tynmar

Hi FT'ers

As its a slow Friday it seems only right to set aside some time to create my fourth TR on here. Hope my previous ones have been enjoyed so far

The history:
Have been to Dubai 3 times prior to this trip and not sure what it is but I am always drawn back. could be the extreme heat as crazy as that sounds.
Having been a lurker for many years on the BAEC pages on here when I found out about the new new new first on British airways latest arrival to the fleet I simply had to try it. and the 787-900 was worth the wait.

The plan:
Originally it was going to be Delhi back when I found out the routes BA were flying the 789 dreamliner but some how AUH (Abu Dhabi) made its way to the top of the list when booking. believe Delhi was a night flight too so not a lot of time to enjoy the service as Zzz doesnt make for a memorable flying experience.

The change:
The only major change to this trip was the return from DXB (Dubai)
Originally booked with BA in Y using avios I remembered just how tight that seats can be and didn't fancy a dusty old 777 on the way back either. booking using avios was cancelled and my search continued to find a route home.
Looked in to all direct one way options as AUH was a one way on avios. Qatar came up trumps on price although it was indirect I didn't mind that one bit. Keen to try a new airline with both new 787s and 380s in its fleet as well as happy to earn avios rather than spend although it didnt pull in much.

The flight plan:
20/07/16
LHR-AUH - B787-900 in First with BA on 0073 - 2A - 61,200 avios and Ł428

23/07/16
DXB-DOH- B787-800 in economy with Qatar airlines on 1003 - 10A
2 hour break at Doh
DOH-LHR - A380 in economy with Qatar airlines on 003 - 25A on the upper deck. this flight was around Ł250

the hotel's
19/07/16
Hilton Garden inn near hatton cross/LHR. the rate for a King room was just over Ł100 booked at the HH member rate, no sale rates available

20/07/16
Hilton Capital Grand Abu Dhabi
HH sale King room around Ł60

21/07/16
Waldorf Astoria on the palm
24,000 HH points and around Ł95 for a partial room view. the cheapest redemption possible ^

22/07/16
Hilton Dubai Creek
Queen room around Ł115 HH member rate

And now on to the trip report

tynmar

my trip started with a smooth ride to the HGI (my first stay here) believe it used to be a jurys inn and re-branded a couple of years ago

Its located a very short walk from hatton cross and also very close to the end of the runway



Check in was quick and the lady at the front desk was kind enough to change my breakfast diamond benefit over to 750 points. I planned on dining at the CCR early the following morning.

second room after the first room had an issue with the lock and a slam was needed. am sure I'm not the only one who cant stand doors slamming when trying to ZZZ ^



view from room number two


Tube using contactless was easy peasy and I headed straight to BA's first check in. have seen lots of comments on the BAEC page about queues being silly. they looked busy but not crazy.

slightly blurred as didnt want set up the tripod to get the perfect shot


Check in was very quick with zero wait time. Fast track didn't look like it was moving at all so moved over to the regular lines and it was just a few minutes. Usual security pain with food and water, coins in pockets etc.

used the shortcut to the CCR and was at the bar in no time at all with champagne ordered just after 07:30 (too early for JW)


CCR dining was my next stop as was rather hungry


salmon, eggs and toast was out in no time




Cornflakes to follow


Time on the terrace catching up with all Airlines and Hotel news ^




A spa treatment was booked a few weeks out via youfirst, they were also kind enough to send me a menu for the flight in PDF format


the plane was parked in the B gates so headed over. lots of people already waiting and no mass of people loitering around fast track. First and Club were called at the same time and was shown to my seat. walking through the club cabin which is split as there is a galley in the middle, it looked very comfortable.

and now for probably too many photos on a flight. very excited at this point




the massive permanent screen does mean that the footrest isnt really a buddy seat any more


playing with the digital blinds and getting familiar with the controls of the latest first offering


some LPGS and water while waiting. I was in no rush to go anywhere


it may look a little tight but at only 8 seats it felt very private


PJ's offered along with slipper, didnt use but why decline?


