CanuckFlyer

Sorry GoldMember, we ended up cancelling our stay when the friends we were planning on meeting up with received a travel advisory (they are working in Saudi). We were very disappointed and hope to reschedule before they move back to Canada.

Goldmember

No worry. Ms. Goldmember and I will be there for May 16 & 17. I was kind of curious to find out about airport service pick up, room service etc...

If anyone else has comments I'd love to hear em.

CanuckFlyer

Hey Goldmember, May 17 is my 11th wedding anniversary! Have fun for me, will ya? I'll be stuck in Atlanta, dreaming of more exotic locales.

Goldmember

Congratulations! I'll do my best to have a good time. I have two ex-colleagues from Canadian Airlines now working for Emirates who will be touring us around. I think it should make for an interesting 48 hours. I'll be sure to let you know.

Frequentflyer99

Just back from Dubai. Did not stay at the Fairmont but dined there using my US$50 meal vouchers. Amazing hotel. No expense spared but - like everywhere in DBX - in the middle of nowhere in terms of being able to walk from one place to another. It is very much a city hotel and would not be the place to stay if you want the beach or sun. Things are not too far apart but the traffic is awful (worse than London or Paris). Also Dubai is currently one enormous building site from miles off the coast (the Palm Islands) right through to the centre.

For the airport book in advance the Marhaba service (do a Google search) which gets you a buggy to meet you at the gate, fast track through crew immigration etc. Well worth the money and ditto for outbound, where they check you in at F whichever class you are, barge through security queues and through express passport channel.

Send me a private message if there are any particular details you need.

Goldmember

Thanks a million for the input on the Marhaba Service. It looks excellent, and I will likely go this route. Just a question though, are there multiple providers of the service? I see it is offered through the Airport as well as through Emirates. I'm not sure if Emirates has the ground handling contract at the airport, in which case it is a moot point.

Not sure how much time you spent touring around, but anything you would recommend as far as a "must see" or "must do"? Its basically a 48 hour layover for Ms Goldmember and myself.

Frequentflyer99

Marhaba has only 1 provider: DNATA which seems to be linked in both with the aiprort and Emirates. It is available for all flights whatever airline.

Havent really seens a lot so cant offer too much advice ! Have always just crashed out on the beach. There is little enough in terms of real sights. In DXB itself there is the creek area which is about a 10-15 min taxi ride from the Fairmont and would take a couple of hours to see inlduing the Gold Soukh (ghastly) and a water crossing across the Creek. If you want fakes (bags wtaches etc. imported from Thailand) go to Karama area (5-10 mins from hotel by taxi but pretty dull). Sharjah is about 30 mins or so by taxi (maybe a bit more in bad traffic) and it is older and has some quite 'echt' Soukh areas. More genuine than DXB and possibly worth a visit if you have nothing eslse to do.

The only other 'should do' is to take a cab out to Jumeirah beach (about 15 mins or so) and gaze at the Burj Al Arab hotel (best when lt up at night), possibly as part of a dinner experience at the nearby new Mina A Salam (?) hotel (another sight in its own right in terms of ostentation). It has a Chinese restaurant which we could not get into because it was booked 2 weeks ahead, but looked really interesting and not overpriced. May be worth an advance boooking if you like Chinese.

Oceanbound222

Has anyone stayed at the Fairmont hotel in Dubai UAE ?

If so, what were your impressions.

Thanks

Goldmember

Ms Goldmember and I stayed there in May. We had a room on the Gold Floor, which was very nice, albeit a bit small. They did uphold the same Fairmont standards including turndown service and a complimentary fruit basket upon arrival. I wasn't holding my breath on these items, but was pleased to see it. Watch for the electrical switches though. They are activated by your room key, and are located immediately when walking through the door. Your room key must be placed into the slot and left there for lights and a/c to function. Took Ms G to figure this one out...

