Dubai Staff Experience
Adam's Dubai Experience
I have been lucky enough to travel to Dubai on a few occasions; however my most recent endeavour was a short trip as part of a stopover on my way to Cape Town, and was probably the best time I have spent there. The one thing I remember above all other is the level of service and friendly atmosphere; they really do go out of their way to make you feel special and welcome.
I only had 3 days so I wanted to make the most of my time, having been before I had a fair idea of what I wanted to do. I would suggest to anyone to do their research or ask their agent for suggestions prior to the trip to get the best experience. I was staying at Le Royal Meriden which is situated on the stunning Jumeirah Beach, and our club room looked down over the Arabian Gulf and was a perfect size for the two of us. Best of all was the access to the club lounge which opens for cocktails and canapés after 6pm which is all free.
Though my list of activities included dessert safaris, indoor skiing and the water park; my girlfriend was more interested in the shopping! I gave in the first night and went to the Wafi shopping centre, which sells a collection of high end duty free goods. There are whole floors dedicated to diamond shops that blind you as you walk through them; absolutely amazing to see but a little bit out of my price range! There was also a good number of restaurants in the centre too so we were able to get a great Indian meal and it wasn’t too badly priced either.
Being in the travel industry I was interested to see a few of the top hotels so our second day was planned around hotels, food and a little fun. We started off by visiting the Atlantis Resort which is amazing, though it is big, there is so much to do and with so many areas to explore it doesn’t seem over-crowded at all. I was able to see a range of their rooms and all were absolutely outstanding! For clients with a good budget I would definitely go for one of the underwater suites which looks out on to their marine tank – unbelievable!
From here we made our way to the famous 7* Burj Al Arab where I had promised my girlfriend lunch in the seafood restaurant. It is the ultimate in luxury and service but does have certain standards; you have to dress for lunch so no shorts and t-shirts! The food, though pricy was amazing and definitely a must if you are celebrating an anniversary or honeymoon; to make it extra special you can get them to pick you up in one of their many Rolls Royce. After a lovely lunch we headed over the bridge to have a look at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel which is the one of the first landmarks in Dubai in terms of architecture, thanks to its outstanding wave-shape!
Jumeirah Beach is a lovely hotel and it looks like it would be great for families. I don’t think I would recommend this massively for honeymooners or couples but otherwise beholds the 5*luxury standard that it promotes. The thing I was most excited about was that it is right beside the Wild Wadi Water Park! The water park is an amazing day out for all the family, big kids included!
After a long day it was lovely to just crash in our room and order room service. The service you receive from your butler is unbelievable and a simple burger and chips was cooked to your liking and presented like a 5* restaurant!
As we were leaving the next night we decided to book a desert safari as we had to be out of our room by 12. It was amazing and run by locals who had an incredibly in-depth knowledge of the local area and cajoled us with stories of Arabian mysteries and folklore. They take you up and down endless dunes sometimes which are very steep. Eventually you end up in a Bedouin tent with an Arab style buffet which was so good! I am not entirely sure what everything actually was, but I do remember it tasting amazing!
This was a lovely end to a great 3 days in Dubai. They are always creating new activities and attractions so it is the sort of place you can visit time and time again. I would definitely recommend Dubai for families or honeymooners, and don’t forget that it is easily combined with many other areas, so like me if you are heading to South Africa, it makes for an incredible twin centre destination! I will definitely be booking flights via Dubai on my next trip to Africa.
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