The Address, Dubai

Through the magic of timed posting, we're actually on vacation now. Not in Dubai though. At least, not at this moment. And while we stayed at this luxurious hotel while return from our Christmas trip home, our wallets can't handle any more stays here.

What hotel is it? It's The Address Downtown Dubai. It's next door to the Dubai Mall which is NOT the mall with the ski slope. However, it does have a lot of other things that I took pictures of and will share with you later.


The address has an infinity pool circling most of the deck and overlooking the man-made lagoon below and the Burj Khalifa. The Burj is the tallest building in the world and really is super tall. When we had drinks at The Address's 65th floor bar, we still had to crane our necks to see the top of the famous skyscraper which is nearly 3000 feet tall (aka 160 floors). The lagoon is decorated with a fountain that plays music every 30 minutes in the evening. It reminded us of the fountains at the Bellagio...except bigger since everything in Dubai has to apparently be more over-the-top than anything else ever anywhere.

Dubai, but real quick

Dubai has a reputation for glitz and glamour. Sure, it reminds me a bit of Vegas - Sin City with much less sin (or perhaps it's just further underground) but despite all the skyscrapers and neon lights, you can't forget that you're still in the Muslim world. A blend of old and new that some tourists seem to forever every now and then.

This was our second trip to Dubai and a really brief one on our way into Kabul. After a 13 hour flight, we climbed off the plane with our thousands of pounds of luggage (not really but it definitely felt like that) and went straight to the airport desk of the JW Marriott. Since it's summer and REALLY FREAKING HOT in Dubai, we got an awesome rate to stay at the JW. When the car included in our stay (perk 1) pulled up, the driver handed us washclothes cooled and refreshed with mint (perk 2) for the ride. It was past 9pm but still pretty hot so we needed it. They kind of had a weird check-in structure though. The downstairs desk sent us up to the third floor for check-in, even though there wasn't anyone in line in front of us. Makes sense if we'd been "elite" members swept upstairs but that really wasn't the case. In any event, no complaints here. Our late check in time meant that our cheap-o room was sold-out and that the JW was FORCED to upgrade us to the executive suite (perk 3)! Not the nicest I've ever seen (if I wanted to be a snob about it, I'd say that the furniture seemed a bit dated) but nevertheless, one of the nicest we've ever stayed in - there was a full living/dining room and two bathrooms with an amazing shower. And yes, the picture on the top was from our hotel room. A sticky on the desk advised praying Muslims of the direction towards Mecca and how to hear the Holy Quran. Pretty helpful, I imagine.

The hotel was gigantic and pretty much all we saw of Dubai on this trip. This really pretty atrium was actually inside the Marriott. There didn't seem to be much else in the neighborhood though so we might be another hotel with more "walking around" sights next time but man, this was a good night's sleep after a long plane trip.