The staff were extremely attentive and courteous, and seemed to hail from every other country but the UAE. Gold Floor stays come with complimentary transfers to and from the airport, which was a nice perk. A Fairmont rep met us right after customs, escorted us to a new Merc E320, where they had cold towels and colder water waiting. A nice treat after a long flight. Just call Fairmont to confirm pick-up. This is well worth it IMO.

The Gold floor lounge is large, comfortable and has a great view of, well, cranes and construction equipment mostly, but offers a great panoramic shot of DXB. Its best around dusk, as the sun setting through a shroud of dust paints an interesting backdrop. Best observed through a glass of Ketle One and Tonic.

The spa was great and not outrageously expensive. While I wasn't quite prepared for the burly Philipino gentlemen who pounded my back and neck for 90 minutes, I'm certain it straightened my spine after the long flight in. Ms G even commented that I appeared taller after the session. Oh, and if you decide to go with a manicure or pedicure, test the heat of the parrifin wax prior to immersing your hands/feet. I'm pretty sure it removed an entire dermal layer.

Be prepared to cab everywhere, as even though the property is a landmark by design, it is not terribly well situated for walkabouts. I would have to recommend the Gold Soque (sp). Great place to spend an afternoon bickering with people.

Overall I would recommend the place highly. You can expect standard Fairmont quality and services...

Oceanbound222

Mr. Goldmember,

Thanks for your report.

What food/beverages were offered in the Club/Gold lounge?
Was the lounge really open 24 hours daily?
Was the breakfast in the lounge continental or full buffet?
Do Gold Floor guests get free entrance into the sauna and steam area. I know massages and other services are never free.

Does the hotel offer any free shuttles to the beach or shopping areas?

I have never stayed in a Fairmont property before. I am a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton customer, but decided to try the Dubai Fairmont.

Goldmember

They appeared to have a pretty wide variety of cheese, fruits and hot and cold appetizers when we were up there later in the day. Full bar with draft beer and a wide variety of wines and other spirits.

Breakfast was also hot and cold items, although it was a little limited in its overall offering. You can order separately with the waiters if you do not see anything that appeals to you though.

AS for it being open 24 hours, no clue, but there was certainly always someone there when we swung by...probably best to check the fairmont site for hours of op, and access to the spa and gym...

I don't think you'll be disappointed with Fairmont at all. It's a great chain, with an even better loyalty program (IMO)

stimpy

I haven't stayed there as a guest, but I have had lunch there and met with the hotel staff on some business. It seems like a great hotel, but as mentioned it's far away from everything. It's on Sheik Zayed road which is a stretch of business offices out in the middle of the desert. It's far from downtown and the beaches. I recommend renting a car which I do everytime in Dubai.

Oceanbound222

The suite was lovely. The living room furniture was old and in need of being replaced. The chairs and couch were not comfortable to sit on. You kind of sank into places where hundreds of people had sat before.

The gold lounge was top notch.

My only complaint about the gold lounge was one day a waiter came up to me and told me he knew where I worked. I was quite upset as the only way he could have known was to read my "profile/bio" on the computer. I wondered why a waiter was reading my profile.

I called the gold lounge manager and she confirmed waiters have access to the computer profile of guests - name, age, employer, likes and dislikes, etc. In other words, if it is on the computer, all wait staff can read it. I really felt uncomfortable about this. The manager defended the policy by saying the more staff know about us, the more they can meet our needs. I disagree.

Cascadia

I agree with Fairmont. The service I receive from Fairmont is getting better all the time as they anticipate my needs more and more.

Tax Dude

We were staying at the Fairmont YVR airport last year prior to flying home and invited a Vancouver friend to the restaurant for dinner. After the meal I was surprised when the waiter came over bearing a dessert plate with a candle in it saying that someone had a birthday coming up. I kept trying to tell him that he must have the wrong table. It turned out that the concierge on the Gold floor where we were staying (and who had made the dinner reservation for us) noticed that my birthday was the following day and had phoned down to ask them to do something for me.

I have to admit, I enjoyed that little intrusion into my privacy.