Floris Toiletries

Al Pacino‘s character in Scent of a Woman famously declared he knew the woman in his ‘sights’ was wearing Floris fragrance. Ian Fleming's James Bond always wear Floris No. 89.

These are the complimentary toiletries in our room in Atlantis The Palm. Floris is an English retailer of luxury toiletries and accessories.

Vanity kits, shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, and bath gel.

Soap bar

Bath Salts. It's the first thing I look for in a hotel bath =)

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Dolphin Bay at Atlantis

Aside from unlimited access to The Lost Chamber and Aquaventure, hotel residents of Atlantis The Palm receive preferential rates to meet and learn more about their Indo-Pacific bottle nose dolphins.

A 4.5 hectare of state-of-the-art dolphin education and conservation centre.

Programs like Dolphin Encounter, Dolphin Adventure, and Royal Swim can last from 30 to 90 minutes under the strict supervision of their Marine Mammal Specialists.Hollywood stars like Paris Hilton and Mischa Barton have visited and enjoyed the Royal Swim.

Touching, hugging, holding ‘hands’, playing ball and feeding are some of the activities guests can experience during the interaction which is open to all ages.I felt so luck to have captured the moment =)

Inside the Dolphin Bay retail center. They also serve Starbucks coffee, pastries, and paninis.

A buggy service will take you to the Dolphin Bay or you can walk and will take about 6 to 8 minutes from The Royal Towers.

Contact Dolphin Bay Atlantis on  +97104261030 for reservations if you are interested. A cheaper alternative I recommend (where you can touch the dolphin during a photo opportunity) is a visit to Dubai Dolphinarium at Creek Park.

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Jelly Fish

My photo from The Lost Chamber :  Florescent sea jelly floating serenely.

Jellyfish

a poem by Lisa Williams, 

Woman Reading To The Sea

Movement means closure,
a thrust from where you are,
that glide other plane,

your bell-like head
with wordless aperture
emptying, emptying,

the pleats of your innards,
a shallow accordion.
Your tendrils trail neon

lit cities of cells
—you, pellucid ferry,
invisibly carried

spun dome like the ghost
of some merry-go-round.
And we who don’t float

with such unconscious ease
think it terror to rise
from our notions of land,

rock, and ownership, can’t
ride a bottomless plain,
colored thrust in our sails,

in the lax, placid matter
that holds, not from falls
(for you too fill your head

so your gossamer motors
move onward) but holds
your shape firm. Even you,

if you never once moved,
if you didn’t take in
the first place where you are,

fold around that cold present
then push out, with liquid
momentum (like knowledge)

from flushed, chambered cells,
would ascend nowhere new.
In the planktonic dark,

a touch is the world,
the devouring of touch
motion’s guidance. Your emptied

bell head tolls the thrust,
the sole luminous effort—clear
life thinking’s lost!

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The Lost Chamber

Families are spoilt for choices of entertainment in Dubai's mega resort. You have the Dolphin Bay, Aquaventure, and Lost Chamber to explore among others. After our lunch , we started our Atlantis  adventure with a visit to the Lost Chamber, targeted for the younger audience. It is an underground maze of tunnels leading to aquatic exhibits and touch tanks. 

Unlike The Dubai Mall Aqua Discovery Center, there are no signs or information to read  along but they have navigators to explain as you go through each marine exhibit. Entrance for adults cost 100 AED and 75 for kids 3-12 years of age. Hotel residents get unlimited access.

I will share with you some scenes.

This Aquarium tube greets you upon entering

The tunnels you have to go through

From the Eel family

Souvenir shop

Just lookie how big the fish! My son was grumpy towards the end and couldn't wait to get out of the Chamber. He does not like dark places these days.

It looks like a painting!

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Dinner at Kaleidoscope

The restaurant promised intercontinental buffet so Hubby chose Kaleidoscope for our dinner venue in Atlantis. We went down around 10 pm after Andreas finally went to bed. The reception informed that dinner buffet costs 175AED per head (drinks not included) and the buffet will close at 11 pm. We were starving anyway so I didn't consider any other nearby restaurant. We were just glad to be seated somewhere quiet.

Facade of Kaleidoscope opposite of the Ambassador Lagoon

Most of the people were just drinking their tea andcoffee and some were about to leave so that the enormous restaurant is pretty much dark and serene much to our pleasure wink wink! We don't get much date night hhiihihi. They have live cooking stations with delights from Asia, Europe and India. We are steak lovers so we headed right to the meat carving station. Both Hubby and I chose well done but we were thoroughly disappointed. It was like the meat had been reheated many times. I would not recommend the place if you are devoted to meat.

