My family and I have stayed in this hotel on a number of occasions now and I would never stay anywhere else in Dubai. The quality of the hotel rooms and service puts a 5 star hotel in Britain to shame. I cannot tell you how much the room cost as we were living in Saudi Arabia at the time and so payed in Saudi Riyals, but for the class of the hotel it was well worth every penny. On arrival we were given a cold drink and our luggage was taken to our room. We stayed in a suite in the main building which comprised a sitting room which was equipped with TV, DVD player, Stereo system, 2 sofas, coffee table, Bureau, Dining table and 4 chairs, fresh fruit and
fresh flowers, and sliding doors leading onto a balcony with sea view. Through a door you entered the bedroom which was luxurious to say the least. A large king size bed with mountains of pillows and the thickest duvet in the world, TV, DVD player, huge wardrobes and dressing table, coffee making facilities, hairdrier and more fresh flowers. The bathroom contained a bath, seperate shower, sink, toilet, bidet, plenty of towels, bath robes, slippers and all the toiletries you could possibly need for your stay. We had a cot in the bedroom, and a fold out bed in the lounge behind the sofa for my daughter, and there was plenty of room to move around. The suite also comes with butler service 24 hours a day. You get a complimentary bottle of wine each evening and appertifs, and they have a list of dvd's that you can borrow at no charge - handy to keep the little ones entertained. They will even provide baby bottle cleaning and sterilising service if you have infants with you.
The food is second to none, but our favourite by far has to be the steak restaurant - Prime Rib. This was the best steak I have ever had, cooked to perfection and not a bit of fat on it. Satchmo's is a cocktail bar which is just outside the prime rib, and the staff are superb and very helpful. The buffet restaurant is superb value - eat as much as you can - and the breakfast is a treat. For a taste of Arabia, try the Al Khaima bar near the beach. This is an outdoor bar which at night has the Hookah's - we call it hubbly bubbly - a smoking pipe popular in the middle east which uses flavoured tobacco and water to filter the smoke and smooth the texture. I am not a smoker but I enjoyed this and it is worth the experience.
The swimming pool area is excecptional. There is the main pool with a swim up bar, and a childrens pool which is covered to protect little bodies from the extreme sun rays. Food is available by the pool and drinks are served icy cold which is a blessing as it gets so very hot. During the summer months the temperatures can reach 120 degrees plus, and the humidity is intense, so drink as much water as you can or you will suffer. The beach is immaculate, and the hotel grounds are well maintained.
The childrens club is very good if you have young ones that need entertaining, they do lots of art and craft with them, organised sports, video games, board games, play kitchen and house, and various other equipment. The staff are friendly and approachable, and the children are well taken care of.
There is a babysitting service available at an extra charge, but the same sitter is allocated each time so the children become accustomed to them. In fact, we had the same sitter on every different vacation, and she remembered the childrens names every time. Rest assured that your children are in very capable hands, and they are extremely professional.
There is also a spa providing every kind of treatment that you may wish to indulge yourself in for an extra charge. I never used this myself but I am told it is fantastic.
There is a beautiful golf course not far from the hotel, and they will book tee times for you and arrange transport to get there, well worth a visit if you are a keen golfer.
The only downside to the hotel is the building work which is going on in the area. It seems that there are new hotels being built all around, and on approach to the resort you will wonder what you have got yourself into. However, once you enter the resort, you don't even know the building work is there. It's like entering a different world.
There is a taxi service available outside the hotel at all times, and you can arrange with the driver to pick you up again at a pre-arranged time so you don't have to worry about finding a taxi back to the hotel again. We did this many times and we were never let down.
The only other advise I will give you is that in summer the heat is oppressive. Although I know you can get good deals during the summer months to Dubai, if you have young children I would avoid it. After living in the middle east I have had first hand experience of this. All hotels and buildings have air conditioning in them, but once you step outside it's like walking into a Sauna. If you do want to go there and you have a young family, I would advise going before or after the summer months, November - May is a good time. Also, avoid during Ramadan as they don't serve alcohol or pork products during this time of fasting.
All in all, this is a top quality hotel, superb service, second to none in all ways. A truly memorable vacation.
After reading your reveiw of this hotel, we've just booked up for a week in Oct.
vcarina88x 22.07.2007 21:40
Very informative review, enjoyed reading ♥ VC
supreah 16.01.2007 15:10
I was among those unfortunate visitors who were in Dubai during Ramadan and agree with what you have to say. It's better to postpone your visit than going during Ramadan.
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