Fairmont The Palm, Dubai

Old Dec 31, 2012, 4:39 am
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Fairmont The Palm, Dubai

The new Fairmont on the The Palm Jumeirah opened partially on Dec. 15, 2012, and I had the pleasure of staying there Dec. 22-25 with a friend. I posted the below review on TripAdvisor. My previous experience with Fairmont consists of the properties in Abu Dhabi (what a fantastic place) Calgary and Monte Carlo.

We stayed for three nights in a Fairmont Deluxe Room (#239) as part of of the hotel's opening special. A few days before arrival a member of the staff called me to mention that the hotel was not yet fully operational, meaning in particular only two restaurants were open and they didn't have their liquor license yet. This was a good way to manage expectation.

The things I liked include the very friendly and service-minded staff, particularly a very knowledgeable concierge desk; the well-equipped room (office supplies, bath salt and dental care products); and the quality of the Flow Kitchen restaurant.

I would suggest that the hotel address the following points: Make sure the TV works, ensure room service breakfast includes all the items ordered, and install a light on the balcony.

The hotel is located on the Palm Jumeirah island. Walking to the mainland takes about 30 minutes, but isn't really recommended as there are not always easily accessible sidewalks along the way - we had to climb over a few blockades here and there. I understand the monorail station nearby will open soon.

I would happily recommend Fairmont The Palm for anyone looking for a five-star experience, especially if you like Arabian decor.
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Old Jan 3, 2013, 8:57 pm
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Here's the official Fairmont press release on the property:

TORONTO, January 3, 2013 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts debuts a new addition to its growing portfolio in the Middle East Fairmont The Palm. The property is owned by international residential and resort developer IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR).

The luxurious resort is located in the heart of the iconic Palm Jumeirah, the worlds largest man-made island shaped in the form of a palm tree. It is ideally located next to key leisure areas and business districts, major city landmarks and two world firsts Burj Khalifa, the tallest free standing building and The Dubai Mall, the largest retail development.

Fairmont The Palm will feature 381 guestrooms and suites, including two presidential suites, 3,000 square metres of meeting space, outdoor leisure facilities with four swimming pools, a private beach club, Childrens Activity Centre, as well as a variety of dining facilities featuring sea, garden or pool views, a Fairmont Gold product and a Willow Stream Spa.

The resort will also house the newest addition to the brands private residence club offering, Fairmont Heritage Place, The Palm, Dubai, featuring 10 one- and two-bedroom residences.

Award-winning design firm DSA Architects International was tasked with developing a landmark destination on the Palm Jumeirah that would match the prestige and the prominence of the archipelago. This was achieved through a contemporary design brushed with Arabic influences, incorporating the natural elements of sun, sea and sand, given the colour palate of beige, ecru, tan and light hues and natural building materials of granite and marble.

Many of the guestrooms and suites also offer sweeping sea views, and extended balcony spaces allow for outdoor relaxation. With a colour palate inspired by nature, the interior dcor incorporates the shimmering crystal waters of the sea, reflecting the beauty of the Arabian Gulf sunrise and sunset in the carpets and soft furnishings. Arabic design elements feature throughout, from the light fixtures to the intricate designs inlayed in the wooden headboards. Many of the guest rooms can be connected for added exclusivity, with an additional exterior door and foyer area. All are equipped with a technologically advanced interactive television system and superior amenities.

Offering a novel dining portfolio for guests and residents on the Palm Jumeirah, seven restaurants and lounges deliver a range of dining options from Frevo, one of the citys only authentic Brazilian restaurants, incorporating the churrasco method of grilling to Bā, a pan Chinese restaurant providing a full spectrum of regional cuisines from the mainland and beyond. Flow Kitchen is an international restaurant serving family style cuisine from the Middle East, India, the Mediterranean and Asia, while The Cigar Room rounds out the evening in the comfort of elegantly chic surroundings, highlighted by a walk-in humidor and an award winning Habanos sommelier.
Event planners can take advantage of over 3,000 square metres that can host a range of events for the C-suite executive from corporate meetings, press conferences, incentive and team building activities, to outdoor receptions, weddings, and bespoke social events. Eight versatile rooms, almost all flooded with natural light, include a ballroom that can accommodate upwards to 400 guests and an outdoor venue space that offers a resplendent setting to enjoy spectacular views of the Arabian Gulf.

