Chilling out in Dubai's ice cafe at -6 degrees C
-
First 'ice lounge' in Middle East launched in Dubai; Interior decor of the Chillout cafe is made entirely of carved ice
A general view of the Chillout cafe is pictured in Dubai. Chillout, owned by UAE's Sharaf Group, is the first ice lounge in the Middle East, with temperatures set at -6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Farenheit). The cafe, with its illuminated interiors, curtains, paintings and seating arrangements, is all made of carved ice and frozen sculptures.
Honeymooners and other tourists from the Gulf are heading to the throbbing heart of Dubai to beat the summer heat by cooling off at the first "ice lounge" in the Middle East.
The interior decor of Dubai's Chillout cafe is made entirely of carved ice, with frozen picture frames, ice curtains and frosty seats covered in fur.
The interior of the cafe, owned by UAE's Sharaf Group, is lit with multi-coloured fluorescent lights.
"We got married in Riyadh four days ago and the first place on our to-do list was to visit Chillout cafe in Dubai," said 27-year-old Saudi travel agent Ahmed, holding the hand of his veiled bride Nouf.
"Can you imagine you're in a freezing café while it's 35 degrees (Celsius) outside?"
Visitors are kitted out with thermal jackets, boots and fur hats provided by the cafe in a striking similarity to the ice hotels which dot Scandinavia in winter.
Dubai - which is famous for its luxury shopping, beaches, indoor ski slope, the world's tallest tower and a man-made palm-shaped island - has become a top short-stay tourist destination in the Middle East alongside Cairo and Beirut.
Tourism is crucial to Dubai's economy, which had a gross domestic product of around $90 billion last year, supports the emirate's large retail industry and hospitality sectors.
Dubai aims to triple its annual income from tourism to Dh300 billion ($82 billion) by 2020, which would involve doubling the number of its hotel rooms, Helal Almarri, director-general of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said last week.
Visitors to Chillout pay Dh60 for a 40-minute visit and are served one hot drink. The cafe can fit 40 people at a time and gets about 100 visitors a day.
A Saudi couple inspect the menu at Chillout cafe in Dubai.
A passerby looks into the Chillout cafe in Dubai.
A couple get themselves ready before entering Chillout cafe in Dubai.
Man helps his newly-wed wife put on a fur hat at Chillout cafe in Dubai
A waitress serves hot chocolate at Chillout cafe in Dubai
A woman photographs her husband standing behind the bar at Chillout cafe
A Saudi family drinks hot chocolate at Chillout cafe in Dubai.