finally caved in and going to Dubai which hotel and which room?
I can't believe I am posting this. Having only been to Dubai for a maximum of a few hours I am now going for a week. Basically using up a whole load of virgin miles- need autumn sun.
I hate gold bling/pretentious places. Like good club lounges. Looking for 2 hotels to spend a total of a week.
Price- well open ish. To go above £750 a night it would need to be memorable. No bottom limit.
Just me and my oh. if anyone can suggest anywhere within 2 hours flight on from Dubai that would also be good.
I can't believe I am posting this. Having only been to Dubai for a maximum of a few hours I am now going for a week. Basically using up a whole load of virgin miles- need autumn sun.
I hate gold bling/pretentious places. Like good club lounges. Looking for 2 hotels to spend a total of a week.
Price- well open ish. To go above £750 a night it would need to be memorable. No bottom limit.
Just me and my oh. if anyone can suggest anywhere within 2 hours flight on from Dubai that would also be good.
If you hate gold bling/pretentious places you should avoid anything Jumeirah related recently, they tend to attract a certain Russian clientele who like to be very "flashy". A shame as Dar Al Masyaf is quite nice, but service has declined compared to a couple of years ago. An option could be "Beit Al Bahar" but this is nearly double your budget for the entry level villa.
The O&O Residence is nice, the Palm is hit and miss service wise; although I have to honestly say that I haven't stayed there and just visited a couple of times for dinner.
I am currently writing a trip report of my stay in 3 Desert resorts a few weeks ago (just can't seem to find the time to turn my notes into a story), Al Maha, Banyan Tree and Qasr al Sarab. To spoil it a little bit in advance: Anantara was the obvious winner but BT came out as a surprising second. The second place however was mainly thanks to the fantastic butler (they call it host?) that we had who previously worked for Amanpulo and recognized us from our stay there! Definitely do not stay in the regular villa's though, go for the tents. Our first stay in Al Maha since it was taken over by Starwood and we really disliked it, general decline of services, lots of staff left and they seem to be left with a skeleton manning.
First of June there is a new Anantara opening in Abu Dhabi City, "Eastern Mangroves" which could be promising. Stay clear of Anantara Desert Islands though as it is draconic, no matter what TripAdvisor tells you.
Thanks that's great. I don't really have a budget - just its not a main holiday just a quick week - happy to spend more of it is fabulous but don't want to blow money on the mediocre.
Main priority is sun and doing very little.
I did book once before and cancelled. It was O&O residence but very much chosen at random.
I think I got an email or link about eastern mangroves. Will follow it up
If you hate gold bling/pretentious places you should avoid anything Jumeirah related recently, they tend to attract a certain Russian clientele who like to be very "flashy". A shame as Dar Al Masyaf is quite nice, but service has declined compared to a couple of years ago. An option could be "Beit Al Bahar" but this is nearly double your budget for the entry level villa.
The O&O Residence is nice, the Palm is hit and miss service wise; although I have to honestly say that I haven't stayed there and just visited a couple of times for dinner.
I am currently writing a trip report of my stay in 3 Desert resorts a few weeks ago (just can't seem to find the time to turn my notes into a story), Al Maha, Banyan Tree and Qasr al Sarab. To spoil it a little bit in advance: Anantara was the obvious winner but BT came out as a surprising second. The second place however was mainly thanks to the fantastic butler (they call it host?) that we had who previously worked for Amanpulo and recognized us from our stay there! Definitely do not stay in the regular villa's though, go for the tents. Our first stay in Al Maha since it was taken over by Starwood and we really disliked it, general decline of services, lots of staff left and they seem to be left with a skeleton manning.
First of June there is a new Anantara opening in Abu Dhabi City, "Eastern Mangroves" which could be promising. Stay clear of Anantara Desert Islands though as it is draconic, no matter what TripAdvisor tells you.
When you say "Anantara was the obvious winner," you're referring to Qasr Al Sarab, right?
When you say "Anantara was the obvious winner," you're referring to Qasr Al Sarab, right?
I was indeed, Anantara Qasr Al Sarab was the obvious winner of the three hotels I stayed at: Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Banyan Tree Al Wadi and Anantara Qasr Al Sarab.
Just me and my oh. if anyone can suggest anywhere within 2 hours flight on from Dubai that would also be good.
I would recommend taking a look at Muscat (Oman), one of my favourite places and the complete antithesis of Dubai Calm, peaceful, friendly. low-rise and slow-paced.
Maybe the the al-Bustan (RC) or Shangri La would be of interest ?
I would recommend taking a look at Muscat (Oman), one of my favourite places and the complete antithesis of Dubai Calm, peaceful, friendly. low-rise and slow-paced.
Maybe the the al-Bustan (RC) or Shangri La would be of interest ?
