Skyview Bar — Restaurant in Dubai

We booked the afternoon tea experience over the phone, two weeks in advance. Got an email almost instantly with my unique booking number, which they instructed me to show the security guard upon entry to the small island on which the Burj is situated.

We dressed up for the occasion, as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and were greeted very warmly by reception staff.

You have to go up the escalator and then head right to the back of the hotel, to the skyview bar reception desk. The member of staff will take your name and then you're free to walk around the lobby. Make sure you return 5 minutes before the time they tell you to return. They send people up according to whoever arrived and checked in with the reception staff first. There were two couples before us and they got into the elevator hurriedly, which meant we were stuck just inside the door. Sounds bad? It wasn't. We decided that we'd check the ceiling to floor glass window view of the elevator, on our way down. We were the first to exit the elevator and as such, first to be seated. Thankfully, my table request was fulfilled and the view was absolutely awesome.

A waiter is assigned per table (or per two to three tables depending on how busy it is). We chose the 1pm slot and we recommend this since they seat further guests at 1:30pm and afterwards too. Those guests would find it difficult to have a window seat.

We started the experience with two flutes of sparkling date juice (others can opt for champagne) and soft medjoul dates stuffed with walnuts and orange slices. The waiter told us that we could order any drinks (lots of different teas, coffees, iced teas/coffees, fresh fruit juices and soft drinks) at any time, as many times as we liked. He then served us a cut of meat (cooked medium to well done) with mashed potatoes, which was tasty.

The finger sandwiches were ok and there was a selection of 5 different flavours. That's 5 sandwiches per person and you're free to ask for more. I ordered the passion fruit iced tea and it was absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Then we had some tea, the white peony tea was somewhat dry, but we enjoyed the lychee tea, which was subtle in taste but surprisingly nice.

We were then served lots of different pastries and desserts. They were all fantastic! We asked for some more, which our waiter brought happily.

We spent about 3 hours here and ordered around 8 drinks (both teas and iced drinks). The bill came to £229 for both of us.

My tips: arrive on time at the hotel. You're allowed access to the hotel 30 minutes before your booking time. Register your name with the sky view bar reception to ensure you're one of the first up there.

Try the passion fruit iced tea and pace yourself between drinks and food. You're able to order as much as you like, so don't feel shy to ask (our waiter although nice, did seem a little annoyed that we asked for more desserts).

Ask for the table in the corner of the bar, overlooking the gulf and the beachfront. Definitely the best table in the house.

Let the person taking your initial reservation know if you're celebrating a special occasion. Every person is given a box of chocolates and a Burj al Arab stamped pen. My wife was given a single red rose, wrapped in a velvety red paper. Nice touch! Another person celebrating a birthday was given a slice of cake with happy birthday iced onto it.

Check out the toilet facilities. There isn't a view, but the decor is worth a look at.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and it's definitely something to do, just the once,...

Expected more for the money - afternoon tea (quite a lot of money...+ 100aed for a window table). I've booked this table more than 2 weeks prior to our visit since we had specific requests for the chef. My gluten free sandwiches (and deserts) were literally the worst gluten free food I've ever tasted in my life. The finger sandwiches were extremely dry and the deserts had way too much sugar, as if the chef was compensating the lack of white flour with white sugar... The tea - the focus point of the whole visit was not offered by the staff - yes, there was a menu on the table, but unless you asked to be served a drink, you'd be getting some kind of welcome drink (alcohol free unless you pay extra). Staff were all polite and professional - except for the moment with the tea and forgetting to offer it to the guests. My 3 stars are for the great view and the effort the staff were putting in order to satisfy the guests. On another note - 50% of the ladies guests got a single rose on their way out - I realized it was because their guys have made the reservation for them and have marked the visit as special event. I've also marked the visit as special event and got 0 out of it, not even the food I have paid for. P.S. Ladies and gentlemen - no need to get all dressed up - most of the ladies (especially the ladies) were dressed as if they were planning a regular visit to the mall or meeting a friend at Starbucks... so, no need to iron shirts, pants, dresses... Nobody would even notice...

After living in Dubai for over 13 years, I finally decided to visit the iconic Burj Al Arab, booking their Afternoon Tea experience to treat my visiting in-laws to something truly special. Unfortunately, the experience was far from the 7-star service one would expect from such a world-renowned hotel.

From the outset, we were greeted by a waitress whose rudeness left us shocked and embarrassed—especially disappointing considering I had arranged this as a thoughtful gesture for my husband’s family. Mocked us, replied to our questions with disrespect and just not a friendly face overall. While I won’t delve into all the details, the interaction cast a shadow over what was meant to be a memorable outing.

To their credit, two kind gentlemen on staff stepped in to salvage the situation and offered their apologies, which we appreciated. However, the damage was done, and we left with a sour taste in our mouths.

Beyond the service issue, the Afternoon Tea itself was underwhelming and not worth the high price point, especially the savoury selection. The air conditioning was not working properly—an uncomfortable oversight in Dubai’s climate—and there were no warm or wet towels offered, which is a basic courtesy in any high-end establishment.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this experience to anyone visiting Dubai. For a hotel that brands itself as the pinnacle of luxury, the experience fell dramatically short. A major...