I thought that I would offer a different perspective on the Burj al Arab. I stayed there for 2 nights in a deluxe suite at the end of July.

I have to say that I found the decor of the suite to be so overwhelmingly ostentatious as to make me uncomfortable. There was gold all over the place, and other bright, mismatched colours, which did not at all match the building's stunning exterior. There was no effort at subtlety, and I would not have been able to stomach staying another night there. I prefer hotels with a more tasteful (in my opinion, of course!) design. The amenities in the room were excellent, and the sheer size is breathtaking.

Service was generally good, but I have had better elsewhere. Some requests for information were not answered, or answered with superficial information which showed that little effort had been made. The worst thing for me was when I checked out on my floor. The floor manager asked whether I had had anything from the mini bar the night before. I replied in the negative, at which point she tried to call the butler (in front of me) to have him check whether or not this was true. It took her about 5 minutes to reach him, and another 5 minutes for him to go to my room to ascertain that I had not stolen everything from the mini bar (it would have taken her 30 seconds to walk to my room herself).

I was left sitting at the desk twiddling my thumbs for this 10 minutes, wondering what exactly I had done that she should think I am a liar. It really was most disappointing (and blatant), and not something that has happened anywhere else.

I would not stay there again, because of the rooms and the disappointing attitude at checkout.