Originally Posted by
markis10
I ended up moving from the IC and burning some points to use at the Staybridge Suites, at 25000 per night. It turned out to be a good call for the following reasons:
1. I am a week into the trip and the free laundry is a bonus.
2. I was upgraded to an Emirates suite at the IC, which despite being the best room bookable had some noteworthy issues, namely the sleep area being on the drag strip side of the hotel where the locals try out their million dollar cars in the early hours, the aircon also struggled, Internet was woeful and the room had stale smoke smells.
3. The Staybridge has no club, but does offer free breakfast every day and dinner from Sunday to Wednesday.
If you have a child who loves pools, the Staybridge has one and you can also use the Crowne Plazas. The only down side is it's completely dry when it comes to alcohol as its not a hotel, and thus cannot sell alcohol. You can however BYO of course, and the nearby mall has a supermarket, with the suites being equipped with a kitchen, the cost of restaurants decreases in value.
Not sure what supermarket you are referring to above but no supermarket here sells alcohol that I am aware of. There are however designated “booze shops” (many adjacent to supermarkets such as Spinneys) that sell alcohol to license holders (only available to residents) - some will sell without checking for a license. Visitors also technically need a license to drink in hotels (even if they are staying at that hotel) but its rarely enforced unless one draws attention to oneself.