Palm Jumeirah
The world’s largest man-made island! A complete revelation, the renowned largest man-made island in the world, the Palm Jumeirah is one of Dubai’s proudest developments. There was so much hype about its construction that in 2002 when opened for sale, 4000 villas sold in the first 72 hours. Many celebrities including the Beckhams, Robert De Niro and Michael Schumacher were some of the first owners of the private properties. The construction of this 7-square kilometres island began in June 2001 and the handover of the first residential units was announced by the developers in 2006.
The Palm doubled Dubai’s shoreline extending it 6,5 kilometers into the Arabian Gulf. Interestingly, the island is sinking at 5 millimetres per year. Many of Dubai’s top 5-star hotels are located on the Palm. Walldorf Astoria, the One and Only and Sofitel to mention a few are some of the best high-end hotels in the world. It must be a surreal experience to stay in a luxury hotel on an artificial island.
On the HERO Signature tour, we cruise along the curve of the Palm. On the way you are able to get great views of the elaborate villas and lavish hotels. Cruising the waves with the open ocean on your right and the Palm on your left is quite unique. The views from the ocean are truly spectacular and allow you to appreciate just how incredible the Palm is. On the boat tour, we travel approximately 20-50 metres from the shoreline (depending on conditions) which gives you the amazing view of the properties on the fronds of the Palm. If you are lucky, you might even spot someone famous!
Atlantis, The Palm
The very first resort on the Palm! The very distinctive Atlantis stands majestically at the top of the crescent of the Palm. It was the first resort to open its doors on the Palm in 2008 and since then, it has welcomed Dubai visitors from all over the world. With over 1500 rooms, it is one of the largest hotels in the world. It also has a number of Suites and Super Suites. There are more than 5000 people working for Atlantis with 82 different nationalities speaking 68 languages.
Even if you are not staying there, Atlantis houses a few major attractions worth visiting like Aquaventure waterpark and the Lost Chambers Aquarium. Ambassador lagoon in the aquarium holds 11 million litres of water and is home to over 65 000 marine animals and over 250 species of fish. Even though this resort is already large scale, apparently, it’s not big enough! The expansion plans are currently in the process of being built. These will include hotel and residential properties and an even bigger Aquarium.
It can get busy around Atlantis depending on what time of year you visit, and the traffic on the Palm can be a bit congested reach it. If you are keen to get a good look at Atlantis without fighting the crowds, the ocean is the best angle to view it from. On the Signature HERO Boat Tour we travel alongside the Palm and stop right outside the front of Atlantis. Here, our Guide shares interesting facts and anecdotes about the attraction and also gives you a great opportunity to get epic photographs with Atlantis in the background.
Logo Island
The parking spot of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s private yacht named Dubai!
The Logo Islands are two identical man-made islands built out of 4.9 million cubic feet of sand in the shape of a palm leaf. The islands are located between the Palm, Jumeirah and Al Sufouh beach. The design resembles the logo of the Dubai Palm developers, Emaar Development which is how it got its name.
Owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, his yacht is usually parked behind the island. The yacht is very aptly named ‘Dubai’ and is 162 meters long, 3rd largest private yacht in the world. You are able to get a real sense of the great size of this vessel from the back of the nippy 3,6m long HERO boats. At our Logo Island stop, you can get a good view of the island. This is also the first point where you will be able to spot the silhouette of Atlantis in the distance.
Burj Al Arab
The most luxurious hotel in the world! London has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower and while Dubai has several famous buildings, Burj Al Arab is certainly one of the most iconic! Known as the only 7-star hotel in the world, this lavish masterpiece is truly impressive. The best way to view this magnificent hotel is from the ocean!
The sail-shaped structure was inspired by the sail of the traditional fishing boats, dhows. Standing at 321m tall with 60 floors, Burj Al Arab is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower. With such a modern-look, it’s hard to believe that Burj Al Arab opened in December 1999 and is actually one of the older skyscrapers in Dubai.
Along the beach nearby Burj Al Arab, you can also see Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Mina Al Salam, Mina Al Naseem and Al Qasr which are also owned and managed by the Jumeirah Group. This group has 10 of the best hotels in Dubai with 11 other hotels internationally including London, Shanghai, Maldives and Frankfurt.
The Jumeirah Group is owned by the ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who also started companies like Emirates Airlines and DP World.
As expected, Burj Al Arab attracts many celebrities and high-profile individuals from around the world. There is restricted access to the hotel and it’s not easy to get up close due to the privacy of the guests. On the HERO Signature Boat Tour and HERO Sunset Boat Tour, we are lucky enough to get near the edge of Burj Al Arab. This means that our HERO Captains get possibly the best Burj Al Arab photo opportunities in Dubai. For all it’s beauty, it not surprising that tourists love to get their photo in this spot. A Burj Al Arab photo with you driving your own boat in the foreground is even more iconic!