Android control along with seat and lighting controls. thought my lamp was busted but you need to click on a function and then turn the wheel to make changes @:-)


Batman vs Superman was loaded up to have a quick play with the system


watching movies at the gate


the first of three queue jumpers. of course they need to take off in a row so smaller aircraft have a smoother take off.

Etihad A380


then BA (the cheek)


and an emirates too.

sussed the controls and blinds at this point


wardrobe space


and a mini cupboard with mirror just next to the seat


Drink delivered in no time as they asked what I would like once in the air before take off. traditional BA warm nuts issued too ^




somewhere over Europe, could smell food at this point


skipped the usual starters and went for a Cesar salad.
Forgive me but I can never capture BA first food like other photos I have seen on here. I was asked also what time I would like to eat. great crew serving just the three of us in first.


Angus beef with a cheek also. Mustard was added moments after the food was delivered. all consumed apart from the cheek, who eats this? yuk


after dining entertainment




nearly halfway there


fancied a nap after this, the crew offered to make the bed up but said a pillow and duvet would be just fine. while the duvet looked thin I was very cozy


waking up and feeling good after some sleep I thought I missed afternoon tea. popped to the front as not a fan of the call bell and they were just sorting it ^




two pots of tea consumed


felt like we missed the turning. after leaving slight late due to traffic at LHR we made up the time


on approach


a rather funky ATC building


was surprised when landed to be taking steps and a bus?
not sure if I should have been issued a fast track welcome being in first. the queue was massive and took over an hour (ok not as bad as miami) but it was sloooooow my bag was waiting for me patiently on the other side

next stop, the hotels

stu1985

Nice report so far! That looks like a strange Caesar salad to me lol!

tynmar

Thanks Stu1985

just tried to post part two and the site had logged me off. should have kept my account live in another tab, am gutted. glad you like so far and totally agree on the salad. wonder if they have one salad and just change what dressing goes on the side?

tynmar

second attempt at part two as FT timed out on me, most likely a carbon based error

So after a pleasant flight and a painful wait to enter. I was greeted by a sign with hilton and my name on it. 5 minutes later a call pulled up outside.
arranged with concierge over email before the trip and for a merc the cost was around Ł20

pretty much a straight drive to the hotel



Check in was friendly and was upgraded from a king to an exec shortly after booking, was then told I have a one bedroom suite for my stay, not bad at all for the price paid

welcome fruits and letter in the living room


spacious bathroom with glass enclosed toilet and shower around the corner


and a very comfortable bedroom with water placed either side of the bed.


slept like a log and woke up feeling refreshed, I headed up to the exec lounge, only 2 other guests in here and a friendly member of staff at the door. he did well not to laugh at my effort of pulling a push door

I did miss the usual offerings found elsewhere




view while heading back down to my room


checkout was a breeze and told them how nice the hotel was. received an email a few days later and left them some nice words only to be followed up on and was thanked for this. if only certain UK HH sites were as quick to reply to surveys ^

Decided to use UBER over a local taxi or private car. still new to me but its so easy once you have used it...once at first lots of cars in the area but the app said requesting for ages and then told me no cars available, guess no wanted the fare and a 90 minute drive out of town. a driver was sent on second attempt and he was great, took just over 60 minutes to reach the WA and he had a super nice and brand new from what I gather lexus ES350. 5 star rating for that man and a nice tip too.



outside the WA, where staff flocked to my car to take my bag, said "I can take it "


standard WA clock in the lobby area


check in here was quick enough with little wait. I was a little early so left my bags with them and after a short wait when I came back to get my keys the bags were already rushed off and waiting in my room. upgraded here to a deluxe sea/palm view room which was nice, worth around Ł350 so good usage of HH points this time.

the welcome was as I remembered from my 2014 stay. ice cold tower and a fresh juice. now with a welcome pack of whats on in the hotel and 2x drinks vocuhers. plus the best benefit as a diamond staying at a WA, buffet breakfast included.

