Hilton Dubai Jumeirah

...beach strip apart from the Hilton Hotel; the surrounding land was just barren desert. However, after my present visit in 2006 I was surprised to see there were about 200 buildings being constructed behind the Hilton Hotel! If you've read this far and are thinking it's a big no, no you'll be surprised at how much the construction doesn't really bother you.

As soon as you catch a glimpse of the white sandy beaches against the clear ...
...which is 5 star. The Hilton also currently costs about the same as Oasis Beach Hotel. A sea view double room; Deluxe Plus costs 950 AED plus 20% service charge and tax per night (~£150 for the room which is £75 per person). We wanted to avoid land view rooms (due to the construction). Land view rooms however are cheaper and may be worthwhile if you will be out most of the time. The Hilton is a much bigger hotel than Oasis Beach Hotel having 389 rooms, ... more

A lot can happen in a space of a few years but never more so than in Dubai; it's currently a massive construction site but in the nicest sort of way! The last time I visited Dubai in 2002, I stayed at Oasis Beach Hotel in Jumeirah. At that time the Oasis Beach hotel was the last hotel on the beach strip apart from the Hilton Hotel; the surrounding land was just barren desert. However, after my present visit in 2006 I was surprised to see there were about 200 buildings being constructed behind the Hilton Hotel! If you've read this far and are thinking it's a big no, no you'll be surprised at how much the construction doesn't really bother you.

As soon as you catch a glimpse of the white sandy beaches against the clear blue skies and hear the sound of the sea as the waves come in…you soon forget the construction, believe me you do! The blue green sea has a somewhat calming and relaxing effect that you soon learn to ignore the construction in the background (it takes place mostly at night anyway). At times even the construction itself looks amazing due to sheer scale of it.

Why did I choose the Hilton?
Having previously stayed along Jumeirah beach in the 4 star Oasis Beach Hotel, we were keen to keep the relaxing beach location and thought we'd try the well-established Hilton, which is 5 star. The Hilton also currently costs about the same as Oasis Beach Hotel. A sea view double room; Deluxe Plus costs 950 AED plus 20% service charge and tax per night (~£150 for the room which is £75 per person). We wanted to avoid land view rooms (due to the construction). Land view rooms however are cheaper and may be worthwhile if you will be out most of the time. The Hilton is a much bigger hotel than Oasis Beach Hotel having 389 rooms, a variety of restaurants, etc and kids activities. The location of the hotel however is a bit far out from the airport and shopping areas like Gold Souk etc, but a 40-45 minute taxi ride will take you there. You are closer to newer shopping malls like Mall of Emirates that has the artificial ski slopes. It's worth noting that the whole of Jumeirah is affected by the construction, so booking any hotel along the strip you will see or possibly hear the construction going on when outside.

Check-in & Reception

I'd booked the room about a month in advance directly through the Hilton website so was confident of speedy check-in. Upon arrival which was after 2p.m, we were greeted with chilled cocktails and our young child was given some colouring books. However, whilst at the reception we were rather disappointed to learn that the non-smoking sea view room we had requested was not available immediately and we would have to wait. We were asked to wait in the lobby area with a supply of free soft drinks. No offer of upgrade or temporary room was offered. As our stay was so short and we were tired, this was not a good start to end a long holiday. In about an hour a room was available and ready.

The Room

The room that awaited us was situated on the 6th floor. We had requested a High Floor when the booking was made; I guess we were expecting more like the 9th floor but never mind. Once inside the room was clean, well presented with large King size bed, reading lamps, writing area, satellite tv, internet access, mini-bar area with complimentary bottle of mineral water and fresh fruit. The room had everything you'd expect in a 5 star hotel, including a full size ironing board and iron. One thing I was really impressed with was the full size professional Swiss-made hairdryer, which was an absolute delight to use; as it was so quiet! There were also tea and coffee making facilities, so you won't miss that traditional english cup of tea! The only minor gripe was there was only a single seater sofa when the room was a double room, a double settee would have been better.

All the rooms at Hilton have attached balconies. The balcony was rather a small balcony compared to the adjacent hotel Oasis Beach hotel, which has bigger balconies. However, the size of the balcony was not really an issue after seeing the view from our so called Deluxe Plus room; we were quite disappointed as it was a not a direct sea view. The view from the room was a partial sea view with view of pool, buildings, construction and some sea view. (See photo attached). I did mention this to the hotel but they informed me only the suites have a direct sea view room. This point is worth noting as on the Hilton website they have 2 categories of rooms; Deluxe and Deluxe Plus. The description for the Deluxe Plus room states, "Deluxe Plus Rooms incorporate a private balcony overlooking the beach and the blue waters of the Arabian Gulf." So, don't go by just reading the hotel's website it can be misleading.

The Bathroom

There's nothing more I look forward to after checking in from long, tiring dusty travels than to have a shower and snuggle up in a thick soft white fleecy bathrobe! I was not let down the bathroom although average in size had everything a traveller would need, from shower gels containing ylang ylang to after shower cooling fragranced cologne/water splash on. The bathtub was full size with sparkling chrome taps, which could be turned to a powerful shower only. The bathroom was in pristine sparkling condition with marble tiled floor and a matching vanity sink area with a marble surround (see photo attached). There was a clean white low-level WC with a matching white bidet. The bathroom also had an ample supply of fresh white cotton towels and a set of snug white towelling robes and for the extra lazy a direct dial phone situated next to the toilet!

