| The Emirates Palace Hotel near the Breakwater in | | | | apart from the construction costs, are staggering. For |
| Abu Dhabi must take the prize for sheer opulence | | | | example, can you imagine a hotel with 102 elevators |
| and indulgence. This iconic landmark owned by the | | | | with a carrying capacity of 55 people each, as well as |
| government was built at a world shattering cost of | | | | eight escalators? Then there are the 128 kitchens to |
| $US 3 billion. | | | | service the endless restaurants whose function is to |
| According to the advertising blurb, once you pass | | | | tantalize the palate with treats such as gold-drizzled |
| through the magnificent gates, you enter a 'serene | | | | chocolate. Believe it or not, five kilograms of edible |
| paradise' sitting in 1000 hectares of gardens on a 1.3 | | | | gold is used every year in the hotel's special desserts. |
| kilometer-long private beach. It is the only 7 Star | | | | The lists of excesses goes on and on. |
| hotel in the world apart from Dubai's Burj Al Arab, | | | | The Palace Hotel is a feast for the senses and |
| combining Arabian splendor and 21st century | | | | certainly worth a visit, even if you can't afford a |
| technology providing facilities fit for a sultan, pasha or | | | | room, or a meal, or a glass of champagne. |
| sheikh. | | | | Instead, have a cup of tea or coffee, stroll around |
| The Palace atrium has not only the largest dome in | | | | the grounds and the atrium or spend time in one of |
| the world, but with a covering of 22-carat gold, it is | | | | the numerous bathrooms just to get a taste of all |
| the greatest gilded expanse ever constructed. The | | | | that luxury. Also, you can check out the photos and |
| interior has 6000 square meters of gold leaf and the | | | | models on display in the hotel for a future |
| atrium sparkles and glistens with it, as well as with | | | | Guggenheim Museum, a satellite of the Louvre, a |
| magnificent crystal chandeliers and thirteen different | | | | maritime museum and a performing arts centre to be |
| colored marbles. These reflect the colors of the | | | | built on Saadiyat Island. |
| desert at different times of the day. Even the | | | | Unlike the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, there is no fee or |
| bathrooms are like miniature palaces. | | | | booking necessary or just looking around. |
| Like so many constructions in the UAE, the statistics, | | | | |