the room






and the view




quick uber to the Atlantis hotel as I planned to visit the aquarium. one forgets how large the palm is, google maps quoted 40 mnutes walk, I spotted gaps in the path on the way in and it was in the 110's outside, didnt fancy the walk. the they also run a bus to the atlantis and to the mall also, this can be booked at reception and details found on the transport part of the WA website.

ticket was 100AED/20GBP which I think it fair





these were cool to watch








loved these two






rather them than me. not sure if its a paid activity or just cleaning the tank












remember this guy from a previous visit, he looked larger than I remember, didnt tell him though




this had a shimmer effect going on, very cool in person


thought this was just a large curved LCD at a glance


FOUND!!






taxi back after a quick stop at the burger joint at atlantis.

dodgy attempt of a panoramic photo from the iphone.


after a visit to the SPA which was easy to book treatments I missed sunset and it was getting late. headed to peacock alley to use my drinks vouchers



very quiet down here in the evening. Staff very friendly and attentive




so rather grand looking stairs which lead down from the lobby to the downstairs restaurants and pool/beach access area


like my last two TR's some WWE content


wwe jokes aside the content of the TV channels was large and something to find for late night channel hopping

breakfast the following morning was rather busy and believe it was a full house the night before. small wait and I was seated and then another member of staff appeared from nowhere and kept me topped up with Tea

Omelette station was busy but worth the wait.


lobby area from the glass elevators in the middle of the hotel. managed an extra hour/late check out here. normally 12:00 got 13:00, perfect as just wanted some time on the beach and a shower before the next hotel


spotted this on the way to the beach, wonder how many people has dined here late and night and fallen in


hotel from the pool area


wide enough beach and lots and lots of chairs out and staff walking around to take drink orders and lifegaurds around too.


it was already heating up so after some time in the sand quick shower and found I had some spare time. beer o'clock? @:-) Ł9!!!! minibar lol


will stop here on this post and hope it saves this time. next part. Hilton Dubai creek and the QR journey home.

tynmar

the final stretch (can I say that for a 3 night trip report )

another day another uber and on to my last hotel/night of this TR before heading back to LHR

drove past a temptation as its super new and only opened a few weeks ago. I really enjoy my W stays and ticked off a fair few. there is a st regis built right next door. resisted and stuck to a HH only trip. maybe next time, this is one of three W's opening in the UAE. 1 more in dubai possibly on the palm and another in abu dhabi.



the beast, see you in a few hours


arrived at the Hilton Dubai Creek a tad earlier but a very small wait for the exec creek room I was moved too. these really are the best rooms here if a view is important.


bathroom


this chap was looking after my local newspaper for me


the reason we all stay here, the pool, while its not massive and only a few chairs either side its very nice up here.


118 with a heat index of 127


my fourth time in dubai, my fourth time at the hilton creek and the fourth time I have had this sandwich. old habits and all that (real bacon too)


view from the pool deck on the top floor


Starting to cool down now? yeah right


the exec lounge was functioning in a make shift area next to the bar and happy hour also hosted at the main bar on the ground floor. staff on hand and well covered.

my evening plans were to visit the mall and try a boat ride on the lake outside the mall and burj khalifa. as they have bellagio style fountains there same team as vegas "WET" they are good!!
Was tempted to visit the observation desk again and try the new addition of floor 148 as well as the usual deck of 124 but the Ł80 was too rich for me, maybe another time. the boat ride was Ł10 and what a bargain.

feel free to read my RTW 2014 trip report for photos of Atmosphere which is a restaurant on floor 122.

naturally I got lost in the mall as per previous visits but made it outside in the end.

managed to catch the end of "time to say goodbye" which was as awesome as ever





how they do this amazes me


and THIS


on the lake, no queue to buy ticket and can also be done online. shared a boat with a couple, max of 6 people to a boat








the boat in question ^
the "captain" of the boat called us up to the front to have a photo taken, he was awesome and perhaps in the wrong job. sadly 20 photos of me and I still looked windswept and rather warm too








I took the long way back but wasnt entirely sure where I was heading. think the head scrambled my brain earlier in the day.



