It’s hard to stay relevant in a city like Dubai. A place where money is no object, no task too big, and no display of opulence too lavish, the city has set itself up for stiff internal competition. Case in point: 2025 alone saw 19 new hotels open in the city, adding another 5,000 new rooms to the whopping 152,300 that already span the width and breadth of the skyscraper-dotted landscape. It’s an undeniably crowded market – and one that encourages a battle of betterment. 

It makes sense, then, that in a bid to have every want and whim of the modern traveller covered, some of the world’s most famous hotel brands have more than one property in the city: One&Only offers three outposts (two on The Palm, and the other its first ‘vertical urban resort’), Anantara gives guests the choice of a balmy beach resort or chic downtown living, and the Hilton group has more brands in the city than you can shake a stick at. The same goes for Atlantis, which managed to build both of its properties on Dubai’s most coveted stretch of sand: the apex of The Palm, offering unobstructed panoramas into the endless blue of the Arabian Gulf. 

The inaugural Atlantis The Palm opened on this manmade island in 2008 as a world-first, themed around the mythical underwater city of Atlantis and designed to offer its guests a taste of the uber-modern, forward-thinking luxury Dubai has worked hard to be synonymous with. It rocked the world of hospitality with its avant-garde interiors (a priceless Dale Chihuly sculpture comprising 3,000 hand-blown pieces of glass sits in the lobby), underwater suites and the world-famous Aquaventure Waterpark, home to no fewer than 105 slides. It came as something of a surprise, then, when it announced it was opening another hotel practically next door in 2023. 

Which isn’t to say that construction was a massive secret. Spades hit the ground in 2016, and the steady evolution of the 795-key behemoth at the front of The Palm, with its six towers adjoined by a sky bridge measuring 90 metres in length, was hard to miss. Whether an attempt to stay relevant in a city that had changed immeasurably since 2008, a way of making an architectural statement on the world’s design map, or just a means to offer something different, Atlantis The Royal exceeded all expectations when it opened two years ago. Put simply, it was designed to take your breath away – and as the futuristic edifice rises on the horizon as we zip down The Palm’s Crescent Road, it certainly does just that. 

Carefully designed to strike a balance between the neighbouring powder-pink palace of Atlantis The Palm and the uber-modern skyscrapers that dominate the rest of the city, there is nothing understated about Atlantis The Royal. As the name suggests, it was, from the outset, designed to be fit for a king or queen, offering quite literally anything you can think of: designer boutiques for an impromptu shopping spree, a plethora of celebrity dining destinations, a range of beach clubs that start on Atlantis’s own slice of sand and stretch up to the 22^nd floor, as well as interiors designed to create a journey through each of its spaces. 

Cloud 22

Enter via the aquarium-lined lobby to get your first taste of the interactive interiors and bespoke art collection that spans the hotel, beginning with Droplets: an original 11.5 metre tall sculpture made from 5.5 tonnes of stainless steel, representing the first cool drop of rain in a dry desert. The collection of suites – many with terraces, balconies and infinity pools – epitomise modern opulence, adorned in a soothing neutral palette inflected with bold blues, gilded accents and bespoke amenities from luxury brands including Hermès, Frette and Graff. You will quickly discover that no stone has been left unturned here. 

Stays also grant you the keys to the world’s largest waterpark: Atlantis Aquaventure, which holds a Guinness World Record for the most waterslides in a waterpark and is perfect if you have little ones in tow. If zooming down the waterways isn’t your idea of fun, there are plenty of other spaces, features and amenities that will give you a taste of just how seriously Atlantis takes its reincarnation of an underwater world. The Lost Chambers Aquarium is the largest open-air aquarium in the region, there are several educational marine mammal facilities – including Dolphin Bay and Sea Lion Point – as well as scuba diving, snorkelling and even underwater yoga classes. 

The plethora of beach and pool clubs at Atlantis The Royal is perhaps one of its biggest draws and the day-to-night experiences make this hotel one of Dubai’s premiere entertainment destinations. Guests are encouraged to kick off the afternoon at either Nobu by the Beach – the Japanese-Peruvian brand’s only pool club – before heading up to Cloud 22’s infinity pool, which soars 96 metres above The Palm. As dusk descends, dance into the night with views over the skyline of Dubai at Ling Ling or hunker down in one of the many stand-out restaurants. 

To fill its kitchens, Atlantis The Royal naturally called in the big guns. The six celebrity chef restaurants include the Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which serves the eponymous chef’s famed British contemporary updates on dishes of days gone by, including the Meat Fruit – a playful mandarin and chicken liver parfait – and the Tipsy Cake: a spit roast pineapple dessert circa 1810. 

Dinner by Heston

Estiatorio Milos

There’s also Middle Eastern flavours at Ariana’s Persian Kitchen, a new Carbone outpost hailing from New York, or Peruvian dishes at La Mar by Gastón Acurio, but a personal highlight is the Greek-Mediterranean Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis. Expect elevated Athenian classics: zucchini flowers stuffed with feta, Australian lamb chops grilled and served with hand-cut Greek fried potatoes, and ekmek – Kataifi pastry, vanilla custard, whipped cream and caramelised pistachios. Add this to the Royal Tea Room, Elements cocktail bar, Gastronomy dining hall and Malibu 90265 signature restaurant and you’ll discover there is no need to leave Atlantis The Royal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Every cuisine you could think of can be found under one roof. 

While you can get the adrenaline pumping at the waterpark and the appetite thoroughly satiated at 15 restaurants and bars, Atlantis The Royal also knows how important it is for guests to truly switch off from the outside world. Enter Awaken: a unique spa that taps into all elements of nature – think body (earth), mind (fire), emotion (water) and spirit (air). This is encapsulated at the Elements Retreat, where fire is ignited in the mind at the charcoal sauna and tepidarium, grounding earth takes the form of halotherapy salt rooms and meditation gardens, water for emotional release is found in the hydrotherapy pool or alchemy shower, and air to lift your spirit is offered in the aromatherapy steam and air loungers.

The spa also houses a range of treatment suites (some with their own fireplaces), a six-room Hammam Sensorium inspired by bathhouse culture, and a luxe treatment menu by Dr. Barbara Sturm, 111Skin, Augustinus Bader and Subtle Energies. In signature Atlantis fashion, only the best of the best will do, and we recommend booking the 24kt gold stone massage or golden gua sha facial for once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Atlantis The Royal needn’t worry about staying relevant in Dubai’s saturated hotel scene. Instead, it’s set the standard others have to meet. It may seem overwhelming, but this hotel epitomises the future of luxury: one where opportunities are endless. 

From £755 per night. 

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