If you’re not familiar, the Burj Al Arab is the iconic sailboat building in Dubai and has been named “the world’s only 7-star hotel”. You can only get on to the property if you have a room reservation ($2,000+) or a dining reservation of some kind. Compared to the nightly room rate, $168 for a few hours of afternoon tea doesn’t seem so bad (ok it’s ridiculously expensive, but still…).
The lobby itself is pretty extravagant and worth an admire:
We arrived pretty early, so the restaurant was pretty empty at the time, and it’s safe to say that we got one of the best tables in the house with an incredible view of downtown Dubai (including the Burj Khalifa).
Afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab costs 560AED (~150USD) per person, and is served in seven courses. With that you receive unlimited coffee, tea, scones, finger sandwiches, pastries, etc.
As usual, service began with a glass of Louis Roederer champagne. For a cost of 260AED (~70USD) you can upgrade to a glass of Dom Perignon 2004, which definitely isn’t worth it, in my opinion. What’s funny is that the cost of an additional glass of Dom Perignon is the same as the upgrade cost from Louis Roederer to Dom Perignon. So if you really do want a glass of Dom, have a glass of the Roederer first. It’s basically “free.”
Afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab was over the top, blingy, and oh-so-Dubai. While it’s not cheap, it’s absolutely worth doing at least once if you can swing it. Obviously it’s crazy expensive, but I actually don’t think it’s a bad value when you think of how much you get for it, especially given that this is Dubai, and given that this is the world’s only (self proclaimed) seven star hotel.