Having been in the Burj before I thought why not head to the Armani hotel, freshen up as was still super hot and have a drink in the hotel too perhaps.
this was a bad idea. the long way round was just that. after I reached what I thought was the front I walked up some steps and then had someone yell at me "private property" I missed the sign. opps. then tried another attempt to walk up but it was cars only and very busy so skipped the hotel. got talked in to a taxi on a non taxi level of the mall once I made it back and paid 3x the amount of a normal taxi. I swear the guy cooked the books with the meter as I heard beeping and his hand them covered the price and he saw me trying to look. then I thought he accused me of giving him 10AED when I handed over 100AED. no wonder this driver has been here for 24 years, making a fortune ripping people off entirely my fault but I was desperate to get back to the hotel. if only I paid more attention and went up one more level to the taxi rank.

happy to be alive and back at the creek I popped to the bar for a coke and water as dehydrated and pooped too.

my alarm was set for 0300 as my QR1003 flight was at 530
couldnt sleep as found unbreakable on TV and turned it off after midnight so just under 3 hours sleep for me


yet in the morning, I felt fine. said what a nice stay it was at the front desk and a quick... wait for it..... UBER over to DXB to head back home.

check in was easy as used the business desks thanks to QR being one world this helped me skip a small queue

the lounges were tucked away behind the scenes at T1. shame I didnt get to see BA's new lounge.

Food looked ok and the bar was staffed at 4am
headed to the smoking room which wasnt as bad as I expected

a man had a glass of wine brought from the bar. beats my champagne at 5am LHR galleries (A380 flying to FRA) but I digress

too early for food I thought just a tea will do, couldnt find any milk and asked someone and he took my cup, placed under the coffe machine and wam milk came out. weirdest foamy tea ever had two cups



I could have picked a slight later flight but thought this one (1003) is operated by a dreamliner, nice to try it out even for such a short flight over to Doha. it was changed the night before but managed to retain seat 10A on the 777.

climbing up to 22,000 ft for the 40 minute hop





trays are hard work for a snack so held it all for this photo.
"Chicken Sandwich" it was hot and ok.


this was my first Qatar flight and it was nice enough. one thing that was new to me. the curtain was closed super quick to keep us in Y back from flooding J. quite a good idea but Y tend to push forward so not great if first by the curtain like I was, few looks like "why isnt this guy moving"

less than two hours till QR003 back to LHR I had a quick look in duty free and found a lounge. new airport, big and lots of signs. but are the signs any good? I found they would lead you to X but then to find X from there wasnt very clear at all.

fast track boarding to check my ticket and again to board, perhaps being on the upper deck helped too as you walk all the way to the back and then up the stairs and then a few row forward in the small Y section at the back. really smart move. just a tease the business class lounge on the plane was in front of me. so close

25A, great legroom, seat didnt feel narrow at all and the side bins for blanket or small item storage.

Noticed on this flight as well as the last they come round to their elites, hand shake and to let them know if they can do anything.



my view of the wing and a neighboring QR A380
at this point the mood enhancing music that was on loop was a little too much


the iron curtain and screen map. this screen did turn off after a while. been on AA's newish 777W's and they left the screen on the whole time


breakfast was good although I was staving and on just under three hours sleep so far. and weakened and tried the chicken sausage too. very good for a Y breakfast. BA take note!!!!


one of the best things about the whalejet is well apart from how quiet it is... is the tail camera. Could watch this all day ok maybe not but I love it.


guy next to me started to watch a film? paused it and fell asleep for 2 hours so I had a dog in a basket looking at me


the view


hang on a minute? I had this for breakfast 6 hours ago hahaha


starting the decent now. while the crew were great they did lack BA's customer service skills. also a rare flight where I didnt have a drink so sadly I cant report what drinks are available.


