I arrived at Ciel Dubai Marina with one suitcase, two sensible outfits and the mistaken belief that I could behave normally in the world’s tallest hotel. The building rises 377 metres above Dubai Marina. My neck began sightseeing before the rest of me had checked in.
In my room, the floor-to-ceiling window had clearly been placed there to ruin my schedule. Dubai Marina glittered below, the water threaded between the towers, and I spent ten minutes trying to take a photograph without my reflection looking like a confused ghost.
I had planned to unpack immediately. Instead, I sat by the glass and watched boats drift through the marina. This was a rare travel victory: doing absolutely nothing while feeling as though I had booked an activity.
Eventually, hunger restored my sense of purpose. At West 13, I faced a serious Mediterranean dilemma: choose a meal, or order enough food to represent several countries. I chose diplomacy. Afterwards, I took a walk along the Dubai Marina waterfront to persuade myself that strolling counted as exercise. The yachts appeared unconvinced.
Back at the hotel, I headed to the pool deck. I had brought a book, but the skyline kept interrupting every paragraph. The sun eased down between the buildings, and suddenly everyone around me became a photographer. I joined in, taking approximately 47 pictures of the same sunset. Naturally, I would later show people all 47.
That evening, the marina lights came on one by one. From my window, the city looked like it was dressing for a party I had been invited to watch. I made a final attempt to plan tomorrow’s sightseeing, then noticed the view again.
Was Ciel Dubai Marina worth staying in? In my story, yes. It gave me a comfortable room, a waterfront neighbourhood to explore and an excellent excuse for being late: I was waiting for the skyline to finish showing off.
No comments:
Post a Comment