Jumeirah Beach Hotel

...beginning of October to the Jumeirah Beach hotel in Dubai for himself and a friend/partner.

The trip didn't start that well, with a seven-hour night flight from Heathrow with Emirates out of the always-crowded Terminal 2. Dubai is four hours ahead of the UK, so by the time we landed it was morning. We were directed out of the airport to a waiting white mini-bus, which was not exactly what I had expected from a five star hotel. However, ...
...downtown traffic to the upmarket Jumeirah beach area, about 25 minutes away. He pointed out landmarks such as the Emirates tower, which is the tallest tower in Europe and the Middle East; however, our eyes were firmly fixed on another very large, sail-shaped tower which was visible almost as soon as we left the airport: the legendary Burj Al Arab, sister hotel of our destination.

First Impressions

The Jumeirah Beach, ... more

In 2003, my husband was lucky enough to win an award at work. The prize was a three night all-expenses-paid break at the beginning of October to the Jumeirah Beach hotel in Dubai for himself and a friend/partner.

The trip didn't start that well, with a seven-hour night flight from Heathrow with Emirates out of the always-crowded Terminal 2. Dubai is four hours ahead of the UK, so by the time we landed it was morning. We were directed out of the airport to a waiting white mini-bus, which was not exactly what I had expected from a five star hotel. However, our friendly guide passed out cool towels and gave us a cheerful commentary as we made our way through downtown traffic to the upmarket Jumeirah beach area, about 25 minutes away. He pointed out landmarks such as the Emirates tower, which is the tallest tower in Europe and the Middle East; however, our eyes were firmly fixed on another very large, sail-shaped tower which was visible almost as soon as we left the airport: the legendary Burj Al Arab, sister hotel of our destination.

First Impressions

The Jumeirah Beach, as the name suggests, is located directly on the beach and built in the shape of a breaking wave. The floor-to-ceiling blue-tinted glass gives it a mirror-like appearance, glinting in the hot Arabian sun. It stands some 26 storeys high, with around 600 rooms, although the scale is lost due to the fact that it is dwarfed by the Burj Al Arab facing it from its own man-made island. We were led through reception to an outdoor terrace where we were plied with croissants, juice, coffee and other light breakfast items while our rooms were allocated; this took around 30 minutes, perhaps because of our early arrival, or maybe because we were travelling in a large group. However, we were very pleased when we were handed our keys and told that we were on the 22nd floor.

Accommodation

There are three lifts from the central reception area up to the accommodation, one of which is an "exterior" glass lift giving you a fantastic panoramic view out across the Gulf. There is also an atrium that rises up through the centre of the hotel. This is quite impressive, with metal artwork climbing up one side, although I have to admit that I didn't actually notice it until we were upstairs; the reception area itself is fairly bland and there is nothing to draw your eye upwards.

Our luggage was waiting for us in our room, which was, as you would expect, spacious, and furnished with a king-size bed, the usual wardrobes, a desk and a seating area comprising a sofa, coffee table, plus a small table and two seats. It was also equipped with internet access and a fax/printer. But we barely took any of this in as we rushed straight to the picture window framing a dizzying view of the beach complex far below, the Arabian Gulf and the Burj Al Arab. The latter dominates the view from any of the buildings along Jumeirah beach. Famous for being the best hotel in the world, it is also an architectural wonder, rising majestically out of the Gulf waters as a thrusting testament to the growth in tourism to this soon-to-run-out-of-oil Emirate. No wonder it's even on the stamps. We marvelled at it's sail-like silhouette, and were even more delighted when we discovered that it was bathed at night with waves of soft coloured light, giving a rippling effect to its "canvas".

Now, I have to say that, having seen some of the rooms on the lower floors, we did have an exceptionally good view (which was much visited by the rest of the group) so if you decide to stay here, ask for a high floor - unless you have vertigo, because the "glass wall" effect did make me slightly nervous and I certainly never leant on the window!

The other great thing about our room was the bathroom, which was huge, marble and overflowing with a selection of classy toiletries including sun tan lotion, after sun lotion and aloe vera gel. As well as a deep bath, there was an oversized walk-in shower, plus his n' hers washbasins, a toilet and of course a bidet. I particularly liked the complimentary fluffy bathrobes and slippers. (I don't get out much).

Our room was a standard "deluxe" room, but there are also suites available and interconnecting rooms can be booked - in fact, our room was next door to one of the balcony suites located at the end of the corridors, and had a (locked) interconnecting door.

Facilities

The 2006 UK Business Traveller Awards voted the Jumeirah Beach "Best Resort Hotel in the World". It is certainly true that it has impressive facilities, and it is geared up for the sort of people who, when they take a break, still need to be "in touch with the office". The hotel is set on its own stretch of private beach accessed from the hotel basement. You have to show your room key to collect fresh beach towels as you exit, but I think that the beach is also open to day visitors, as there were changing rooms and toilets available on this level.

Stepping outside, you are greeted by beautiful tropical gardens, not at all what you might expect in a desert country. A hard surface "promenade" and perfectly manicured lawns border the beach, which is actually fairly small but carefully shaped to provide safe, sheltered bathing. Allegedly, it is man-made, from imported sand! Naturally, this was pristine, fine and white.

The main leisure pool was off to the left, and the surrounding terrace felt surprisingly secluded and spacious. We embarrassed ourselves on the first day by commenting that there seemed to be a lack of sun-beds - then we realised that it was because when you walk up to the pool, staff will appear for you to indicate where you would like one placed. In fact, the service everywhere in the hotel was incredibly attentive, but so discrete that I didn't uncomfortable or out of place, as I had feared I might (what with being so common). There was a swim-up bar and you could order food or drinks from the waiting staff, who also distributed free iced water, and had spare sun tan lotion etc to hand. I quickly decided that I could get used to this.

