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Southeast Asian furnishings. Anantara means ‘without end’ and that’s exactly what we wished about our treatments. But when they were over we both felt utterly relaxed and rejuvenated. After thanking the expert spa staff we decided to take afternoon tea in the hotel lobby. Sat beneath the sparkling Swarovski’s Strauss crystal chandeliers in Le Café, we were soothed by the gentle melodies of a pianist seated at a highly polished grand piano. As we enjoyed tea we were presented with an array of chocolate delicacies all adorned with real gold leaf. The hotel actually uses five kilogrammes of edible gold every year, and you can also buy bars of gold in special vending machines. The hotel also employs Gold Leaf Specialists trained at the famous Italian Paolo Angeletti company. There are four gold leaf professionals that work to cover 2000 square metres of the hotel in gold and silver leaves. When you consider that two of the experts have to work for over a week to cover just 100 square metres, and that the leaves have to be replaced every four years, it is yet another attention to detail that demonstrates the level of extreme excellence and luxury at the Emirates Palace. On the way back to our room we went to see the Etihad Ballroom as we’d heard about its grandness. Although we knew it would be impressive we still dropped our jaws as we surveyed the three gigantic chandeliers and enough room to host up to 2,400 people for any illustrious gala event. The hotel is well known for hosting VIP guests, celebrities, heads of state, and royal families from all over the world, and it was easy to imagine them enjoying a special evening in these majestic surroundings. Feeling slightly tired by our explorations we went back to our own majestic surroundings that was the Palace suite and relaxed on the balcony before dressing for dinner. 3 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I