Burj Al Arab Jumeirah

The Burj Al Arab serves afternoon tea at Sahn Eddar, at the foot of the tallest hotel atrium in the world, and at the Skyview Bar two hundred metres up: the most spectacular four o’clock in the guide.

The sail-shaped hotel on its own island off Jumeirah Beach opened in 1999 and has defined Dubai luxury ever since: a gold-leafed atrium 180 metres high, a fountain that dances every half hour, butlers on every floor. Afternoon tea at Sahn Eddar, the lounge at the base of the atrium, is the way most visitors see the inside of the hotel: seven courses from savoury to scones to a pastry tier with gold leaf, Arabic sweets and a choice of teas, served under the enormous coloured columns.

The Skyview Bar at the top does the same tea with the Gulf and the Palm below; both need a reservation, which is also the entry ticket to the hotel. The pastry follows the French school with Gulf flavours: dates, saffron, rose, pistachio, and the camel milk chocolate of the city.