Palm Island Jumeirah
ATLANTIS RESORT
Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago with a shape of a palm, when seen from above, created by Nakheel. It is the only one of 3 palm islands that had been completed at the time of our visit (2014). Palm Jumeirah is the world's largest ariticial island and is filled with many luxury private villas, luxury apartments buildings, resort hotels, a water park, beaches, marinas, restaurants and a small airport. The private villas and some of the hotels are situated on the 16 fronds (palm blades), while the apartment buildings are situated along the boulevard in the middle. In the middle of the boulevard, there is an elevated, computer driven, driverless monorail train with stunning views of Dubai! In the end of this boulevard, the most famous structure of Palm Island is situated; the Atlantis resort, one of only two luxury hotels with this name, themed around the sea (the other one is on Bahamas). Surrounding the palm islands there is a crescent island with 14 themed resort hotels (like Atlantis, Fairmont, Trump, Waldorf Astoria and Kempinski). Celebrities like David Beckham and Brad Pitt own mansions on the island. Construction was started in 2001 and the first inhabitants moved there in 2006. There were a controversy about the island, since Nakheel extended the residences from 2000 to 4500, increasing the cost a lot, and there are rumours that the island is sinking.
The other two palm islands are under construction on Deira, near the shore of the old city center, and Jebel Ali, a suburb in the South. In 2014, the construction hadn't went very far. A group of islands, called The World and has the shape of a world map, is also under construction, but has been halted. |