NEWS

As we approached the tower, we were stopped at the entrance where a guard verified our details, the car plate number and allowed us access. The valet – a service offered complementary to all residents and guests – then takes over. As we walk through the huge, impressive lobby, marked by a unique drum-cymbal decor, we get past the glass doors, which can be opened only with an access card, and take the lift to the 76nd floor. There one has to change lifts to go higher.

One year ago when Burj Khalifa launched as the world’s tallest tower, at over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories, it rose like a phoenix from among the ashes of a global economic burnout. While property prices around the world and in the UAE took a beating, the fountains in front of the iconic structure seemed to drench the imagination of visitors with strange ideas of who actually lived in the Burj Khalifa.

Lifestyle's corporate team considered a range of store sites within Dubai Mall. The store site was finally selected after careful studies on customer flow, number of entrances to the mall and proximity to mall attractions, such as the fountains and aquarium.

It was the promise of goat on the menu that prompted my visit to Asado, the Argentinean steak restaurant at The Palace-The Old Town. We sat outside at a table facing the Burj Dubai lake, the Khalifa looming in the background and every so often, we saw the tail end of the Dubai fountain. Goat or no goat, first impressions were good.

The new property joins Dubai's well-established range of luxury hotels, led by names such as the Armani Hotel, Jumeirah's Atlantis and the "seven-star" Burj Al Arab, but recent reports have suggested that despite its top-end offerings, Dubai is still suffering from a shortage of visitors - which could lead to bargains for visitors.

Festival Centre, the award winning retail resort of Dubai Festival City, announces celebrations of the 16th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival with sales and chances to win prizes at Festival Centre. The 3 draws will be held on Jan 30, Feb 8, Feb 16 and the grand finale is to take place on Feb 21, 2011

At 828m, the Khalifa is almost three times taller than Auckland's Sky Tower and tops the world's next tallest building, the CN Tower in Toronto, by nearly 300m.

BICE MARE Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Burj Khalifa, Dubai. 04 423 0982 There’s the kind of Italian restaurant that screams ‘wholesome family dining,’ with red and white chequered table cloths and rustic crockery. And then there’s Bice Mare, the seafood sister of Dubai’s favourite and most trusted Italian eatery.

Over the space of an hour, she asks me to a concert, an exhibition, and to Dubai, to stay in the Armani Hotel suites in the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. 'You will see, it is amazing.' Roberta made a brief detour into acting, taking classes at the Actors' Studio in New York and appearing in an Italian TV adaptation of the life of Jesus as an Old Testament maiden.

It was a dream-come-true for Meera, who suffers from Thalassemia but has a wishlist. Floating in like a princess, the five-year-old from Kalba had a day she, and all around her, would remember forever when she walked into Burj Khalia – the world’s tallest tower. Treated like a true princess from her favourite fairy tale, Meera could fulfill her wish thanks to Make A Wish Foundation that takes care of children like her.