Conceived as a literal palace for a nation still writing its own architectural identity, the building that houses Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi cost an estimated three billion US dollars to construct and took roughly 37,000 workers three years to complete before opening in 2005. Designed by the British architect John Elliott of RTKL Associates, the 1,020-room complex stretches across 100 hectares of the Ras Al Akhdar peninsula, its rose-gold sandstone facades and 114 domes visible from well out in the Arabian Gulf — as the aerial image here confirms, the building holds its own against Abu Dhabi's gleaming tower skyline with the quiet confidence of something that was never competing. Inside, the rooms photographed following a recent renovation show how far the interiors have moved from the original's more maximalist register toward something more considered: sage-painted tray ceilings fitted with sculptural brass-and-alabaster chandeliers, fluted brass cabinetry, geometric mashrabiya-patterned headboards in woven metallic fabric, arched balcony doors framing direct sea views. The dining spaces retain warmer drama — pointed Moorish arches in dark timber, gold-leafed coffered ceilings, curved leather banquettes in burnt sienna arranged around circular tables beneath cascading globe pendants. Outside, the freeform pool threads between date palms and colonnaded sandstone pavilions with tiled mosaic domes, the whole landscape carrying the atmosphere of a royal garden rather than a resort amenity.

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