FlyerTalk Forums - Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Dubai, UAE

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaza (Post 12905236)

Just returned from a 5 night stay at this property. The location is about 16 miles south of DXB. The journey to the hotel at 1:00 am took about 20-25 minutes. It is in the Marina area next to Marina Walk and the Jumeriah Beach Residences. "Jumeriah" seems to stretch a long way down the coast.

Positives

The 2 bedroom suites are huge. In reality they are not conventional suites but 2 bedroom apartments. The one we were in had a smaller, windowless, third bedroom with a foldaway bed that would be classed as the Maids Room. The kitchen is a kitchen, not a kitchenette, and is fully equipped. There is also a washing machine and dryer in a cupboard in the hall.

We were travelling with our 2 year old and having the kitchen facilities was ideal. There is a Spinneys 5 minutes walk from the hotel and we were able to stock up on baby essentials so he could eat as near to a normal diet as possible.

The apartments are nicely furnished with plenty of storage space. I'll post some photos of the apartment in the next day or so.

ADSL cable internet is currently free in-room and free WiFi is available in the public rooms. This seems to be a hang-over from the days when the hotel was the Emirates Harbour Hotel and Residence and according to the front desk it is likely to be chargeable shortly.
The hotel is about 5 minutes walk from Marina Walk where there are plenty of restaurants. None are attached to hotels so all are booze-free.

There is a medium sized pool alonmg with a small children’s pool.

Negatives

On check-in I was told that as a Gold member that I was entitled to a complimentary breakfast but that my wife was not. I challenged this and said there was nothing in any of the hotel descriptions or MR literature that said the benefit was restricted to the member. They said that it was their policy due to the hotel being all 2 and 3 bedroom suites. I asked for a manager to contact me in the morning. The following morning I received a call saying the breakfast would be complimentary for both me and my wife.

I can kind of see their point in limiting the number of complimentary breakfasts as it would be possible to have a full apartment of 6 people all wanting a freebie. However, a more reasonable policy would be to extend it to the member and one guest.

The breakfast itself was nothing to write home about. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. It is difficult to say what was wrong but there was definitely something not right.

The hotel is in the middle of a huge construction site. All around there are more skyscrapers going up. The noise is a bit off-putting when lying by the pool. It starts quite early and goes on late. Some sites seem to be working 24 hours although we were not disturbed by the noise from them.

The pool area suffers from neighbouring buildings blocking the sun and with more being built the problem will get worse. The pool area is also a little stark and lacks “something.”

This hotel is not on the beach and the only way to get to the beach is either (a) use the hotel shuttle or a taxi to the public beach at Jumeriah Park or (b) pay to use the facilities of a neighbouring beach hotel. The hotel has an arrangement with the Le Meridien. It costs around Dh160 per adult. The public beach is 20 minutes away and in my view not worth it.

Summary

The hotel is a bit of a paradox. In terms of accommodation it is ideal for families, especially if the children are young. However, its location and lack of facilities for children are disappointing.

Would I stay here again? Very likely. The staff were super friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Any pictures available?

Suggestions for Dubai?

My son is traveling to India through Dubai this week--he'll be there for 3 nights. Any suggestions about where he should stay? ( I will probably book it for him on points.)

The JW Dubai is a nice property.

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnaalex (Post 15777745)

The JW Dubai is a nice property.

Seconded. Just booked a 7 night reward there for March.

Cheers,
Rick

Thanks! We've had to change things around, since he's in Boston and the wx isn't cooperating.

Does anyone have experience with the Dubai Courtyard. They have a great rate and I'm thinking I'll save my points...

Quote:

Originally Posted by whistlindiksee (Post 15788184)

It's a long way from Dubai!

The JW is a great hotel, with the standard Middle Eastern great level of service (almost suffocating). It also has a large variety of restaurants. The only downside is that it's a good 15 minute walk to the subway system, and nowhere near the main tourist attractions. But then, all the Marriotts in Dubai suffer from that.

Dubai: Marriott properties, any recent experience?

Would like to check with this board for any recent experience with any and all Marriott properties in Dubai. I am pretty sure there are updates since the couple of OLD threads from last year.

