Another new Dubai luxury hotel

A globe burns day and night sea-side at Dubai’s newest luxury hotel, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach – old UAE hands will recognise the location, Jumeirah Beach Club was here, and, before that, Hilton. Now, the gal found, there is a five-floor palace, with arms – sorry, wings – that stretch out and around, almost grasping the sea at both sets of fingertips (stay in a suite like 402 and you are 110 yards from the elevator but, once in your lovely suite, you could almost jump straight down into the gorgeous blue ocean). At times there are kids down there, building sand-castles, one of the many activities held twice-daily, morning and afternoon.

The 236-room hotel has so many highlights. At night, when that globe burns so brightly, up on the rooftop the Mercury nightclub comes into its own. It is mostly outdoors, but has some semi-private mostly-scarlet rooms in two floor towers – this whole area is designed by Adam Tihany, who always has loved red and here he has gone overboard. There are private parties sometimes up here and Monday is manicure and martini night. Last Friday they held a Copacabana party here (Mercury manager Tony Paese is full of ideas). But, at all times, there are really Beautiful People, to meet and greet, and pour as much Dom Pérignon as you want, and can afford. In Dubai, of course, you do not really talk money. You just make it, and lots of it.

Day-long, the hotel’s lobby lounge is main meeting place, but it really comes into its own mid afternoon, when afternoon tea gathers the discerning who may include, it is rumoured, Sheikh Mohammed himself. As always, I eschewed having a full meal at this time. Take a walk, girl, to get some exercise. The gym, open 24/7, looks out into the gardens. It deliberately has a mix of LifeFitness and Technogym equipment – Simon Casson, who runs this hotel as well as spa and fitness worldwide, believes in mix and match, a bit of this and a bit of that. Back in end suite 402, so close to the water, I turn away from the water to notice that my stationery has gold flecks in it. Real? I wonder.

Simon Casson was here long enough before opening to put his mark on this luxury hotel. Take the main indoor bar, which he called Hendricks, because he loves the gin that is distilled in Girvan, Scotland, in a 1948-vintage Carter-Head Still, with juniper, Bulgarian rose and cucumber. Well, not surprisingly, William Grant & Sons, who own Hendricks, the gin, was initially not happy. I simply told them what good publicity this drinks-and-cigars room is for them, says Simon Casson.