A Place Where Water Meets Wonder Atlantis - The Birth Of An Icon

Atlantis the Palm, Dubai's new super luxury resort, was officially opened last week at a $20 million 'most expensive private party' ever thrown in the city. The 1,539-room five-star hotel, atop a palm tree-shaped island, built at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, has a gigantic aquarium with 65,000 fish and a rare whale-shark, as well as a dolphinarium with more than two dozen dolphins. The resort is one of the most luxurious and expensive in the world. Some suites have furniture made of solid gold. The opening ceremony, attended by 2,000 guests including film stars, politicians, royals and star athletes, was a clear show of extravagance. The invitees included Denzel Washington, Robert DeNiro, Charlize Theron, Priyanka Chopra, and Nawal Zoghbi -- just to name a few.

Deputy ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, attended the opening ceremony with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Nakheel, the developer. "Where we are now there was water five years ago," said Sultan Ahmed at the inauguration. The biggest attraction of the 'the birth of the icon' was a huge display of fireworks, seven times bigger than this year's Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing and "visible from space," according to organizers. Dubai residents also shared the 'once in a lifetime' excitement by watching the fireworks display from crowded beaches and homes in the vicinity. After a red carpet arrival for the opening ceremony, Lebanese singer Nawal Zoghbi enthralled the audience with a unique performance. Nawal sang three of her most popular songs.

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue opened her first Middle East concert with "On a night like this" and without any doubt, became the star of the night. Her performance, for which she was said to have paid as much as $3 million, lasted for 60 minutes. During the ceremony Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was declared "The Goddess of Atlantis." Other Arab celebrities who graced the opening function included Laila Olwi, Hala Sarhan, Ahmad Hilmi, Ghada Adel and Laila Kanaan.

Sol Kerzner, the South African tycoon and the chairman of Kerzner International, which owns the Atlantis hotel, said at the party, "From the beginning, I have been working with my team to create places where people can escape their everyday lives. Atlantis, the Palm is the realization of a vision. ... Tonight was a landmark event. The marine-themed resort includes water thrills, a marine habitat and more than a dozen restaurants run by world-class chefs. It started hosting tourists in September. The hotel is built at a site on Palm Jumeirah, one of three palm tree-shaped man-made islands emerging off the coast of Dubai.

The two pale rose towers of the hotel contain 1,539 rooms, including a three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite that features a gold-leaf, 18-seat dining table for $35,000 a night. The resort also has a 17 hectare water park, a magnificent beach, spa, fitness center, night club, shopping boulevard and-of course-a 3,000-member staff to cater to the needs of its royal guests. The art, decor and interior design are inspired by the ocean. A giant hand-made glass sculpture that encompasses the colors of the water and the sun in the lobby is just one of the examples of this novel experiment. Every room has private balconies and provide breath-taking views over the Arabian Gulf or the Palm Jumeirah. Inspired by the legend of the lost continent, the resort offers "experiences that are new to the Middle East.