Room Service

As with any 5 star hotel there is 24-hour room service. On one of the evenings, we ordered dinner for our child, as it was too late to dine in the evening with him in the restaurants. The food was freshly prepared in 20 minutes and served piping hot. We also got to use the room service for milk for the child. The room was always made up with fresh bed sheets and towels whenever we requested, and supplies toiletries replaced. All the staff at the hotel were really friendly, each one saying hello to you whenever they passed and generally all were jolly.

Breakfast

Our room rate included a buffet breakfast. This was served daily in the Oceana restaurant from 7-11.00a.m. We were usually late in going for breakfast and usually got there around 10a.m. I found the breakfast buffet rather busy at this time and on one occasion; we had to wait to be seated. So, my advice would be to try and go earlier. There was a variety of foods at breakfast from a cooked English breakfast, scrambled eggs, sausages, to a selection of cold meats, yoghurt, salad, fresh fruit, and pancakes. There would usually be a choice of 3 fresh fruit juices to choose from. I would recommend getting breakfast included with the room rate as otherwise it costs around £14 for an ordered breakfast through room service.

More Eating

There are many other restaurants and bars in the Hilton. One worth mentioning is the BICE restaurant, which is well known for serving authentic Italian food. We didn't get to try any of the bars out as we had a young child. Most of our time we spent outdoors relaxing in the garden area looking out towards the sea, eating at the café/restaurant called the Wavebreaker . The place had lots of freshly squeezed fruit juices. I had refreshing fruit cocktail comprising strawberry, melon and kiwi! We ordered a selection of burgers served with fries or wedges. The burgers were thick and good quality. Beware! Adult portions can be large, if in doubt order a children's size. We had another four friends join us at the garden café and burgers and fresh fruit juices for all 6 of us cost about 400AED (~£63).

Other facilities

The hotel has 2 pools, a main large pool, and a smaller kiddie's pool. Unfortunately, we couldn't use the pool, as the water was too cold! Due to construction of higher multi-storey buildings behind the Hilton most of the pool area was in the shade and being Dubai's winter (January) the temperature was about 19 degrees with a sea breeze so it was slightly chilly. In fact, during my entire stay, I only saw one person using the pool. So unless it's very hot I doubt the pool would be used much. As the pool wasn't suitable to use this time I checked out Hilton's activities for children - and yes they are well looked after here. There is a Kid's Club in the hotel which is well stocked with a variety of toys, jigsaw puzzles, colouring. It was not busy and I found only one other child present. You can leave your child alone with them providing they are over 3 years old otherwise you have to stay with the child. My child was just over 3 so I couldn't leave him alone but we both stayed to play for sometime. The Kid's Club is free to use. Throughout the day they have fixed activities. Outdoors, in the garden area near the pool there is a play area with slide and sometimes they have a bouncy castle. So if you do have kids don't worry about staying here. On the other hand if you don't have kids don't worry the place is not overrun by children; we found only a four-five families with children.

Leisure Experiences..
One area I did get to thoroughly use is the Gym and Spa area. The gym opens from early morning till 10p.m at night, so it gave me plenty of time to use it. The hotel has an exclusive lift that takes you straight to the floor where entrance of the gym is. After signing in you are given a headset, towel, and locker key if you wish to use the Spa later. The usual set of treadmills, cross trainers, steppers, and free weights were available. The gym was average size with full-length glass windows on one side offering views over the Arabian Gulf. Overall, it was pleasant to use, not crowded, very clean and air-conditioned. After a workout in the gym, I was looking forward to investigating the Spa! Luckily, there was nobody else there so I had the place to myself! It comprised of 2 small steam rooms, a sauna, two large shower cubicles stocked with Molton Brown shampoo and shower gel. There was a relaxation room, which consisted of a dark room with a reclined lounger, the only problem with the room, was its location; it was too near to the entrance to the Spa. This meant that every 10 minutes or so you would hear someone (usually the staff) coming in/out to check the Spa is ok. There is health Club that offers mainly massages. I chose a 30-minute treatment called the Bali Touch, which is head massage using oil. You are suggested to leave the oil on and use the steam room afterwards. The end result after washing my hair it was luxuriously soft and silky. The cost was 100AED (~£15), which is not too bad for a 5 star hotel.

Overall, would I recommend Hilton? Yes, if you've never been to Dubai you will absolutely love it. But personally, I feel the Hilton is a bit dated now and newer and better 5 star and 4 star hotels are available in Dubai, like Al Qsar, The Palace at One & Only Royal Mirage but these are more expensive than the Hilton. So I guess the Hilton offers best value for money. For short 1-2 night stays I'd recommend Hilton, but if you're staying a few days I'd suggest checking out maybe the newer hotels. If you have any questions about this Hotel or Dubai please ask, otherwise have a happy trip!

I'd also advise checking out tripadvisor; a great source of travel news and useful information from travellers like you and me.

connoisseur_haggler© 2006.

End Note. Hilton have given me a free night's stay due to the problems checking in - so another visit awaits… 

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