Atlantis The Royal Dubai

The unequivocal statement of fact, spelled out in all caps for just a touch more emphasis, is the first thing to catch your eye when you visit the website of Atlantis The Royal. It says: THIS IS THE MOST ULTRA-LUXURY EXPERIENTIAL RESORT IN THE WORLD. And, having attended its much publicised ‘The Grand Reveal’ weekend, it would be as foolish as it is impossible to argue to the contrary.

Sister property Atlantis, The Palm has its own claim to luxury, backed up by stellar restaurants and eyepopping suites, yet there’s always been something of a disconnect between its offering and the overall experience, as though its mass appeal has hindered its more niche attractions, from which true luxury stems.

Atlantis The Royal immediately feels very different, operating on a whole other level of luxury which, of course, is the very reason it was built. But what a job they have done building it.

The architecture firm behind it, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), who also have the likes of New York’s Hudson Yards and six of the world’s 12 tallest towers on their list of achievements, has created a jawdropping property in the form of a stack of individual blocks, comprising six towers linked by a Sky Bridge and topped by Cloud 22, the most extravagant entertainment spot in a city of extravagance. It is simply stunning; cloud-skimming duplex cabanas replete with plunge pools, a swim up-bar and head-shaped DJ booth, and the kind of endless ocean views that stir the soul.

That feeling of swimming in the sky abounds at the resort, with 44 Suites and Signature Penthouses offering infinity pools, their terraces shaded in the style of Mozarabic courtyards to extend into summer the time guests can comfortably enjoy the outdoors.

Those spectacular Signature Penthouses number six in total and include the one-of-a-kind Royal Mansion, a split-level suite over the 18th and 19th floors with a 10-seater sunken majlis, swimming pool, library, bar, and an outdoor kitchen. It’s accessed by a private elevator and houses four bedrooms.

Yet there is a touch of the spectacular at almost every turn, huge ambition thrillingly realised. It begins in the extravagantly proportioned lobby, where a gleaming, water-inspired sculpture stands at over 11 metres tall, facing out to sea. Elsewhere, performance fountain Skyblaze fuses spurts of water with bursts of fire, a first for the Middle East, while Heston Blumenthal’s inaugural cocktail bar, Resonance by Heston Blumenthal, houses a remarkable aquarium, filled with 4,000 moon jellyfish. Blumenthal is one of a handful of the world’s finest chefs handpicked to open restaurants at the resort (in addition to his world-first cocktail bar, he’s also brought in Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the holder of two Michelin stars). Stealing the headlines is Nobu’s first ever beachside restaurant, Nobu By The Beach, where the small-plate, brunch style dishes we enjoyed at its opening were exceptional – the square of wagyu sando almost impossibly tender, the slithers of raw fish always magnificently flavoured. Nobu’s dishes are influenced by Peruvian flavours (he lived in the country for over 40 years) and the most authentic Peruvian recipes at the resort are offered by Gastón Acurio at La Mar, a fixture of the world’s best chefs lists. And while Costas Spiliadis debuts in Dubai with an outpost of his richly acclaimed, high-end Hellenic restaurant Estiatorio Milos, and Ariana Bundy opens her first, hotly anticipated restaurant, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, it’s the arrival of José Andrés’ Jaleo to these shores which excites us most. We spent two hours in his warm company over lunch, during which time we tried a wide selection of his signature dishes. Dubai does a lot of cuisines extremely well, but Spanish isn’t yet one of them. Jaleo will change this. It is outstanding, marrying the traditional to the modern with an unmatched panache, one element of which, the liquid olive, stems from Andrés’ time with Ferran Adrià at the almost mythical El Bulli. We may have been made to wait for the opening of Atlantis The Royal, but in no time at all it will proudly live up to that claim on its website.