Dubai 2014 Photo Diary: The Endless Shores of Atlantis

Happy Easter, everyone! I think today's post is very apt for the upcoming summer vacation for a lot of people because I'm going to be showing you guys the amazing Atlantis Resort at The Palm in Jumeirah!

Just from the facade, you can already tell how grand the place is and I already had to run really far along the beach just to get this shot! Haha! Read on to see more of what this little slice of paradise has to offer! :D

You can get to Atlantis through any car but we used its very own monorail system that takes you straight to the resort! When you ride it, you're able to see the resort, as well as the Dubai skyline from afar. Unfortunately, it was so dark that my camera couldn't handle it! :(

Anywho, once you're checked in, you're key card will come with this little canvas sling that you can wear around your neck.

The room is pretty amazing and this isn't even half as awesome as the other rooms in Atlantis! Some of them even half beautiful aquariums instead of windows to make you feel like you're underwater!

The bathroom has these sliding doors that open beside the tub. I'm not sure if this is for honeymoon reasons or if it gives you the option to watch TV while in the tub! Haha!

Almost every room has a rather large balcony area with a lovely view of either the resort or the city.

Now, let's tour around the resort!

I love how everything is so inspired by Arabic architecture. It gives the place such an iconic feel!

The lobby is insanely gorgeous as well. The colorful sculpture at the center is actually made of hundreds of pieces of molded glass! Also, the details on the columns - I can't even.

Since it was Christmas time, they had this cute display along the halls where you could buy albeit overpriced Christmas-themed pastries.

We had breakfast in Kaleidoscope and I have to tell you it was probably the BEST breakfast I've ever had.

Even the al fresco area was amazing! In December, it would've been absolutely amazing to dine here! Not so much during their summer time though. Haha!

I think the great thing about their selection is that for such a large buffet, it didn't make you feel like it was too much by trying to bombard you with a flurry of exotic foods left and right. There was a sense of quality control and it definitely pays off.

All the pastries your tummy can handle!

Lots of local cuisine too!

Also, these yoghurt jars on a conveyor belt are too cute to ignore!

You can also go crazy on their cheeses! This doesn't hold a candle to Spiral's famous cheese room but maybe Kaleidoscope's lunch selection will be a lot bigger.

I'm not sure if you can order custom fruit shakes at their juice bar, but their pre-made ones are already quite intriguing!

Atlantis wouldn't be Atlantis without their aquarium and I can tell you with certainty that the large displays you'll see along the halls are only the tip of the iceberg.

Since it was a bit dark, again, my camera couldn't handle it that well, but admission in the aquarium comes free with your stay! Anyway, it's not really dark in the aquarium, but if you're a bit OC with your photos then it'll be hard to take pictures. Inside, they designed the place to look like a cave with fountains and steam and all that drama. The aquariums themselves look like ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. Thankfully, I got this shot to remember it by! Haha!

The hotel's backyard is pretty crazy and there's so much to do I don't think you'll be able to finish it all in a day!

The main pool is awesome and there's a fresh towel provided on every seat. And mind you, their staff is super vigilant! Any towel that isn't perfectly rolled gets replaced immediately with a new one!

Now that I think about it, I'm a bit sad that I didn't take the time to swim in their beach! The sun was a bit intense at the time which kind of turned me off to the task.

However, you'd be swimming with this view if you ever visit! Amazing! :D

Other than the pool and the beach, there's also the very famous Aquaventure Park which you can get too by riding one of their buggies. Again, admission comes free with your stay and it's about a 5-10 minute ride!

This is where the real fun begins!

I haven't been to a lot of water parks, but the Aquaventure is by far the one with the craziest rides I've been too! I mean, they take the "Lazy River" concept to a whole other level! The rides are actually interconnected through the river that can take you all the way around the park if you wish to do that.

Their most famous ride is the Leap of Faith and you basically slide down a steep eight storeys!! According to my sister who tried it, at some point, you're going to feel like nothing is at your back and that you're just free falling and it gets a bit scary. Afterwards, you're caught by a cushion of water pressure at the bottom.

The last part of the slide is where you're brought through this tunnel of fishes which is pretty cool!

And if you want to take it to a whole other level, there's a ride called, "Poseidon's Revenge" where you're literally free falling through a tunnel and you can actually research videos of this on YouTube! When I watched it, I couldn't imagine how scared I would've been! Haha! It's just so insane!

Photos I took of the hotel with my phone! Definitely one for the books!

Happy Easter, everyone! :D