paul_nl

but at times you get more then the 2level upgrade. I always book the cheapest rooms but had some nice upgrades. For example in Singapore I had an Ambassador Suite, in Berlin a club Suite and in Al Ain I was in a Emiri (Emirates) suite

cbellero

Like paul_nl, I almost always book the lowest-priced room, unless a much nicer room is available for a marginal price difference or includes additional perks, like breakfast.

At Al Ain I did the same. I was also upgraded to a nice suite. Don't remember that name though. I arrived at 1 am and left at 7 am, so it was all kind of a blur.

Club_IC

Have booked the TWIN BEDS DELUXE ROOM at the best flex breakfast rate and requested King Sized Bed. Will let everyone know how I get on with facilities, upgrade and local cultural/historical activities.

In relation to transfers, are you expected to pay cash if organised through the hotel, or can this be charged as a service at the hotel? Thanks

BA97

True, it can be unpredictable. I kind of like the idea of our own villa anyway! Has anyone stayed in the villas? I had a wander round one at the RC Bahrain once, they beat any suite i've ever seen, that's for sure

paul_nl

If you book through the hotel, you can charge the transport to your room. Just inform them when you book your transport. Since it's an IC it won't get you any extra points though

Club_IC

Was thinking of booking through Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, in which case I should enjoy some point benefit;-)

paul_nl

^ ^ didn't think of that one^ ^

Club_IC

It just occurred to me to ask if anyone thinks it is a good or bad idea to hire a car while in Abu Dhabi, rather than paying for transfers to and from Al Ain? What are the roads like, is it safe with other drivers? It would certainly give more flexibility seeing things, but if the feedback I get is that it is not worth the associated stress, then I will just book transfers as I had originally planned.

Will be travelling late afternoon on a Friday to Al Ain and mid-morning on a Sunday back to Abu Dhabi airport.

Thanks for your feedback

cbellero

Driving on Friday's is easy going. Drivers are aggressive but not as bad as in other Middle Eastern destinations.

I would take the car if you want flexibility.

One hint however: Get detailed instructions on how to get to the hotel. Al Ain is big and the signs to the IC suddenly stop at one point and you won't know which way to go without the map.

Enjoy your stay in the UAE. I am in Dubai and the weather is perfect.

Club_IC

Thanks. Has anyone any experience of staying at Emirates Palace to provide feedback? Ideally someone who has also stayed at IC Al Ain - or is that too much to hope for:-) Thanks

navatwal

Hi there,

Im off to Dubai in November and fancy a week in the sun on a resort or beach also.

I was considering twin centring with either Thailand or Hong Kong or even India (flying with emirates from UK) but may decide just to stay in the area and save some valuable time.

Being RA I would defintetely prefer to stay at an IC property.

I was looking at the IC Al Ain Resort (around 1 hours drive from Dubai),

Does anyone have any experiences at this hotel? Any RA experiences, upgrades, minibar, club lounge options etc?

Also are there any options for me in the middle east? Any other ICHG properties?

I have been put off by comments on the IC Goa therefore the Middle East seems a good option.

mecabq

I have stayed at the InterCon Al-Ain. It's really not great. It's an old, fairly run-down property (and at a low price), par for the course for Al-Ain. If I remember correctly, they didn't have a mini bar with alcohol and also had no club (although I was not RA at the time so I could be wrong). I do remember two good restaurants and a bar. The pool area is nice.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy my trip. Al-Ain has some striking scenery as well as more of an authentic, more down-scale setting than Dubai. It made a nice road trip, and it's fun just to walk around the city for half a day or so. I was living in the UAE at the time, so it made for a good weekend, but if I were traveling to the region with limited time, I might skip it, especially if I could take a couple-hour flight to India.

Alternatively, the IC in Abu Dhabi (about 1.5-hour drive from Dubai) is open again after a renovation and would be a great choice. It's right on the beach at the edge of town. There are also Bahrain and Doha, an hour flight each with decent ICs. Bahrain is more interesting; Doha is a bit like Abu Dhabi. Best of all would be Muscat, another 1.5-hour flight and my favorite city in the region. The IC Al-Bustan is set to open after a renovation -- you should check and see if it will be open by the time you're there. Muscat really has it all -- a beautiful beach resort area plus great traditional Arabic shopping and dining, plus friendly people.

paul_nl

I've stayed at the IC Al Ain in december 2006. As a RA I had a great upgrade with full minibar (see my pictures). There are a few restaurants serving fine food. I would recomand the seafood buffet where you can chose all kinds off fresh sea-food and have it prepared to order, either on the bbq or in the asian style kitchen. When you go to Al Ain I would advice you to order the hotel limo through guest relations (pm me for e-mail details) as most Dubai taxi's won't know how to find the hotel and the limo is more comfortable and the charges are the same.
Al Ain is a nice authentic Arab city and is a world of difference with Dubai. I only spent two nights there but will defintly return again in januari when I make a stopover on the way to Singapore.

nicolas75

IC Al-Bustan is open for reservation from 1st November 2008

The cheapest rate starts at US Dollar 550!! (EUR 380), tax included

candadep

I would also recommend the IC Abu Dhabi. Its reasonably close to Al Ain and is quite a beautiful city. If you are flying First or Business on Emirates, you get free chaffeur service from DXB to Abu Dhabi and back.

-----c