I'm interest in comments about the property and its location. There mixed comments about availability of taxi (at the JW), any new? How about transportation from DXB to hotel?

Thanks in advance

Quote:

Originally Posted by allset2travel (Post 17098281)

Not that recent, but JW hasn't changed location :D. I never had a problem getting taxis from or to the hotel. BUT the hotel taxis do cost more than the usual Dubai taxis. As for the location it is close to DXB and a short walk to the Renaissance.

I have stayed in all the Marriott properties in DXB in the past 1 year except the Ritz-Carlton.

The JW/Ren are both in "old" Dubai in Deira. This is the original business district and very close to the airport. They are only a few blocks apart. The JW is the better of the 2 hotels, but sometimes the price difference between JW and Ren is substantial and I elected to stay in the Ren.

Both are older hotels and the rooms (JW especially) are in need of a refresh. The suites in the JW still have CRT TVs.

The restaurants in the JW are excellent - there are 5+ with a lot of options to choose from.

The Ritz-Carlton Financial Centre is brand new and in the DIFC - close to Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa. Beautiful, elegant hotel but the area surrounding is dead at night. Only 2 restaurants if I remember correctly.

The Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel is in the Dubai Marina area - 30-minute drive from the airport and quite a different location from the other hotels. The Dubai Marina is a nice if not-yet completed area and is close to the Palm Islands. The JBR beach area is the nicest beach/walking area in DXB and the Harbour Marriott is the closest Marriott property (Ritz-Carlton is in JBR but outside of my price range). This hotel has HUGE rooms - the 2-Bedroom is an 1800sf apartment! It is a former apartment building converted to a hotel. Lacking in hotel-type amenities like lounge, fitness center, multiple restaurants but the biggest rooms you will ever find. Fairly consistent upgrades to a 2-BR suite as a Platinum.

Taxis are easy to obtain at DXB and will take you to any hotel for a much cheaper price than the hotel car. Sometimes you will have a smelly/odd driver but I don't see any issues with local taxis in DXB. In my experience there were no issues getting a cab from any hotel - the staff will flag one down for you. Taxis are plentiful in DXB.

Any other questions, let me know.

Do most taxi drivers in Dubai speak English or do you have to write your destination in Arabic and show it to them?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodErnst (Post 17104269)

I have stayed in all the Marriott properties in DXB in the past 1 year except the Ritz-Carlton.
...................................
Any other questions, let me know.

Thanks for the detailed accounts. About 3 months ago, I saw the Ren on the MR web site. Today, it is not there. Has it been de-flagged?

Which of these hotels are near a subway station?

It does appear that the Renaissance Dubai is no more - it became the Crowne Plaza Deira on 3/1/11.

Dubai taxi drivers speak English. Writing a destination in Arabic would not be helpful as nearly all the taxis are driven by Indian/Pakistanis :)

The JW Marriott is a few block walk from a metro station, but I don't advise taking the metro. Dubai is an extremely pedestrian-unfriendly city. The metro stations are a LONG walk from your intended destination, and in many cases there are not proper street crossings or signage to get to/from the Metro. Combine that with the heat/dust and the affordable taxis and I don't see much point in taking the metro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodErnst (Post 17112604)

Dubai taxi drivers speak English. Writing a destination in Arabic would not be helpful as nearly all the taxis are driven by Indian

This is not totally correct. There are some (10%?) drivers who are 'local', and struggle to speak English. I've had a few drivers that couldn't understand me (how dare they! :D ), and we ended up agreeing on somewhere we both understood (airport, Dubliner, etc.), and then I got another taxi from there.

So, it may be worth carrying a hotel business card. You'll most likely never need it though.

The JW is a great hotel. There's a rooftop pool with a terrace that overlooks the airport, so great if you're a plane freak.

Taxis are much more plentiful these days. Traffic in Dubai has eased enormously with the new bridges across the creek (the river separating Old/New Dubai).

If you need any more info, let me know.

Cheers,
Rick

Dinner for Two Award rejected in JW Marriott Dubai

JW Marriott in Dubai will not accept a Dinner for Two certificate in their JW Steak House. Requests for an explanation as to why they will nor honor The certificate are being ignored. Anyone here able to clarify?