Further along the beach there was access to the neighbouring Wadi Wadi water park. This is open to the public, but there is free entry for guests of the Jumeirah Beach or Burj Al Arab. We had a fun afternoon riding the flumes on an inflatable double doughnut. Interestingly, some of the rides propelled you uphill (and at quite a speed!) so you hardly needed to get out. I have been to some of the larger American water parks, and this attraction compared favourably. It even had a "standing wave" for surfing (although I declined to try it).

Past the water park lay the bridge to the offshore Burj Al Arab, guarded by two security men. There is a charge for non-residents to cross, unless you are staying at the Jumeirah Beach. You can either walk across or, as we did, hail a golf-buggy from the hotel exit to take you. The Burj is worth a visit, if only to reaffirm that money can't buy you taste. The décor is wonderfully ostentatious, dripping in gold and silk, and more Arabic in style than its Beach counterpart. Be warned though, they don't like you taking pictures, and we felt a bit "watched". We stopped for a cocktail in the bar just below the helipad and this is definitely something you should not miss for the jaw-dropping view. Although at £10 a drink, you need to drink slowly.

The other facility that we made use of during our stay was the dive centre, located at the other end of the complex from the Wadi Wadi and Burj Al Arab bridge. This was staffed by PADI certified instructors. As it had been a while since our last dive, we opted to have a short refresher lesson, which took place in the "lap pool". This is surrounded by concrete seating terraces, but a word of warning - don't be tempted to remove your sandals. Even at the beginning of October, you could have cooked an egg on the surface and we were very glad to jump straight in. Our instructor told us that it reaches 40 degrees in the summer months, so this is perhaps the one area that could be improved, as there is little shade.

The instructors all seemed to be European or Australian, perhaps not surprisingly, as half the population in Dubai is made up of ex-pats. However, we did notice one concession to the location, in that there was a choice of wetsuit styles. As well as the usual figure-hugging neoprene, there was a more modest "draped" style that we saw some women wearing. We dived on a sunken cement barge which to be honest was not that exciting, and the huge "Palm" building site just down the coast probably didn't help the visibility or wildlife, but it was pleasant enough. We were given apples to feed the fish, which I had always thought was not an ethical thing to do when diving, but I suppose they were trying to retain at least some aquatic life in the area.

The Jumeirah beach also caters for families, having family and toddlers pools, and "Sinbad's Kids Club" which included a pirate-themed wet play area. This looked great fun, although we didn't feel we could legitimately visit without a child in tow.

In fact, the Jumeirah beach seemed to be able to provide just about anything you can think of, with a shopping mall, putting green, tennis courts, water sports and other services and trips available. I understand from two naughty young lads from my husband's company that the concierge service was very obliging, even in areas that you may not have expected from this location, but I will leave that up to your imagination.

Eating

Our stay at the Jumeirah beach was fairly short, so we only experienced a couple of the eating places there. Since we were officially on a business trip, breakfast and lunch comprised a private buffet, on an outdoor terrace and on the lawn near the beach respectively. The food was good, but fairly standard fare. More impressive though, was the intricate ice sculpture carved by the chef each day on the lawn!

One evening we ate at "Beachcombers", which as the name suggests, fronts the beach, and serves "a South East Asian inspired menu"; this was pretty good and included some lovely barbequed items cooked outside. We also ate on the final day in the downstairs area of the shopping area, the Colonnade. This was an up-market "food court" offering an array of stations serving different types of food. This was the only meal that we paid for ourselves, and it was not nearly as expensive as we had feared, being around £30 for both of us to have a main course and a beer. I had a curry, which was excellent. This option seemed to be the least expensive in the hotel, and popular with the families staying there. However, all the restaurants had clearly displayed menus and prices at the entrance, and you could select from Lebanese, Argentinean, German, American and many other styles of cuisine. There was even a traditional English pub, the Dhow and Anchor.

However, the highlight of the trip was a black tie dinner at the Villa Beach restaurant, which was situated on the beach directly opposite the Burj Al Arab. This was a great event, featuring posh nosh, good wine and dancing the night away afterwards.

General atmosphere

The clientele at the Jumeirah beach was a curious mix of business travellers, "corporate incentive" winners and, err, basically wealthy people, mainly British or Arabs. While we were staying there, we saw Gazza and a member of the English cricket team.

I found the place wonderfully relaxing, and basically quiet and polite. There were Arabs in traditional dress, and some ladies wearing the veil - even on the beach - but Western swim attire was more the norm and completely acceptable. Dubai is a very cosmopolitan country, although you should still dress conservatively when you travel outside of the hotel.

Price

As I have stated, we did not pay for the trip (apart from, unfortunately, the tax on it) although I believe that if you were to book a package deal with any of the major tour operators, you could expect to pay in the region of £800 on a B&B basis. If travelling independently, a return economy flight to Dubai with Emirates costs around £300 to £400. I would say that the cost of eating and drinking at the hotel is on a par with London restaurants, although more if you journey over to the Burj Al Arab.

Summary

Would I return to the Jumeirah beach hotel? Yes - if I had the money. I think it's an ideal location for a short break, as to be honest the attractions of Dubai itself would not be enough to draw me for a long holiday or for repeated visits, and there are lots of other places that I would like to see. However, the service was absolutely faultless, and I'm sure that it would be an easy place to travel to with children, which surprised me. 

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