Fairmonts branded signature spa concept Willow Stream Spa is based on the philosophy of drawing on the energy and essence of its chosen destination. Covering over 1,600 square metres with 13 treatment rooms, this holistic spa experience will showcase a wide range of treatments and wellness methodologies. Moreover, the spa and leisure offerings also include health and fitness recreational facilities, four outdoor swimming pools, a private beach and a comprehensive childrens club offering appropriate programmes based on age groups.

Guests can experience the new resort with a choice of two special offers the Couples Package starting from AED 1,899 (US $517) includes accommodation on Fairmont Gold which features elevated service and amenities such as complimentary breakfast and evening hors doeuvres in a private lounge, butler service and daily use of your own beach cabana. The Family Package starts from AED 1,999 (US $544) and includes a spacious guestroom (children under 18 stay complimentary), daily breakfast for four, couples massage and access to Childrens Activity Centre. Packages can be booked January 1 - March 31, 2013 for stays until May 31, 2013. Minimum two-night stay for family and three-night stay for couples package.
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Old Jan 15, 2013, 10:10 pm
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TORONTO, January 15, 2013 - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts today announced the newest addition to its private residence club offering with the launch of Fairmont Heritage Place, The Palm, Dubai.

Fairmont Heritage Place, The Palm features 10 residences sold in 1/13th fractions. Located within the penthouse levels of the newly opened Fairmont The Palm hotel, the residences range from one-bedroom units averaging 1,550 square feet to two-bedroom units averaging 2,400 square feet. The residences boast expansive windows with wonderful views, adding to the sense of space and relaxation. All bedrooms have large en-suite bathrooms, open concept dining and living areas, and large private terraces running the length of the residences.

Ownership at Fairmont Heritage Place, The Palm means enjoying an exclusive residential enclave within the most prestigious levels of the hotel, the attentive service of its staff and use of the hotels exceptional amenities. Guests and residents on the Palm Jumeirah can choose from seven restaurants and lounges in the neighborhood from all-day dining with a dedicated juice bar and chefs table to pan-Chinese to one of the citys only authentic Brazilian restaurants, incorporating the Churrasco method of grilling. A large outdoor dining area by the beach also offers la minute wok tableside cooking for additional authenticity. A cigar and malt lounge provides a respite in the comfort of elegantly chic surroundings, highlighted by a walk-in humidor. Outdoor leisure facilities include a private beach club, an outdoor pool complex and Childrens Activity Centre, as well as a Willow Stream Spa.

Fairmont Heritage Place, The Palm offers owner amenities which include access to airport transfers, valet parking, concierge services, daily housekeeping, 24-hour room service, preferred rates at Willow Stream Spa and priority restaurant reservations, as well as use of an exclusive, well-appointed lobby level Owners Lounge.

Not only are we opening a new luxury resort on The Palm, but we are also able to expand our private residence club offering with the debut of this Fairmont Heritage Place in Dubai, said Jennifer Fox, President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Our new homeowners will have a great range of services affiliated with the hotel, as well as unique owner privileges both here and throughout our Fairmont Heritage Place portfolio.

Flanked by two residential towers and adjacent to a soon-to-be debuted walkway filled with restaurants, upscale boutiques and luxury shops (the Golden Mile), Fairmont The Palm, Dubai is ideally located on the Palm Jumeirah for guests seeking short distance leisure activities, dining and exploration in and around the neighborhood. The hotel is also minutes away from the Dubai Marina, lauded for its caf style restaurants and al fresco dining alongside the Jumeirah Walk and public beach, and is in close proximity to key business districts, including Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Knowledge Village. A short distance away is some of the citys best shopping with the Dubai Mall, featuring over 1,000 shops, an aquarium and underwater zoo, ice rink, and an indoor theme park.

