to bring your booking confirmation letter. Despite having seen the Burj Al Arab, nothing quite prepares you for your first proper sight when you drive up to the front doors. Arriving at the hotel, the staff from the word go could not be more helpful, polite and genuine if they tried. Chelsie and I made sure to arrive within good time so we could appreciate the beauty that comprises the Burj Al Arab, beginning with the glorious fountain at the entrance.

The interior of the Burj Al Arab is wondrous, and really is an Arabian fantasy filled with gold and deep, rich blue. On entering you will see your first fountain, with escalators either side accompanied by an aquarium filled with tropical fish awaiting to take you to your next wonder; the hotel lobby. In the lobby you will find the 'Mezzanine' fountain which is programmed to shoot a water column up to 32 metres in the air, ensuring that your eyes follow up the gold columns to the triangular blue ceiling 180 metres away. We proceeded to the lift ready to be taken to the Skyview Bar, for our very first afternoon tea in a seven star hotel! At the entrance of the Skyview Bar you will see a replica of the Burj Al Arab made from Swarovski crystal which is very impressive.

We were shown to our table by our waitress, who warmly welcomed us to the Skyview Bar before proceeding to tell us what the afternoon tea would entail. The skyview bar is luxurious, immaculate and spacious with an undeniable ora of sophistication. I particularly liked that due to its big windows natural daylight pours into the bar, whilst presenting you with views of Dubai's hot spots including The Palm, The World's Islands and Burj Khalifa. In no time at all, our waitress returned with a warm flannel for our hands before offering us a glass of Roederer Champagne which is poured for you at your table or a non alcoholic alternative inline with muslim beliefs. I can honestly say at this stage I could not be happier to be in such a prestigious location, enjoying champagne and eagerly awaiting our afternoon tea to begin!

The next stage of the afternoon tea was the tea selection. The Burj Al Arab offers guests an extensive variety of different teas to try, alongside providing a brief description of the tea to aid selection. Our waitress informed us, that throughout our afternoon tea we could try as many different tea's as we wanted, I thought that was a really lovely touch. Kate and I decided to first indulge in tea's within the 'Exclusive' category; I selected Superior Oolong which had a beautiful aroma and wholesome fruity taste and Kate tried Superior Gyokuru which is only harvested once a year and has a distinct taste.

As we sipped our tea's enjoying the beautiful surroundings our waitress presented us with our first course; a pallet cleanser. The pallet cleanser was fresh cream with mixed fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries) the fruits were beautifully ripe with a glorious taste, I remember thinking to myself the food tastes this good and its only the cleanser! Within a suitable timeframe our waitress returned, courteous as ever asking if we enjoyed our cleanser and for the next course would we like the chef's carvery of the day which in this case was roast beef or the vegetarian option a mozzarella salad. The food portion size was just the right amount for you to take in the delicious flavours yet still allowed plenty of room for your next course!

We were then treated to our waitress bringing us over our next course; a plate filled with delicious, delicate finger sandwiches and buns. The selection ranged from the traditional smoked salmon to the more exotic seafood vol-au-vents with prawns; we were left to enjoy these in our own time alongside being offered more if we so desired.

After enjoying arguably one to many sandwiches our waitress returned once more to offer us a freshly squeezed fruit juice of our fancy. We both selected pineapple juice which arrived promptly in perfect timing for the main body of our afternoon tea. The afternoon tea stand is shaped like the Burj Al Arab with four colourful tiers filled with delicious treats! The first tier contains little pots of Devonshire clotted cream and handmade jam's, the second tier is complete with both plain and fruit scones, the third tier the first delicious cake selection with options such as creme brûlée, shortbread and carrot cakes and the final tier continued on this theme with more extravagant desserts. Once again each tier had unlimited refills meaning you were able to sample each one, my favourite dessert although a close call was the creme brûlée.

The quality of food served throughout the afternoon tea was faultless, and every course was as good as the next. Just when I thought we had experienced everything, and there was no more treats awaiting us I was pleasantly surprised. A gentleman came by our table with a tray filled with a wide selection of delicious looking hand dipped chocolates! He pointed out which flavour each chocolate row was, and of course how could we resist? What a naughty end, to a beautiful afternoon tea!

After the chocolates we thought our afternoon tea really had finished, but being the Burj Al Arab this was not the case! Our waitress came to our table with a single red rose, and mini birthday cake complete with a candle for me. I was so touched at this gesture, it really was the perfect ending to a beautiful birthday afternoon tea.

We would heartily recommend this afternoon tea to anybody, especially for a special celebration such as a birthday! The Burj Al Arab really sets the standards for afternoon tea across the globe in every component you could think of; food quality, selections, originality, location and attentiveness of staff. We cannot wait to return again soon.

www.jumeirah.com