We didn't know what to expect from the World's largest PH, but we were well and truly wowed.

We took a hotel limousine from the PH DXB and checked in at 1PM. We had booked a Park Suite and a Park King. Front desk agent was great, offered all diamond recognition and she began to tell us about the pools. He colleague smiled and said "Oh, you won't need those because you have your own." She said "I was going to surprise you!"

Excitment set in as we were escorted by buggy to our room that was half of a private villa in the closest compound to the beach. We had been upgraded to a Beach View Suite with a bedroom, large living area, private plunge pool, patio, outdoor shower, full kicthen and butler/maid entrance connected to another bedroom. It was literally half a private villa with a courtyard you entered before entering either room. Our jaws dropped when we saw how gorgeous it has been furnished and how much space we had. The fresh flowers really set the tone of the room and the property and room service is outstanding.

We tend not to use hotel swimming pools and on vacations book villas with private pools but because we were only in AUH for 2 nights before Thailand we didn't think it necessary. Indeed we spent most of the time on the back terrace and in the pool.

The hotel delivered a bottle of Champagne, and contrary to reports above the mini bar is not free like at DXB.

The quality of breakfast far suprassed that at the PH DXB, however the white chairs were all stained and dirty. I asked for Eggs Benedict and one waitress simply replied "What?!" I can't say I've ever had a PH employee respond with that before...

Overall the property is stunning including the gym and all of the outdoor areas. The beach looks great but we noted it was very busy being just before the F1. We will definitely stay here again.

Overview

This is a pretty specky hotel. I'm a pool guy so always fall in love with photos of stunning hotel pools. The Park did not disappoint, in this and almost every other respect.

Check In

I was checked in by the duty manager who was friendly and efficient and quickly acknowledged my Diamond status. I had arrived early and he put me in a standard room until my DSU suite became available which was very generous. A bellman escorted me to the room and pointed out all the features. He was very professional, polite and helpful.When returning to reception about 4pm to change rooms I had been upgraded from the DSU confirmed park suite to a park terrace suite which from the website seems to be an additional three level upgrade. Again, a bellman helped me with my luggage and was just as good as the earlier one. I wasn't asked about my welcome amenity or points preference but there was a bottle of wine (Australian!) in the room as well as a couple of fruit bowls. As the Gold Passport website is still recovering from that all-important pre-Christmas one week downtime, I can't tell if the 1W posted or not.

Room

The suite is 150sqm and absolutely brilliant. It has stunning 180 degree views of the beach with a massiveoutdoor terrace and balcony area that itself larger than some suites I've stayed in. The suite is on the end of the floor so the terrace looks out of the inner area of the hotel and its pools while the front balcony faced the ocean. In total there were four sunbeds plus an outdoor dining table and chairs.

The suite has a large sitting area with a dining table and a separate kitchenette-type area labelled a pantry (there is no sink) with a Nespresso machine, mini-bar, cupboards, kettle etc. Strangely there were no power points in the area (the Nespresso machine plugged in through the cabinet to an inaccessible point) so I had to plug the kettle in near the TV.

The bedroom is massive with perhaps a little bit of wasted space. One of the walls would benefit from some kind of artwork and maybe there could be a desk in there. The desk itself was located in the living area adjacent to the lounge suite but isn't a good size for working at. It is long and narrow and had no power points. Not no accessible power points, just no power points. The desk lamp plugged in to a single point again inaccessible below the lounge suite. The king bed was very comfortable with plush linen.

The bathroom too was massive with a freestanding tub, separate WC and shower with rain head. Toiletries are Le Labo. There is a separate guest WC near the entrance.

Wifi was a little disappointing. At times it was strong but others it was very slow. Connectivity poolside, even when close to the cafe (main building) was non-existent.

There were no less than four separate vases of fresh flower throughout the suite.

Service

The service was really impeccable in every respect. From the bellman to the pool attendants and waiters to the fitness centre staff, every one I encountered seemed genuinely interested in assisting and adding benefit to my stay.

After moving roomsI misplaced my iPad (ultimately located in the vast suite!). I first called guest services and asked if someone could check my previous room. A few minutes later I received a call back saying it had been checked but was not located. Rather than saying 'well that's it, it's not there' the operator asked if I could offer any suggestion as to where I may have left it in the room. Reasonably confident it wasn't there I said I would check by the pool and thanked her for her time. She asked me to be back in touch if it wasn't located.I returned to the pool area where I had it earlier and spoke with a waitress in the cafe just near where I was seated. She promptly walked me about 100m or so to a pool attendant who himself checked with two other staff. Obviously it wasn't there. He said he would let housekeeping know who handle items left by the pool. Twenty or so minutes later the same pool attendant phoned to let me know he'd alerted housekeeping to be on the lookout.

Similarly, not long after moving into the suite I received a phone call from the guest relations manager welcoming me, making sure every thing was in order and offering assistance with anything I might need.

Clearly the staff are encouraged to be proactive and assist guests as much as possible.

Dining

I ordered lunch poolside and had a Tandoori chicken wrap with fries and a banana milkshake for a total of AED110 which is a bit pricey but probably completely to be expected. The wrap was decent although not great but the shake was very nice. It arrived in about 20-odd minutes.

I also room service dinner and tried a local chicken dish. That was AED120 and lacking in quantity but very tasty. It was delivered on a table cart (one of those carts that converts into a table). I requested it for 8pm and it arrived a couple of minutes after.

I had an early start on my only morning and so only had a quick bite for breakfast in the restaurant. Food was plentiful and of good quality.

Location

I didn't venture beyond the hotel but I don't think there is anything within working distance which is a bit of letdown. it kind of means you're a bit more captive to the hotel for service.

Pool

The pools are probably a big drawcard for this hotel, especially in the boiling summer months. The long rectangle pool that runs perpendicular to the beach is for guests 16 and up while the lagoon type pool is for all ages. The weather was mild when I was there (circa 23 degrees C) and the pool was lightly heated from what I could tell. There are an abundance of sunbeds, and pool attendants and lifeguards wander about.

Gym

The gym is reasonably size with the usual excellent equipment. I forget the brand but it's the one with maroon-coloured machines. Outside the gym is another large square pool that was much more secluded from the other parts of the hotel. There are separate sauna, steam rooom and jacuzzis for males and females. The jacuzzi huge and was in a large separate area off the changerooms. The sauna and steam room run off this so the whole area is intentionally hot. The sauna was very hot although the jacuzzi was not much more than warm.

Overall

I thorougly enjoyed the stay. As previously noted the Diamond recognition is fantastic. When I checked-out I made a reservation for a future stay. To me, it's every bit what a Park Hyatt should be.