my daughters had told me the hotel was a favourite of kim kardashian so i thought it would be big, brash and boastful and it was but atlantis the palm   which sits at atop the world's largest artificial islands created in the shape of a palm tree   is also beautiful, and that is not what i had expected the dubai resort, which opened in 2008, was clearly designed by someone who loves the sea and tales of the lost city scroll down to watch the journalist's video  atlantis the palm was clearly designed by someone who loves the sea and tales of the lost city  every column, ceiling, painting and even door handle has been carefully crafted to remind the visitor that sea life is central to its operation the complex is big, very big ever visited the london aquarium? the atlantis has its own version inside the hotel, but with 11 million litres and 65,000 marine animals it's more than five times as large at atlantis we stayed in an executive suite, but for visitors who can't get enough of watching marine life, the underwater suites feature floor to ceiling views of the aquarium you can watch the sharks, piranhas and sea horses as you soak in your bath or even from the comfort of your bed for visitors who can't get enough of watching marine life, the underwater suites feature floor to ceiling views of the aquarium you can watch the fish as you recline in your bath or even from the comfort of your bed  the dubai resort, which opened in 2008, is a favourite of kim kardashian and her mother kris  priced at £6,000 a night these are aimed at honeymooners, however, i suspect most honeymooners will be otherwise engaged to appreciate the view but as a keen fisherman seeing all those wonderful creatures must have triggered some primeval and we dined on seafood all week deciding which restaurant to visit at atlantis the palm was never an easy decision, but with such a wide range of culinary delights it was a dilemma that we enjoyed   the only problem was remembering the location of a particular restaurant because the hotel was so vast a favourite was the hotel's award winning seafood restaurant, ossiano and as expected, the food and service was superb the restaurant has a floor to ceiling glass wall and the view of the aquarium was simply mesmerizing   conversation consisted of 'wow, look at the colours on that one' or 'i have never seen a creature like that' stevie and his wife enjoy dinner at the hotel's award winning seafood restaurant, ossiano  the hotel is a 20 minute car ride from the city centre, but to ensure that you don't feel like straying, the hotel has 21 restaurants, bars and lounges to entertain its guests during our exploration we managed to sneak a look at the 924 square metre royal bridge suite, where kim kardashian and her friends stayed in november pictured: a close up view from the table at dinner  located on top of the hotel, the three bedroom pad can be yours for around £28,000 per night   which by my rough reckoning equates to more than 30 pence per second   and a private lift takes you up the 22 floors you can eat haute cuisine on a gold leaf dining table, cooked by your own personal chef, surrounded by expensive works of art while enjoying panoramic views of the arabian gulf we spent the week living like children   we fed the stingrays, sped across the estate on a zipwire and embarked on a shark safari which saw us putting on suits and helmets and wandering around a tank with the beasts but even if we hadn't booked up for all of that, we would have been quite content with the time we spent in atlantis' own water park, aquaventure, which at 17 hectares, is dubai's largest one ride, the leap of faith, has a near vertical 27 metres drop which propelled me through an acrylic tube with sharks just inches away   a truly thrilling experience it was impressive to see the emphasis on safety   every few metres life guards were on patrol and one thousand staff are employed at the waterpark the hotel also has several conventional swimming pools for guests a minor gripe was that it didn't have one where i could simply swim lengths without knocking into less able swimmers when i decided to venture into the sea surrounding the atlantis it only took one shout of 'watch out sir, jellyfish', before my question of why no one was swimming in the sea was answered with paparazzi following not far behind, kim kardashian arrives at atlantis the palm during her stay in 2011  one ride, the leap of faith, has a near vertical 27 metres drop which propels the user through an acrylic tube with sharks just inches away   a truly thrilling experience  the view from the burj khalifa   entry costs £16 and from the viewing platform on the 124th floor you can get an idea of the scale of dubai's developing landscape  during our five day stay we only ventured out once and that was to visit the burj khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, a must see for any visitor to dubai entry costs £16 and from the viewing platform on the 124th floor you can get an idea of the scale of dubai's developing landscape it's located in the dubai mall, the world's largest shopping centre after five days in the atlantis i still felt there were parts we hadn't explored   it was tough to fit them in around the massages, eating, swimming and sunbathing hard life but i think that is where the beauty of the hotel lies   you get so lost in exploring the mini city of luxury that is presented to you, that you take some time out from the real world   and that is what holidays are all about aren't they? a stay at the atlantis palm (wwwatlantisthepalmcom) starts from £364 per night based on two adults and two children sharing a palm beach deluxe room includes unlimited access to aquaventure waterpark, with new record breaking rides and slides and unlimited access to the underwater world of the lost chambers aquarium, home to 65,000 marine animals
dubai 11 million litres palm atlantis
atlantis the palm sits atop the world's largest artificial islands  the dubai resort designed with tales of the lost city in mind  it boasts an aquarium with 11 million litres of water and 65,000 creatures 