Joe Sita, President of IFA Hotel Investments, responsible for building and asset managing the hotel, said: We are really pleased with the final product here, both in terms of the hotel and the private residence club. As the first Fairmont Heritage Place to come to market in the Middle East, weve intentionally kept it very exclusive, with only 130 fractions available for purchase. With its remarkable location on the Palm Jumeirah, the superior service and amenities of the hotel and such limited opportunities for purchase, we are certain it will strike the right chord with owners looking for a turnkey holiday home in the GCC.
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Old Feb 1, 2013, 8:06 pm
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Have a 2 night staying coming up at The Palm in mid-Feb. As Fairmont Platinum I was able to use a Free Night Cert and a Suite Upgrade. They have me in a One Bedroom Suite at the moment.

Will try to take some pictures and post some notes when I get back.
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Old Feb 13, 2013, 3:32 pm
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Originally Posted by mars1982
Have a 2 night staying coming up at The Palm in mid-Feb. As Fairmont Platinum I was able to use a Free Night Cert and a Suite Upgrade. They have me in a One Bedroom Suite at the moment.

Will try to take some pictures and post some notes when I get back.
looking forward to reading your comments
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Old Mar 9, 2013, 10:38 am
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My wife and I, along with our 18 month old son, stayed at Fairmont The Palm, Dubai for 2 nights in late Feb. As FPC Platinum members we were able to use our free night cert and suite upgrade certificate.

The experience was great.

Lobby is grand and we were greeted by friendly staff wearing elegant uniforms. Our 1 bedroom suite was not ready but upon my inquiry we were moved to a 1 bedroom suite on the Gold floor. Gold Floor lounge/staff were excellent and the food offerings during the day were quite extensive. The suite was quite large and very tastefully decorated. Everything was well thought out and designed. There was a nice balcony which had a great view of both sea/city.

Hotel is definitely towards the resort end of the spectrum. Great pools and beach area. Beach is obviously artificial but is nonetheless quite nice.

Minor Quibbles:

- some painter's tape still on doors in room
- room wasn't cleaned until 4PM on the second day, and after I had inquired in club lounge
- not all restaurants were open
- not many beachfront activities
- took a long time for bags to be brought down from room when we left for airport

With the hotel just opening two months ago, however, some start-up issues are obviously expected. Most importantly, the hotel rooms/public areas were excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful. With a bit more time, and the final kinks, worked out, Fairmont The Palm should be one of the better Dubai hotels.

This hotel is definitely worth a visit.

Last edited by mars1982; Mar 9, 2013 at 10:45 am
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Old Mar 24, 2013, 2:14 pm
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A decent hotel - no doubt

Had a good three night stay and no major quibbles

Rooms are decent with large balcony and good size Bathroom
Beach was great - really liked it - plenty of space and well served for food and drinks
Gym was First Class - really well equipped
Food and Drink? OK. Tried Breakfast downstairs - a bit chaotic and not really awe inspiring. Head Breaky in the room - much better
Only tried the Cigar Lounge out of the bars. Enjoyable

Ideal for stopovers especially if you want to stay in the Area - max go the Emirates mall / Jumeriah etc. If you want to "stroll out of the Hotel" Dubai has better options as here you are forced to take Transport / taxis

No doubt that not having status with Fairmont doesn't help my causes. With Starwood I have Plat so a lot of things that I take for granted aren't available / free but I did apreciate having free wi-fi. Good perk for "basic" members
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Old Dec 11, 2013, 2:06 am
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Questions about the 1 bdr suite

