FIRST IMPRESSIONS “This is not a hotel, this is a palace,” I was told before entering the slightly ordinary-looking marble building. The palace has uninterrupted views over Jeddah’s corniche and the Red Sea beyond. The Qasr Al Sharq is managed by Hilton International and is next door to the Jeddah Hilton, an impressive property in its own right with palm trees and waterfalls inside its gigantic lobby. The palace had its soft opening on May 15 and already has an occupancy of 60 per cent.
Inside, the fun begins. As you enter the lobby lounge you’re greeted by cream marble and gold-leaf ceilings, crystal chandeliers and gold-painted columns. In total, 60kg of gold was used to paint the Qasr Al Sharq. The main staircase, which leads up the nine solid marble floors, has a 12-metre crystal chandelier shimmering its whole length (it was made to order from Austria). Apparently it’s the largest in the world and it is a stunning sight. It seems fitting that the clientele here is royalty – the princes of Saudi Arabia and the entire region. The most expensive suite costs around SAR50,000 a night (£7,126). There are 200 staff, and butlers on every floor, available 24 hours. The lobby lounge on the first floor offers breakfast and hot drinks and a cigar lounge.
HOW MANY ROOMS? None, but 46 suites: two Qasr Al Sharq suites, eight royal suites, 12 executive suites and 24 junior suites.
ROOM FACILITIES Rooms are breathtaking – a visual feast, or perhaps gaudy, depending on your taste, but there is no stopping the feeling of sheer amazement as you walk into each room. Luxurious is too weak a word. All rooms in the suites have Italian furniture, gold-leaf ceilings and marble bathrooms. Plasma-screen TVs and laptops are standard and there is wifi throughout as well as broadband. There is a touchpad remote control to change the chandelier lighting, open and close curtains and control the air conditioning. Nearly every room within the suites has crystal chandeliers from Austria, and gold thread runs through the curtains, pillows, dressing gowns and towels. Ceilings are gold-plated, and there is embroidered gold-threaded wallpaper.
The Al Sharq suites are an overwhelming 1,000sqm, with interconnecting doors and corridors. There are two master bedrooms with ensuite dressing rooms, a balcony with sun beds overlooking the sea, and bathrooms with rare blue marble detail. These suites also have guest bathrooms, a private dining area, gym and spa, sauna and steam room, office and fully equipped kitchen as well as a CD player and DVD. There was even a TV built into the bathroom mirror. The private sitting room was full of bowls of fresh fruit and dates when I visited. The doors are so thick it would, apparently, take eight hours for a fire to penetrate. The other suites aren’t poky: the royal suites measure 450sqm, the executive suites 130sqm and the junior suites 64sqm.
RESTAURANTS The Qasr Al Sharq has two restaurants, which have strikingly different decor from the rest of the building. There is Italian restaurant Bice on the second floor, open for lunch and dinner and already a hit with locals. It’s a light, airy room with cream tablecloths and stylish hand-crafted designer cutlery. There is an area that can be sectioned off for private groups. The space is so different from the rest of the palace that it feels calm and simple. Mataam Al Sharq Oriental Restaurant, opposite Bice is also open for lunch and dinner and serves traditional Middle Eastern fare. The restaurant has a different atmosphere from Bice, more cosy with deep colours and rich wall hangings. It has a private dining room rather like a tent with cloth draped from the centre of the circular room. The average price for a meal at both restaurants is SAR400 (£57).
BUSINESS FACILITIES AND MEETING ROOMS There are seven themed boardrooms with separate dining facilities and a business centre with secretarial services, all decorated with lavish aplomb.
LEISURE FACILITIES The hotel has a decadent marble-clad spa with a hammam and a pool, which has underwater jet streams. A range of treatments is available.
VERDICT An incredible building, oozing with opulence, it will not be to everyone’s taste but is a spectacular place full of all the pomp and circumstance royalty can buy.
PRICE The Qasr Al Sharq suite is SAR 17,250 (£8,190) per night, royal suite SAR 35,000 (£5,734) per night, executive suite SAR 10,000 (£1,638) per night and junior suite SAR 5,000 (£819) per night.
CONTACT Qasr Al Sharq, Corniche Road, Jeddah 21462, tel +966 265 99 999.
Felicity Cousins
