I’ve finally started writing about Dubai.
I traveled to Dubai during this year’s Spring Festival, but I’ve only just begun to write about it in early April. Blame it on the Spring promotions from Little Pig and Little Dolphin.
Dubai is a nice place. I spent 11 days and 10 nights in the Middle East, with 7 nights on a yacht and 3 nights in Dubai; I was left wanting more. I will definitely return to Dubai; this time I only stayed at the Bulgari hotel, but next time I want to try other hotels. There are simply too many excellent hotels in Dubai to explore.
Let’s first talk about why I chose the Bulgari in Dubai.
Everyone has their own ranking of hotels in a city; for instance, I consider the top hotel in Singapore to be Capella, in Bangkok it’s MO, and for cities like Paris, Milan, and Dubai, the top choice in my mind is Bulgari. Since this was my first time in the city, I thought, why not choose the best?
How “luxurious” is the Bulgari Resort in Dubai?
Let me showcase our “checkout ceremony” at the Bulgari in Dubai.
During our stay, we received two beach bags (one with a custom name), two Bulgari shawls, one children’s luggage tag, one Bulgari snake doll, one Bulgari children’s cap, one Bulgari children’s puzzle, one Bulgari children’s art kit, and one set of Bulgari children’s toiletries…
My daughter was particularly fond of the Bulgari beach bag and shawl with her name on them.
As for me, I had my eye on the Bulgari luggage tag for my child (which later became mine).
And that’s not all; while on the yacht, they also gifted us a Bulgari fan. Upon leaving the hotel, the butler sent us two custom luggage tags along with chocolates from Bulgari’s Il Cioccolato and dishes from Richard Ginori, which is a national treasure brand from Italy.
Among the many hotels in Dubai, only Bulgari can exclusively occupy an entire island.
The Bulgari Resort Dubai is located on a seahorse-shaped artificial island called “Oasis” along Jumeirah Beach. This artificial island is connected to the city by a 300-meter-long bridge.
On the island, you’ll find Bulgari’s hotel, villas, apartments, and their yacht club.
The architecture of Bulgari Dubai is rather distinctive. Its exterior is adorned with cutout coral-like screens, and as the sunlight changes angles, light filters through the branches, creating beautiful patterns inside, making the entire building appear as if it is cloaked in a white lace gown like a goddess.
The hotel features a Bulgari boutique (selling Bulgari jewelry) and a Bulgari La Galleria concept store (selling Bulgari clothing, bags, scarves, and other iconic items).
There’s also a chocolate shop, Il Cioccolato, which specializes in handcrafted chocolate gems—one of Dubai’s local delicacies.
Furthermore, there’s a private yacht dock equipped with the Bulgari’s first yacht club (The Bulgari Yacht Club Dubai), which includes dining, drinking, and a pool, creating the illusion of being in the Mediterranean.
I’ve heard that many wealthy Emiratis stay at Bulgari Dubai, arriving not by car but by yacht, so naturally, they need “berthing spots.”
In addition, Bulgari Dubai has two Michelin-starred restaurants: the two-star Italian restaurant Il Ristorante-Niko Romito and the one-star omakase Japanese restaurant Hōseki.
A painful lesson I learned is to remember to make reservations in advance, or you definitely won’t be able to dine there. I could only visit and take photos before the restaurant opened.
So, Bulgari is totally different from the luxury hotels I’ve stayed at before; it’s like a luxury brand venturing into the hotel business, absolutely extravagant in every way!
Next comes my formal report on Bulgari Dubai.
Bulgari Dubai is situated on Jumeirah Beach, which is the resort area of Dubai, home to the MO Oriental Mandarin and Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach. In fact, the famous Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Al Naseem hotels are also found in this area.
Bulgari Dubai has a total of 121 rooms (including villas), but over 600 staff members, essentially one employee for every five rooms.
The quality of service can often be gauged by the staff-to-room ratio.
Moreover, Bulgari Dubai also has employees who speak Chinese, so communication was seamless.
During our stay, we had an 80-square-meter luxury suite, and since we were traveling with a child, they added a small bed in the living room for the little one.
The L-shaped balcony was very comfortable, offering views of Dubai’s cityscape on one side, where you can see the Burj Khalifa, and ocean views on the other.
Every morning, we could wake up slowly with the city of Dubai from our balcony.
I particularly liked the mini-bar in the room; its vintage leather appearance was striking, and the fruit and pastries were exquisite and served daily.
At night, they provided calming tea to help us sleep.
Our stay at Bulgari had a laid-back hotel atmosphere, so for three days and two nights, we didn’t leave the hotel and fully experienced Bulgari Dubai.
Bulgari Dubai boasts five restaurants, two pools, a private beach, and opportunities for yacht excursions, providing a variety of activities to enjoy.
The beach is a must-visit, as it’s exclusively for Bulgari guests. You can snorkel there, and there are some water activities with non-motorized options available for free.
The service at Bulgari Dubai was outstanding. As soon as we arrived at the beach, the butler immediately set up loungers for us and brought coconut water, regular water, and Evian moisturizing spray.
I had never encountered a hotel that provided moisturizing spray before.
There are two outdoor swimming pools, one by the beach and another at the yacht club. Bulgari places a high emphasis on guest privacy, so I could only take distant shots of both pools.
There’s also an indoor pool at the spa which was even more restricted regarding photographs, so I could only share official images.
I highly recommend trying out the yacht excursions offered by Bulgari Dubai.
Each outing lasts about two hours and no more than three, cruising around Jumeirah Bay to admire Dubai from a unique angle. You also receive a Bulgari fan as a souvenir.
As for dining, aside from the two Michelin-starred restaurants, Il Ristorante-Niko Romito and Hōseki, which I couldn’t get reservations for, I dined at the other restaurants.
Bulgari Dubai offers a wide selection for breakfast at various restaurants: Il Caffè, La Spiaggia by the beach, or at the Yacht Club.
The breakfast menu varies slightly depending on the restaurant, so it’s really about personal preference regarding the view.
All meals at Bulgari are available 24 hours a day; given that the hotel caters to guests from different countries, they might have varying time zones affecting their meal times.
At the Yacht Club, you can enjoy breakfast anytime, or you can simply have breakfast delivered to your room (at no extra charge).
Staying at Bulgari means no time restrictions, so you can get up whenever you want and eat breakfast whenever you feel like it.
Breakfast can be ordered as a set menu plus an à la carte menu, which is quite fun, as the set menus are tagged with city names.