Although I agree that Oman is beautiful, luxury wise there is only one real option IMHO: The Chedi Muscat. Six Senses Zighy Bay could be considered as well, if you like Six Senses' very specific style.
We've agreed that the Gulf will be our destination this year for a Christmas trip.
Our plan includes a few days at Qasr Al Sarab. We have a 2BR family villa with pool set up for there.
The other part of our plan is to spend a few days in Dubai. At present, I have a club suite (1br) booked at the RC Dubai. I'm attracted to this hotel because:
It is a beachfront resort with nice pools ... close to, but not entirely in the middle of, the action in Dubai
Has a US-style kids camp program (we like to use this for half a day so we can have some adult time...then we re-unite after lunch for the balance of the day)
I'll have the Virtuoso benefits
I'll earn Ritz points (nice, but least important)
Against that, I have some concerns:
A significant expansion is underway; there are conflicting dates as to when it will be complete and there is a risk that we're stuck at a property under construction
I think this is one of the older deluxe hotels in the city and the existing part sounds like it is a little long in the tooth
I'd welcome thoughts for other Dubai hotels suitable for a family with kids (who will be 9 and 6 at time of visit). Having a kids' camp program is key for us. (I checked the PH, and they have a program for the summer, but no plans to have one during the Christmas season at present.)
I'd also welcome advice as to allocation of my stay. I've booked a bunch of days at each hotel, and will shorten them when I get a better sense of the optimal allocation. I have nine full days in the region. I'm thinking six days in Dubai and three in Qasr Al Sarab. In Dubai, we'll relax a bit (staying on property), but will also go off and visit some of the attractions (touristy and otherwise).
The Jumeirah properties all have kids clubs. At Madinat the kids club has a huge private pool, in fact the club is 80 per cent pool, not sure how structured the other stuff is ( our daughter was only 2 last time we went so we were with her.)
For kids, Madinat is like heaven on earth. I personally don't find it blingy, unlike the Burj, and if you have never stayed there you should try it once. There is literally nothing like it anywhere.
Madinat is amazing for children - my lot are forever asking when we are going back despite the fact that they have been to dozens of other resorts with fantastic kids facilites since we were last there (we stayed in Dar Al Masyaf both times). We tended to use both kids clubs on a daily basis - the one in the Madinat for a couple of hours and then also the one in the Jumeriah Beach as the children loved them both and you can utilise them both. Then afternoons usually involved a trip to the Wild Wadi Water park (free entry if you are Madinat guests) plus swimming in one of the many, many pools available to us. There were also things like climbing walls and beach football and all sorts of things going on pretty much the entire time...it made for a very relaxing time for mum and dad!!! I don't love Dubai but i've got to say it's pretty unbeatable in terms of keeping the children happy and occupied, and for that reason i suspect we will go many times over the years!
We've agreed that the Gulf will be our destination this year for a Christmas trip.
Our plan includes a few days at Qasr Al Sarab. We have a 2BR family villa with pool set up for there.
The other part of our plan is to spend a few days in Dubai. At present, I have a club suite (1br) booked at the RC Dubai.
. . . I'd welcome thoughts for other Dubai hotels suitable for a family with kids (who will be 9 and 6 at time of visit). Having a kids' camp program is key for us. (I checked the PH, and they have a program for the summer, but no plans to have one during the Christmas season at present.)
. . .
Have you considered One and Only The Palm? It is possibly the best regarded hotel in Dubai, and it has a kids program called Kids Only.
Since Qasr Al Sarab is extremely well regarded, I would probably consider allocating at least one more night for this property (total of four nights).
Brilliant. Thank you for these suggestions. Let me take a look through the properties' websites later today. Both of these sound like ideal alternatives.
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The Ritz Carlton Jumeirah extension is supposed to open around December 2012. Nothing opens on time here! The old wing is closing when the new wing is ready, so that those older rooms can be renovated to the same strandard as the new rooms. I suspect it will be something of a (discrete-ish) building site for many a month to come. I stroll past there regularly & it is a pretty full -on construction site.
I wouldn't say that all Jumeirah resorts at Madinat are bling, as such. The Burj & the Jumeirah Beach certainly are but Al Qasr & Mina A"Salam are not - plus at Madinat Jumeirah there are multiple dining/entertainment options right on the doorstep too.
The Anantara Eastern Mangroves is a bit of an odd one...maybe! Firstly it's in Abu Dhabi (OK for some ) and secondly it's in a bit of a strange location on the outskirts of the city and very close to a busy main road. Very much a building site. Could be noisy.
I would stick to Dubai personally - weather, kid's entertainment, luxury hotel options, good dining, & touristy stuff is all in abundance. Oh, & of course, as with everywhere in UAE, Russians in abundance!
Calm, peaceful, friendly. low-rise and slow-paced.
) and secondly it's in a bit of a strange location on the outskirts of the city and very close to a busy main road. Very much a building site. Could be noisy.
