Opened 1999. Built on a man-made island 280m offshore, connected by a private bridge. The '7-star' designation appears in no official hotel classification system — it was coined in a press release that became global fact.

The architecture is legitimately extraordinary: a 321-metre Teflon-coated fibreglass sail, visible from most of the city. You cannot visit without a reservation or a dining booking. The pool bar, cantilevered over the sea, is worth the minimum spend once. The suite prices are not a typo.