outside the rooms
spa
hugest spa ever seen. two full floors. divided in to menīs and womenīs section. indoor pool, all kinds of body and facial treatments. super modern gym. perfect service, they make sure you get enough evian while doing your excercise, fresh towels every five minutes and freshly cleaned headphones only (you can have up to three TVs switched to your choice of channels while on the treadmill ...)
outside pool area
see and be seen. nice beautiful pool but not too big. the best thing is that it is cooled! in-water-bar. if you approach the pool, somebody prepares the beds for you, towels are brought, water, evian spray, wet face towels ... and of course you can order your favourite champaign at and in the pool. definitely not a place for kids, but the wild wadi waterpark is right next door (and has free entrance for burj guests)
beach
the burj island is linked with the landside with a 200m bridge. nice as it only seems to be frequented by rolls-royces and ferraris and that kind of cars. left side is a beach that can also be accessed by guests of the jumeirah beach hotel (same group). right side is a beach exclusively for the burj al arab. fine send, lots of sea shells, crystal-clear water.
if you go to the beach, you do not walk, as 200m walk is totally unacceptable to burj guests. a golf cart will bring you there. the beach has a small air-conditioned reception area. then you step into the outside restaurant and bar area that also has an own kitchen. beds will be prepared for you, same service like at the pool. total silence, full relaxation.
transportation
if you leave the house, you can choose between a rolls royce or BMW 7-series transportation service. it is about 40 to 50 euro an hour. taxis are available as well.
lobby shops
the lobby feature shops for the rich and famous, i counted around four jewellery stores, some high price clothing store etc. only shop of use was a small hidden shop selling newspapers, films, etc ...
helicopter
if you want to arrive by helicopter, the 28th floor has a heli platform. i just asked for fun how much the transfer to/from the airport is but the figure was so high and unreasonable so it seemed to me nobody had ever used this service and it is not really available. in eight days i also never saw a chopper.