It’s funny how we can see something every day and yet be almost blind to it and its qualities. I mean, it’s right there in front of you, a bit like the end of your nose, and yet you rarely focus on it.
Obscured from sight, you barely register what a substantial part of your life it is, how important a role it plays, until you either lose it, think you’ll lose it, or, if you are very lucky, you get the chance to step back and take a wider look at your life.
And then all of a sudden there it is, magnificent, dazzling, new and alive again, and you see it as clearly as if you’d put on a pair of magic glasses.
Relationships can be like this, we too often take those we love for granted. The ‘every day’ of them blurs the focus, sometimes you’d don’t even see them go until it is too late. Again, if you’re very fortunate something will jolt awake, you rub your sleepy eyes and there they are, the dream that you had forgotten, right where they’d always been.
This doesn’t just cover individuals, it extends to entire cities and monumental structures. In the rush of daily life, how often do we stop and look at our surroundings? It’s almost incredible, but even a city as vibrant as Dubai can disappear into the mists of routine. That vanishing trick is so powerful that it can even make the tallest building in the world fade into the background.
For the Burj Khalifa is with us always, it’s like the Mona Lisa, it follows you almost everywhere you go in this city, but again how often do you pause to reflect on its, literally, towering presence in your life and what that represents? How often is it more than just a spike on the horizon for you?
Thankfully, this is something you can correct with an exercise in mindfulness which, somewhat fittingly for Dubai, is also steeped in luxury.
Spectacular views
Address Fountain Views, created by the developers of the Burj Khalifa – Emaar, exists to remedy that oversight with a five-star offering that gazes directly out at the world-famous spire, and as its name suggests, the spectacular fountains of Downtown Dubai.
But, as jaw-dropping as the view is (and it is and more on that later) this hotel isn’t just a one-trick pony, indeed that vista is the cherry on top of a very, very good cake.
The wow factor begins the minute you walk out of the elevator and into the lobby, faced with a huge window that stares right out of the Burj. Address Fountain Views is an elegant, sophisticated piece of hotel design, deliberately understated. It’s not gaudy or loud, which in the era of Instagram is a relief. It’s has a sense of calm about it, both in how it looks and how its crew operate.
Our room was an expansive executive suite with lounge access, 140 sq m of interior space, all thoughtfully designed, a study in crisp whites offset by cream and dark brown wood finishes. But, it is the outdoor space that is the jewel, the sprawling balcony terrace which looks directly at the full profile of the Burj Khalifa and the fountains below. Before you are seduced though by the landscape, the hotel offers more.
Fancy outdoor dining?
Two restaurants compete for your attention, and both with their outdoor spaces, offer an alfresco city view. Le Rose is the sophisticated French restaurant that opened its doors in December and is already drawing a crowd of admirers. Here charcoals and pinks blend surprisingly well to pull off an elegant interior, and the archway of roses does offer a ‘gramable’ moment (he said rolling eye just a touch).
Thankfully the menu is also a class act, with French classics such as onion soup and baked camembert, fillet mignon and duck confit (I will say the traditional apple tart was my personal favourite). It is present that is neatly wrapped up by the service, including the likeable Ukrainian manager Alex who has mastered that art of making you feel like a welcome guest rather than a paying customer.
Breakfast at The Restaurant is also a compelling affair, gazing across the crystal waters of the pool, to the city skyline beyond offers the perfect setting for ‘the most important meal of the day’.
A venue for all ages
Address Fountain Views has yet more tricks up its sleeves, including the aforementioned pools (two of them and a splash pad for youngsters). Connected via a bridge guests can stroll directly into Dubai Mall to indulge in a spot of retail therapy, or even take the opportunity to visit the 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa and At The Top. Here my daughter got her first opportunity to soak in the sheer size of Dubai’s ambition as its sprawls away into the distance.
I mention my daughter because happily, Address Fountain Views is a place where families are welcome, especially with the addition of a kids club. And while my six-year-old enjoyed playing and making arts and crafts with Asmaa (thank you Asmaa), the excellent club lounge offering beverages and snacks beckoned. The balconies and the hospitality are the perfect way for parents to spend a couple of hours reconnecting as adults.
Perhaps what is most impressive about Address Fountain Views is the service, the genuine hospitality. Take Mohammed Ramadan, the guest services agent, my daughter had forgotten her teddy (without which she can’t sleep) and I asked Mohammed if perhaps there were any promotional bears I could buy. Thirty minutes Mohammed marches into Le Rose armed with a four-foot tall husky toy, needless to say, my daughter’s smile was bigger than the Burj. Indeed, that dedication extends to the entire team run by Raj Seedeeal (sorry I couldn’t mention you all).
And so finally to that view, to the Burj Khalifa.
Mohamed Alabbar, the Emaar founder, said when the building finally opened that it was an ‘emotional building’, a building that spoke to the pride of the region and its hope and faith in the future.
Sitting on your balcony, taking time out of the world, you see this vision. You soak it up as the fountains leap into life and the world’s tallest structure explodes into light and laser shows throughout the night.
As you sit and stare, you let it hit you, just how lucky you are to be here, how fortunate you get to make your home in a land that had the ambition to create this monument to what humans can achieve if they believe hard enough.
And just like that you have hope again, for your future and that of your family. And, from then on, every time you see the Burj it will remind you to open your eyes and see everything of value in your life.
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