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.

First Impressions

Accommodation

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".

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).

Facilities

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.

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).

Pictures of Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Jumeirah Beach at night from the Villa Beach restaurant

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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 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.

Eating

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.

General atmosphere

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.

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.