To Mars 1982:
Thanks for the review of your stay at the Fairmont Palm. I too will be in a 1 Bdr suite like you did. A few questions:
1. Did the 1 bdr have a kitchen and if yes, did it have cooking and eating utincils?
2. I have breakfast certificates for $25 - does that cover the cost a good hearty breakfast?
3. Do you know if the certificate be used any other time besides breakfast?
4. Did they have a BMW to shuttle you local areas for free?
5. Did you use the BMW bikes for local trips?
Thanks, Rick
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Old Dec 11, 2013, 12:03 pm
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Originally Posted by stromer52
To Mars 1982:
Thanks for the review of your stay at the Fairmont Palm. I too will be in a 1 Bdr suite like you did. A few questions:
1. Did the 1 bdr have a kitchen and if yes, did it have cooking and eating utincils?
2. I have breakfast certificates for $25 - does that cover the cost a good hearty breakfast?
3. Do you know if the certificate be used any other time besides breakfast?
4. Did they have a BMW to shuttle you local areas for free?
5. Did you use the BMW bikes for local trips?
Thanks, Rick

#1 - Deluxe Bedroom Suite has a Kitchenette (http://www.fairmont.com/palm-dubai/a...ations/suites/)
#2 - Breakfast at Flow is about $50 per person
#3 - No
#4 - The BMW service does not apply here, they do have a bus that goes to local malls (MOE, DM, Madinat)
#5 - Was too hot to try bikes when I was there.
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Old Feb 14, 2014, 2:06 am
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Just completed an excellent stay here. Used free night & suite certs for 1 bedroom suite with no problems at all. Upgraded at check-in to Presidential Suite Upon enquiry also enjoyed access to the Gold Lounge

Suite was huge (not sure but must have been 2,000 sq. ft. plus same again in outdoor space) with very large bedroom complete with large adjacent seating area c/w TVs in each area. The main lounge was massive with numerous comfy seating options, large work desk & wet bar with seating on high chairs (at the wet bar). Furnishings were stylish/traditional but not over-the-top (like some Jumeirah hotels can be) - we liked it a lot.

The four balconies were topped off by a huge (1500-2000 sq ft terrace with sun loungers & various seating - perfect for entertaining large groups. Just missing a plunge pool/jacuzzi @:-)

The lounge contained a separate WC & the en-suite bathroom had two sinks/vanities, a huge double-size bath & massive walk-in shower. High quality fittings.

We enjoyed a room-service dinner on one of our balconies & this was decent (for room service) & quite good value too. We used some of our dining credits for breakfast in Flow downstairs & it was somewhat too chaotic for us. We waited for an outdoor terrace table overlooking the gardens/sea. Perfect & quiet. Quality of the breakfast items we chose was very good.

All staff we encountered were super-courteous.

All-in-all a spectacular stay - with fantastic Platinum care & attention. Recommended.
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 12:03 pm
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I am going to dubai for 10 days on vacation in july (yesss july ). Via AMEX i got an okay rate at the fairmont the palm, but the hilton jumeirah is appr. half of the price. The fairmont is newer and on the stem of the palm. It rates better on tripadvisor. The hilton is way cheaper and i am HH Gold. Any considerations?
When I look at the pics, the Hilton seems to show age. Also the pool and beach area looks less nice. The fact that hilton residence occupants can use the private beach seems like a danger for overcrowding..
I am tending towards the fairmont for the "beach part" of the vacation, yet the huge price difference makes me uneasy. Anyone stayed at both locations to give an oppinion? Anyone stayed at either / or the recent weeks - noticed any construction site/outages etc?