landing just moments away and the final photo of this TR


pretty sure the gate we parked at was the furthest away from anywhere.
again the curtain was enforced, a few insisted and going past so I wished them good luck.

small celebration getting the E-passport reader to work first time.
bags were quick coming off but airport staff were picking off VIP labelled bags and there were a lot. somehow my bag got a first class tag slapped on it as DXB so not sure if they helped but was soon enough out the airport and on my way home.

all in all a great trip to visit my favorite hotels, got to tick off the BA789 in first and try a new airline too which I would recommend trying for any route convenient that is serviced by a 380, provided you dont might a brief stop in DOH

thats all from me for now. hope all reading the TR enjoyed and wish everyone a wonderful weekend

offerendum

The inbound looked a touch nicer....

tynmar

Oh really? must be my amateur photography

both were smooth rides I must say. Would fly QR again ^

CHOPCHOP767

Thanks for the review of Hilton properties in DXB.

I don't know how you can eat outside, even with a pool, during the summer in the ME. I try to avoid going over there at all during the summer, lol.

arlflyer

Nice TR!

As they sometimes say, BA F is one of the world's better J products...


Just to be clear, the hhonors program does not provide a guaranteed breakfast benefit for Diamond members at WA properties. This is a major point of contention over in FT hhonors land, especially given that other chains guarantee this benefit to elites at their highest-end properties.

This particular property, while tending to vacillate back and forth and change the benefit seemingly every few months, does more often than not offer breakfast to Diamond guests, solely on its own prerogative. And in my opinion it is one of the better breakfast offerings in the Hilton portfolio.

tynmar

I don't know either. there was nothing left of me after a few relaxing hours on the rooftop, slowy roasting. Was a little red after that afternoon. Factor 500 next time for me.
But yes, a summer return ruled out for me @:-) Cooler months next time.


arlflyer, long time no speak. Hope you had nice memories reading up on the WA again.

Well aware of the WA and breakfast policy for diamonds, I frequent the BA and HH boards more than I should on this website

WA Edinburgh - great McDonalds over the road.
WA Rome - room service
and WA NYC - Hmm I dont recall. (oh yes I do, see Edinburgh )

Indeed things certainly do change from what I read on here. at one point believe diamonds were allowed in the lounge regardless of room.

here are the current diamond benifits for the WA on the palm:

* Prioritized upgrade to the next category of the booked room type, subject to availability upon check in *Premier rooms, Waldorf Astoria Suites, Chairman Suite & Royal Suite are excluded. Applicable to one room only.
* Complimentary Premium high speed internet during the stay.
* Late check-out upon request and subject to availability. Applicable to one room only.
* 1,000 points per stay.
* 50% Bonus on all HHonors Base points earned during your stay.

*Club Lounge access is not part of HHonors Benefits for all Waldorf Astoria as only 5 out of 28 property has the facility. Since Waldorf Astoria are not designed to have a Club Lounge entirely, the following benefits does not cover the brand.

In addition, kindly be aware of additional Diamond benefits exclusive to Waldorf Astoria The Palm.

* 10% discount at the Mezzerie restaurant.
* Complimentary breakfast buffet at Mezzerie or a selection of breakfast items in Palm Avenue which includes one fresh juice, one hot beverage, one main dish as well as one side dish. Applicable to Diamond member + 1 guest only
* Complimentary daily drink voucher for 2, (member and one registered guest) in Peacock Alley or Serafina

CHOPCHOP767

I have to go to BAH, AUH and KWI from time to time and the best season is December and January when it's only 75 F / 24 C. It's kind of like Florida I try to avoid the area during Ramadan not only because of the heat, but the bars all close (gasp!). Thanks again for sharing.

arlflyer

Indeed! I'd forgotten we'd chatted a bit back on the matter. A good property, and nice of them to offer the very tasty breakfast benefit. I just like to shame Hilton for not offering it across all WA properties every chance I get.