Hubby's first plate

I got some veggies and roast potato to go with my roast beef and I must commend their roast potatoes. The best I had! Yes, even compared to that of Al Muntaha. It was soft and moist and tasty inside and with the right crisp. It took great effort not to get second serving lolzzz

Going Oriental

Moving on with my food, I went for Chinese this time and had some noodles, Jasmin rice with bokchoy, and lotus infused rice dessert. It was good except for the noodles which was quiet rubbery.

We also got some small plates from the sushi conveyor and again another thumbs down. We tried three different sushi flavors but found out all of them had smoked fish. Maybe they do that so they have longer shelf life....no wonder the supposed Japanese delight looked sad and lonely circling the conveyor belt because nobody aside from us, dared to go near.

I was hoping dessert will save our disappointments. There were an array of fresh fruit slices and I just knew Hubby was delighted by the sight. He is such a  fruit addict! I got slices of pineapple, melon dew, and watermelon but Hubby who is never choosy with food refrained from eating them because they were all fermenting! My apologies if this restaurant review sound mean but the buffet was pricey and we felt we did not get what we paid for. We're a huge fan of Dubai Friday brunch culture and their food offering don't even come close to The Irish Village where you pay only 85 dirham per head.

I sampled four from their pastry section and it turns out this is their second best offering. You must try their opera cake which is soo heavenly and sinful to eat hahaha. At last I was beginning to enjoy my meal. Hubby praised the dessert as well for not being sweet. Don't be put off if you do not see the tiny glasses with chocolate and strawberry mousse which is a staple in Dubai's intercontinental buffet. Their pastries definitely make up for them.

While we were just cleaning our plate, I noticed I noticed I didn't get to visit their Italian cooking station which had been advertised heavily. So I had a slice of margarita and oven baked polenta (cornmeal). I thought the polenta was creamy and yum, yum..and the pizza, oh boy it was the closest thing to what we had in Rome! This is I think is Kaleidoscope's best offer. I went back for another slice and when I passed by the dessert section, the smiling staff asked if I want some ice cream. When I checked, they came from the local favorite More Cafe. I gave the guy a huge grin and and he handed me a Swiss Chocolate Flavor and Cookies & Cream for Hubby.

We didn't order any drinks because Atlantis gives out complimentary bottled water throughout the stay. Plus Hubby was eyeing the Chivas Regal on our mini bar.

Kaleidoscope is located at The East Tower of The Royal Grand Lobby.

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Ambassador Lagoon

Guests at the Atlantis The Palm look directly over the Ambassador Lagoon- an enormous  marine habitat which includes the Lost City's sunken streets and relics.

It has over two hundred and fifty species of marine life including sharks, eels, rays, and exotic fish. The newest addition to the family is a specie called Devil Fish or giant devil ray.

The Lost City relics.

View of the Ambassador Lagoon from The Lost Chamber. Guests can also view scheduled fish feeding from this area.

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Aquaventure's Leap of Faith

Two reasons why we chose Atlantis The Palm for short summer break: hotel guests receive unlimited free access to The Lost Chamber and to the world famous water park, Aquaventure. Normally, you have to pay 250 AED per person to access these attractions (plus 30 AED for towel and 50 AED for locker). When the hotel opened in 2008, it was "the place to be" in Dubai. But I found the entrance fee too pricey so we decided to wait. And oh boy, we were glad we had patience!

Aquaventure is set in 42 acres beside the Atlantis.The center piece is the Zigurrat and perched on top is the daddy of all water slides - The Leap of Faith.

It is 27.5m tall and 61m long. From the top of the Ziggurat, the Leap of Faith catapults riders into a transparent tunnel and through a shark-filled lagoon, where guitar sharks, bow mouth sharks, white tip, black tip and grey reef sharks all reside.

Hubby and I took turns because somebody has to stay with our son on the grounds. I went ahead and there was a short que. But some ladies backed out so my turn came quickly before Hubby can take photos lolzz...Boy, you wouldn't know what hit you! I was okay at the start...and when I slid down I wondered why I ever dared myself to  try  such leap hahahaaa. When I landed in the wading pool, my heart was pumping soo fast and loud but I felt better than ever!! When I went back to my boys, Hubby was like, "You're done?"

I got a good view of the whole are so I was able to take lovely photos of Hubby while taking the 'plunge' of his life!

Really, there's nothing like the I'm-about-to-die adrenaline rush ((^_^))

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