Thanks!
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 12:59 pm
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Originally Posted by jamesclandestine
I am going to dubai for 10 days on vacation in july (yesss july ). Via AMEX i got an okay rate at the fairmont the palm, but the hilton jumeirah is appr. half of the price. The fairmont is newer and on the stem of the palm. It rates better on tripadvisor. The hilton is way cheaper and i am HH Gold. Any considerations?
When I look at the pics, the Hilton seems to show age. Also the pool and beach area looks less nice. The fact that hilton residence occupants can use the private beach seems like a danger for overcrowding..
I am tending towards the fairmont for the "beach part" of the vacation, yet the huge price difference makes me uneasy. Anyone stayed at both locations to give an oppinion? Anyone stayed at either / or the recent weeks - noticed any construction site/outages etc?

Thanks!
I loved The Palm Fairmont. That being said, the beach is awful for actual use. The palms themselves are protected by a breakwater that absorb all of the waves. There are zero waves at the Fairmont.

There are good waves at JBR, which is a 10min taxi drive away.

Fairmont's location is good, the view is great, and the Pools (next to the beach are nice) the beach itself is not.

I was there in Oct 2013, and they mentioned they may upgrade the sand, but I don't know a timeline.
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 1:07 pm
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Originally Posted by jamesclandestine
I am going to dubai for 10 days on vacation in july (yesss july ). Via AMEX i got an okay rate at the fairmont the palm, but the hilton jumeirah is appr. half of the price. The fairmont is newer and on the stem of the palm. It rates better on tripadvisor. The hilton is way cheaper and i am HH Gold. Any considerations?
When I look at the pics, the Hilton seems to show age. Also the pool and beach area looks less nice. The fact that hilton residence occupants can use the private beach seems like a danger for overcrowding..
I am tending towards the fairmont for the "beach part" of the vacation, yet the huge price difference makes me uneasy. Anyone stayed at both locations to give an oppinion? Anyone stayed at either / or the recent weeks - noticed any construction site/outages etc?

Thanks!
We were at the Palm Valentine's Day weekend. The beach and pool area at the Fairmont are far superior to the Hilton. The Hilton is on a busy stretch of beaches that will be shared with other hotels and locals. The Fairmont is very private and there are 3 different pools to choose from including an adults only pool with a poolside bar. The Fairmont rooms should be much nicer also. They still feel new. There is some construction near the Fairmont, but this is Dubaithere's still contraction everywhere!! It really wasn't bothersome at all. The upside to the Fairmont is also the downside. It's a little isolated, so while that's good for a less crowded beach, you have to hop in a taxi (fairly cheap) if you want some variety to your nightlife. The Hilton is right in the middle of the action on Jumeirah Beach. You can walk to many restaurants and other hotel bars right from the hotel.

I would jump at another stay at the Fairmont The Palm. We loved it. Used our Suite upgrade and got a very nice suite on the 10th floor overlooking the beach. The restaurants and bars are a little pricey, but not out of line from other high end hotels. The Friday Brunch was great. Spent over 2 hours just enjoying the views and trying different dishes.
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 1:16 pm
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Originally Posted by FFMilesJunkie
The Friday Brunch was great. Spent over 2 hours just enjoying the views and trying different dishes.
Not sure if Friday is their "Break Slow" option, but we loved their Breakslow Brunch. 4 hours of eating and playing boardgames or reading.

Quite good. And the staff is amazing.
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Old Mar 25, 2014, 1:31 pm
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Originally Posted by AMRivlin
Not sure if Friday is their "Break Slow" option, but we loved their Breakslow Brunch. 4 hours of eating and playing boardgames or reading.

Quite good. And the staff is amazing.
Indeed, Friday is their BreakSLOW. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. I think it was closer to 3 hours. So many dishes to choose from.

You make a good point about the beach. The Fairmont Beach is artificial. The sand is a little hard packed and doesn't have a natural sand feel. The water is more like a lagoon than the ocean. There were jelly fish warnings up so no one was in the water while we were there. That said, I still prefer the private feel of the Fairmont than the Hilton. The beach around the Hilton will be crowded although in July it will be blazes hot so that will cut down on some of the crowds. You would probably prefer the shade around the Fairmont pools over a beach in that heat.
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