Look: On Dubai’s Palm, it’s The View that matters

Cast your mind over the Palm – there doesn’t seem to anything that this self-contained island seems to be missing out on. And with The View opening, the Palm has truly added another dimension – that of a bird’s eye perspective.

Because The View – a good 240 metres up in the air – provides a unique perspective of the Palm and what it brings to Dubai’s status as a destination-city.

Sure, on the ground, the eyes can take in the sheer magnitude of what’s been built out of the sea, those magnificent homes and hotel-resorts, and some sumptuous F&B hangouts.

Dubai has its share of attractions built around the vertical element – the Burj ( 555 metres) and the Frame (150 metres), plus the skyscrapers that underpinned the city’s passage into full-blown freehold development.

But head up to The View, right up there on the 52nd floor of the Palm Tower, and the rarefied air and ambient settings do give a fresh take to be part of that wider destination.

A man takes photo on the observation deck of "The View at The Palm Jumeirah" in Dubai.

Not that everything is straight up when it comes to height. Ain Dubai (250 metres), the Ferris wheel on Bluewaters will open just ahead of the Expo in October.

But with all these high points, the vistas are vast as the eyes take in each panoramic detail of the city’s evolution.

At The View, it’s more binary. One direction has the stretch of the high seas, broken in places by a yacht or a small boat slipping through. On the other, it’s bounded by whatever has been built on the Palm to date. One’s free to look beyond – but the seas and the Palm would be enough for most.

A sample of a massive boulder used in the construction at the exhibition area of The View at The Palm, by Nakheel.

A woman watches the view of Marina district towers from the observation deck of "The View at The Palm Jumeirah".

Omar Khoory, Chief Assets and Hospitality Officer at Nakheel, which built the island and the Palm Tower, says it best: “The View will uncover the evolutionary journey behind building one of the most splendid man-made islands in the world. As Nakheel continues to add innovative destinations to its ever-growing retail portfolio, we hope that these experiences will inspire wonder to visitors of all ages and backgrounds.”

The logistics of getting to the View is pretty straightforward. For visitors, it’s heading up via the Nakheel Mall. Coming summer, those staying at the St. Regis hotel that forms part of the Palm Tower can take the elevator. And so can future residents at the apartments, which will open later in the year. Above, Aquarium at the enterence of The View at The Palm.

Later in the year, Dubai gets another vantage point, in Ain Dubai, and create another bona fide attraction for a city that has no scarcity of the unique.

However, in the self-contained eco-system that is the Palm, The View will remain the One. A true constant.