The Mall next door to the Hilton (it's called "The Beach") is now complete.

On the other side of the Hilton Jumeirah Beach is a new hotel complex going up (Crystal something by Rixos) but construction is well contained.

I was there over Christmas again this year and they were digging up part of the street in front of the mall to install something and this narrowed the road.

If you're just there to enjoy the Beach and the area it's just a bit of background noise. In the last 15 years, I can't recall a time where construction wasn't part of the background noise.

That said, traffic on that particular stretch of road is bad. It's busy intersection with lots of foot traffic and the mall's underground parking just adds to the congestion. It's a bit like Oxford St in London with traffic moving at a snails pace.

There is also a second set of construction on the Plaza level of buildings along "The Walk". On the non-beach side of the road, most of the towers are connected via walkways and open air plazas with small shops/restaurants. Almost all of these plazas are under construction (I think they're repaving) to the point of being a no-go area. This is the level of the walkway connecting the 2 Hiltons. I think the walkways is open but most of the shops on that level are closed (or were 2 weeks ago). Unless you're there for a while, most people probably don't even know about the Plaza level so I'd bet it's a non-issue.

Top tip: I usually have the hotel empty the mini-bar and then I stock up on water/soda/snacks at the Al Maya (little supermarket) on the Plaza level. I know food is cheap there, but there is something about the hotels markup on these items that bugs me....

If you're in Dubai for the beach - it's a great area to stay. If you want to tour Dubai itself, it's going to be more convenient to stay nearer the City. It's not the distance to the City, but the traffic in/out of the beach area that will take time.

The Conrad is a great suggestion but Dubai's not short of great hotels.