FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - What chain hotel to stay in Dubai in Winter?
Old Aug 17, 2024 | 7:48 am
  #2  
mecabq
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Ag, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt
Posts: 4,715
Yes, it's a good place to visit. The first question is if you want to be in a more dense urban setting, suburban area, or resort environment. (I would suggest splitting an eight-day trip into at least two stays.) For the former, the Hyatt Places in Deira offer decent breakfasts, e.g., Wasl District, which is in the heart of the old city, moderately interesting for walking around. The HP in Jumeirah probably has the largest rooms. These hotels are very basic but have comfortable rooms and can be an OK value on points given that this is a high season. The Al Seef Heritage Hotel (Hilton Curio) is in a different area of the old city (Bur Dubai), but the most interesting probably, right on the Dubai Creek, with metro not far and water taxis to the Deira side. You won't get free breakfast without Hilton status and the rooms are small.

Business Bay is a centrally-located suburban-type area. Embassy Suites is scheduled to open later this year. The rates seem high, though I am not sure about redemption prices. Something like the Hampton Inn Al Barsha would be a good budget option that punches a bit above its weight for breakfast. It's in a dense area, not that interesting, but easily accessible, especially to the more southern and eastern Dubai attractions (theme parks, Global Village, Discovery Garden are some popular ones). Though the rooms are quite small. Toward the other end of the scale, the Conrad is excellent, on the main highway in the center of town. You might not find the immediate area all that interesting (I do), but it's right on a metro station and very accessible. Similarly, the Park Hyatt is excellent and you might be able to get it for a reasonable points rate. It's not centrally-located, but rather more self-contained with a couple of pool areas. Given the ease of taxis and the hotel's location accessible to the highway and close to the airport, it's not a bad place to be based though you can't really walk anywhere from there. I'd avoid the other full-service Hyatts (Regency Deira is nice but a terrible location).

If you want a beachfront stay, there are the Hilton and Hilton Walk (two separate connected properties, the latter with some larger rooms/apartments) in the Jumeirah Beach Residence area. I don't love this area, and it's hard to get to with traffic, but it offers a lot of attractions including "The Beach" which is geared toward families. You won't get free breakfast without Hilton status and I am not sure about redemption rates. Ditto for Hilton Palm, a beach resort with a lot of amenities. I don't love this area, either, but there are a lot of activities and the hotel facilities are in good condition. (I don't consider this time of year to be beach/pool weather, but plenty of people do, especially visitors from northern and eastern Europe, who will be out in force. )

There are no Choice hotels in Dubai.

If you reply with more details about your budget and the environment you're looking for, I can provide more specifics. There are also extensive discussions on the Hilton and Hyatt boards about all of those properties.

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