Happy

From what I read on other sites, it is not that hard to drive from DXB to the resort? We are planning to rent a car. That would also let us to visit Al Ain this time. We ended up did not go on our last trip to Dubai/Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi also gives us good reason to return to - the newly opened Louvre.

Any suggestion on a sensible route, assuming we keep a rental car?

Zol

No its easy enough, just don't follow google maps when you get near the resort and use the instructions above (for the exit of E66).

WorldPalmHand

Checked in and there was no knowledge of the Emirates Suite upgrade despite my Marriott account showing the Emirates Suite as the room tied to the reservation for weeks all the way up until I checked in.

We were planning on flying my wife's parents from China to accompany us in the Emirates suite as it allows for four people, unlike the Bedouin suite.

This is the second time this has happened on a stay during this current trip, I just wished it showed no upgrade so we can plan accordingly. Would had been a disaster had we flown my in-laws out here.

Anybody else with similar issues?

EuropeanPete

TerryK

No personal experience with Al Maha but with other Starwood properties. Pre-upgrade without SNA or points are not guaranteed. I have had numerous pre-upgrade downgrades that I lost count and I didn't complain. It can happen the other way around as well.

MePlatPremier

WorldPalmHand

Thanks for the replies. I will be more better off in the future not to trust the room showed in my account and expect the original room booked. Keep the expectations low!

MePlatPremier

metoo

I made a reservation for 2 nights this morning using points. I never received an email to confirm the reservation. Is this right?

margarita girl

Did you actually use points or a points advance? I've noticed that I don't get a confirmation when I use a points advance on Marriott reservations. (I did get a confirmation from Al Maha when I made a points reservation, but that was before it moved to the Marriott platform, so not sure that any data points before last week will be meaningful.)

metoo

Points advanced.

Happy

You do NOT get confirmation email at booking or at cancellation on Point Advance bookings. Been this way for a long time, long before the merger. I first noticed it was in late Spring this year.

Therefore you better make good records on your stay so you
1) remember to order an e-Cert, or
2) remember to cancel before the deadline because the forgetfulness can be quite costly.

Happy

This! Book one suits your need or use points / SNA to upgrade one if you want a guarantee. You should not plan your travel based on what the possible upgrades you may get because upgrade without paying, is never guaranteed.

On top of that, like others say, an all-inclusive resort would charge each extra person for the full board or half board or whatever, even if you can fit in your in-laws in the upgraded suite. This is not like at an ordinary hotel you could talk your way into getting extra free breakfast / lounge access...

abcx

All in all, this is a nice property but not worth the $1.5k/night it goes for on cash rates. The hard product - rooms, common areas, etc. - are a litle old at 20 years. As for the soft product, the staff is very nice and tries hard but there are some soft lapses from time to time like trying to do turndown service while we were in the room instead of when we went to dinner, having to ask for stuff at meals a few times before getting it, etc. I don't mind, but I could see how if one were paying $1.5k/night they might. It's fine at 20k SPG/60k MR, especially with meals included (though we found the food to be mediocre), but not quite the out of this world thing people make it out to be. If you want a nice desert experience, go to Wadi Rum in Jordan. But no luxury points hotels there...

And yes, the activities are a bit lame. E.g., all you see on the wildlife drive are oryx and gazelles which you see anyway while driving to the property or from your suite... Just FYI - the dune bashing is a paid activity at the rate of 270 AED ($75) pp for 90 minutes. $75 +/- $20 seems to be the going rate for dune bashing from Dubai or Abu Dhabi including transfers so the premium isn't extraordinary. At Al Maha, the dunes are a short 20 minute trip away from the resort, so you spend ~40 minutes driving out to them through the desert. And then maybe another 30-40 minutes driving out there. It was decent, but nothing special or out of this world I thought.

P.S. - the attached pools are nice but they might be dirty so you might have to ask for it to be cleaned.

WorldPalmHand

Stayed here last week for free using a Ritz Visa free night.

I would say the value here is around 70k points or $700 a night. Whereas actual is 60k points (85k on JAN 1st) and around $1500 a night.

That is considering you can get a Marriott in Dubai for low $100s, a JW Marriott for $150, and a Ritz for $250 a night. This is a desert conservatory however, which is unique, and also taken into consideration along with being in a suite, private mini pool, and the basic activities and meals.