TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

If only glass cups could be replaced with classic porcelain coffee cups with saucers, the experience could be really memorable. While the signature floating table inside may catch the eye of newcomers, the terrace offers great views across to Souq Al Bahar, Dubai Fountain and Burj Khalifa. The café opens at 8am.

The tallest building in the world does not appear made for this earth. By day it looks photoshopped into its downtown Dubai surroundings, and by night, the hulking spire looks like a rocket bound for the furthest reaches of our galaxy.

The architecture is ersatz, too. Sometimes there are local elements — the odd Arabian Nights turret, a fake souk — but the tallest building in the world, theBurj Khalifa , distinctly resembles Chicago’s Willis Tower (which also used to be the tallest building in the world). This is no accident: Both buildings were designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, also from Chicago.

Once settled at your hotel there is so much to do and see in and around Dubai, but first on your list should be a visit to the Burj Khalifa, located at the Dubai Mall. The building is an amazing 828m high. Completed at the beginning of last year, it surpassed the previous tallest building, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan, by 300m.

Sharjah plans to rival Dubai’s Burj Khalifa development with the launch of a waterfront project set to spearhead a real estate ‘renaissance’ in the emirate, Cluttons said in a report Sunday. The emirate’s investment authority, Shurooq, is transforming Al Majaz Park on the Al Buhaira Corniche into a social hub, featuring a fountain centerpiece and rows of hotels and restaurants.

A visit to Dubai is incomplete without a visit to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. The magnificent 160-storey tower, which officially opened to the public on Jan 4, last year, is 828 metres tall. Its construction cost is estimated to be about USD1.5 billion.

Downtown Dubai is like a movie set. A luxury trolley bus slowly rolls along the Boulevard in Old Town, transporting you back in time. The architecture reflects the gypsum clay used in the early 20th century.

An architect who meticulously designed and built a 141,971-piece Lego sculpture of the Burj Khalifa wants the model to serve as an inspiration to others. The 2.7m tower of unglued plastic bricks went on display yesterday at Dubai Mall.

Once it does, patrons will be able to enjoy food and drink a mindboggling 1,350 feet above the ground. The restaurant, At.mosphere, has floor-to-ceiling windows and was designed by well-known restaurant decorator Adam Tihany. The menu is heavy on meat dishes, such as Wagyu beef tartare and Australian salt bush lamb.

Maradona was certainly not short of offers since parting ways with the Argentina team after the 2010 World Cup. He had been linked to the national teams of Iran and Ukraine, but the city of Dubai, it seems, won his heart. He stayed overnight at the Zabeel Sarai hotel on the Palm, and visited the Atlantis hotel, the Armani hotel and the Burj Khalifa, where he dined at the Atmosphere restaurant on the 122nd floor.