Breakfast at the Burj Al Arab

You probably have heard or seen pictures of this hotel located in Dubai. The Burj Al Arab claims to be the first 7 star hotel in the world. There is no such classification; they created it for their hotel.

Recently I spent a few days in Dubai on my way to India. I love architecture and decoration and this hotel is a landmark in Dubai; I had to see it. My research indicated that in order to go to the hotel I needed to have a reservation in one of the bars or restaurants. You need to show the reservation at the gate in order to enter.

I read all the menus and I decided that breakfast was my best option, because my time was limited. I was not sure what to expect, at least the Ritz Carlton service, I thought.

The building has a gorgeous exterior and it looks absolutely beautiful against the clear sky and the pristine beach of this part of Dubai (Jumeira Beach). Its unique shape is truly impressive. It can be seen from a lot of places in Dubai and it is worth taking a close look, if not going to the hotel a good spot to see it is the Madinat Jumeirah mall posing as a traditional shouk (market) next door.

As I arrived I was asked for my confirmation number. As I entered the building I was offered dates after we were greeted. I read that at the time I take the escalator to go to the café I will have the WOW moment. It is a very interesting building inside, very ornate, a lot of attention to detail, it has aquariums on the walls going to the second floor and once you reach the second floor you can see the grand atrium. It is magnificent, but I did not have a big WOW, although unique, it reminded me of Vegas.

My breakfast was good, service was good, everything was good. Excellent and memorable… not really. Dirty dishes lingered on my table, I asked for more juice and it only came at the end when I asked again and the coffee we requested at the beginning of the meal came at the end. I have gotten better service at many other places. My favorite parts were the bathroom that offered Hermes hand cream and of course the view. The cafeteria overlooks the wonderful beach and a small part of the turquoise sea.

I have no doubt that the hotel offered great accommodations and good service. I saw one of the restaurants; the decoration was interesting (like a theme restaurant) and probably the food is good, my experience is only mine, there are a lot of people saying good things about the Burj. I will not give seven stars to the breakfast; not even four and half.

In the Delhi airport I saw a shopping bag from this hotel it said “Burj Al Arab, the worlds most luxurious hotel.” It probably is, because not only it has a lot of gold leaves, but also it only has big suites, not a combination of rooms at different prices as other hotels do.

The breakfast has a fixed price of about US$55.00 per person. It includes: a cute tray with yogurt, muesli, a little bit of fruits, two bite side bagels, one with smoked salmon, the other with turkey, tiny pastries, toasts, tea or any type of coffee, fresh juice and a main entrée: I had eggs. It is plenty of food, it is nicely presented and it tasted good. Was it worthy? That is relative, the breakfast for me was OK, I wanted to see the hotel and I am pleased. Do I think this was the best breakfast ever? No, it was a nice breakfast not a feast.


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Dior Insider Auctions

I finally signed up for the Dior insider auctions. I think this is a very cool idea, basically you are registered at Dior and then you can participate in auctions for special packages such as:

Cherie Diva.
2 round trip business class tickets to Paris
2 night of at a very expensive hotel
Lunch at Laduree (my favorite patisserie in Paris)
An afternoon tour of Paris and a visit to the Dior offices
Dinner at an expensive restaurant
A surprise gift

The current bid for this package is more than $4000; it is approaching the cost of the activities, but the funds will go to a charity and the whole experience as described on the website is priceless. There are many other auctions, this is one of the most expensive ones. I think it is a cool idea because the packages are special, granted they are expensive, but perhaps a good gift for a special occasion.

I am not planning to participate in any auction right now, but I will keep an eye for the right package.


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Patisseries in Paris

I have a sweet tooth, and obviously, I was looking forward to eat some wonderful pastries in Paris. Just before leaving a friend told me that she was disappointed with the pastries in Paris, because they look better than they taste. I totally agree with her. Not all of Paris patisseries are good or worth the calories and the price.


These are my favorite patisseries in Paris

Dallayou
There are a few of them in the city. One is located across from the Luxembourg Gardens. Everything I tried in this place was excellent and my husband's favorite dessert in Paris is from here. They also sell in the Gallerie Lafayette department store's gourmet food section. The prices in this bakery are lower than my next suggestions. There are some pics



Fauchon
This legendary gourmet establishment in Paris also sells pastries. They are great, beautiful and also very expensive. I did not try them but I did have lunch in their cafeteria and bought bread several times. I am assuming that considering the quality of their breads and lunch dishes, the pastries must be delicious too.

Laduree
This is a classical place for tea in Paris. They have a few locations. The one I visited a couple of times was the one on Rue Royale. Inside, this place looks like a jewelry box. It is small and it can be noisy because table are really close to each other.

I had the Marie Antoinette tea and we shared a couple of pastries. The pastries are great, my favorite was the Saint-Honoré rose-framboise - it was delightful, the best dessert I have ever had. I read a lot on the Internet about the Tarte Citron. I ordered it and I did not like it a lot; this just shows how taste is so personal. Their hot chocolate is famous and delicious.

Laduree is expensive even by New York or Paris standards. I think it is a good (expensive) place for tea but for the price I would not have lunch here.




Lenotre
There are various locations in the city. This is another legendary establishment. Their creations are beautiful and delicious. It is also expensive.

Pierre Herme
It is a favorite place among Parisians for chocolates. Their pastries are a work of art and taste wonderful. The place is also expensive and there are lines to shop most of the time.

Beauty in Paris

So I just came back from Paris a few days ago. I love the City of Lights. I had so many expectations of Paris, that I thought, maybe, it is going to let me down. I read that some Japanese people get depressed after returning from Paris, because they had so high expectations of the place. Paris definitely did not let me down.

There are only a few things that I did not like in Paris. One is the price of luxury goods (the lower value of the US dollar makes it appear even more expensive). Some items are more expensive than in the USA. One more thing,some of the luxury boutiques, such as Chanel, located on the very posh Avenue Montaigne do not look as "plush" as one may think. I bought an overpriced Chanel No. 5 perfume there and I was neither impressed by their decor nor their customer service.

Luxury brands are everywhere in Paris. Avenue Montaigne is one of the most expensive and exclusive areas of the city and has many of the brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Escada. In this street you see elegant women in stilettos walking their poodles, exactly as they show it in the movies. It is an interesting place that looks so far from the rest of this vibrant city.