Questions and Answers

Dear Ben (and/or Tiffany),
Good afternoon! Ben, I have truly enjoyed reading your posts as well as Tiffany’s post on your afternoon tea experiences in Dubai. Between Skyview Bar (Burj Al Arab) and At.Mosphere (Burj Khalifa), which one do you prefer? Perhaps one can’t go wrong with either of them. I am wondering, however, if you had to choose between the two again, which one would you prioritize?

Thanks in advance,
Warachal Eileen Faison
[email][email protected][/email]

Hah, so the challenge here is that neither of us have been to both, and they’re obviously a little bit different in terms of the menu and experience.

I might rate the Skyview Bar a bit higher because you can visit the Burj al Arab, and the view would still be decent on a hazy day.

On our recent trip to Dubai, we did afternoon tea at Burj Al Arab and evening drinks in the lounge at Burj Khalifa. As both afternoon teas are expensive (as well as lunch and dinner) this seemed a reasonable compromise. At Burj Khalifa there is a minimum spend of 250 AED per person for drinks and nibbles in the lounge. Could be a good alternative…

I did afternoon teas at both of them and found both to be great. I think I found the food a bit better at at.mosphere but that’s just personal preference. With the Skyview Bar, the views are fantastic, especially if you get one of the best tables by the window – the Gulf on one side and the city on the other. With at.mosphere, its even higher up and if you time it correctly, you may see the fountain show from a unique perspective. I also found the setting a bit more intimate since tables by the window are a couple of steps lower than the main area, and separated by a railing.

If I had to choose one, I’d go with the Skyview Bar simply because there’s no other way to access the building as a tourist and it really is magnificent and opulent, both inside and out.