Emirates flight is great. The 5 star hotel did not receive any welcome drink. Earlier reviews wrote about fruit and wine upon arrival in the room, also misinformation. The first impression is that we were not expected here. We took two suites for 4 adults, one with a sea view, the other with a garden view. The rooms are shabby, the furniture is ancient, the linen is torn, the towels and bathrobes are washed out, gray. The only plus for the rooms is access to the lawn with your sunbeds.
The territory is well-groomed, green, a bridge, waterfalls, a peacock, the staff is trying, friendly. But the bars are also shabby, they could at least paint. Food compared to the fives in Cyprus, in Greece, Turkey, Croatia for a four. Enough fruit, but not all edible. The impression again spoils the wretchedness of the main restaurant, no tablecloths, no napkins on the table. But this is all tolerable, if you do not bother with the service.
But what shocked me was that starting from the second day of our stay, we woke up every night from the pungent smell of gas, from which it stings in the nose and tickles the throat. The room turns into a gas chamber!! ! In the morning there is a gas haze above the water. When booking the tour, there was no time to climb the sites and read the reviews of tourists, but, as it turned out later, they wrote about it. The tour operator hides this information, when they turned to the representative, he pretended that he heard this for the first time, that no one except us complained.
If we knew that we would have to poison ourselves with gas, we would not have come here for nothing. If anyone is planning to swim in the sea, this is not the place. The sea here is a smelly stagnant puddle with black foam and a view of the construction site. Draw your own conclusions!! !
Breakfasts and dinners are not super varied, but no one left hungry and of high quality. Separately, about chocolate muffins, well, they are very tasty. The territory of the hotel itself is well-groomed to a shine. Peacocks bring their own flavor, unusually. Heated pools, the child was satisfied. Information for those who come with children to Legoland, drive for 15-20 minutes, the cost of a taxi is 45-70 dirhams, depending on the class of the car you order.
And now a fly in the ointment. It really smelled of gas, but only in one morning and a couple of hours. In a previous review, they wrote that the smell was unbearable. Thank God it didn't come to that. Therefore, the lottery is as lucky as anyone. The cleanliness of the beach is monitored, but the view of the abandoned unfinished building spoils the impression a little.
As a result, the overall impression is very positive, the atmosphere in the hotel is complete relaxation, nothing to do with the anthill that resembles Atlantis on a palm tree. Summing up, if it were not for the gas issue, you can go without hesitation, but doubts remained.
Rooms. Accommodation in 10 two-story bungalows scattered throughout the territory, but all equally close to the beach. Everything in the rooms corresponds to the category of 5 stars: bathrobes / slippers, cosmetics, iron / ironing board, safe, tea set, safe, plasma. When placed on the ground floor, there is the possibility of direct access to the lawn with relaxation on sun loungers near your room. There is no sea view due to the abundance of greenery.
Beach.
The big problem of the hotel: for the most part, the entrance to the water is on sharp stones and then on dark algae. In the algae, it is teeming with crabs, which not only do not run away, but also pinch painfully. Perceptible low tides expose the stones and make swimming impossible. View from the beach to the concrete unfinished building, and from the other side to the pier. The water is stagnant.
Internet: Wi Fi free of charge throughout the territory.
Free transfers: to bargain. Mall of Emirates and Atlantis Water Park. Taxi from Dubai Marina to the hotel 50 dirhams ($14).
Contingent. English.
A hotel for those who do not care about swimming in the sea and the view from the beach is not important.
. Let's start with the fact that this is not just a hotel, it is a COMPLEX of two hotels that have EVERYTHING in common: restaurants, infrastructure, etc. The only difference: JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT & SPA -5 * (accommodation in the 7-storey main building) and JEBEL ALI PALM TREE COURT - 5 * (this is accommodation in 3-storey buildings facing the sea). And that's it! You can eat at any restaurants, relax on any part of the beach. All services are available to you, there are no bracelets, no one knows which hotel someone lives in, if not the color of the towels (blue and orange, respectively)
WE TRIED TO MAKE THE MOST DETAILED REVIEW... We were in this hotel for a week accompanying a group of tourists. This is our base hotel, so we looked at everything in detail. We really enjoyed! As professionals in the travel industry, we can safely say: an excellent hotel! If you describe it in a few sentences, it will be like this: PEACE, HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE, HUGE GREEN AREA, HUGE BEACH, NO CONSTRUCTIONS, FRESH AIR AND SILENCE…
Location:
The hotel (sorry, the complex) is located in the suburbs, the so-called "Green Zone" of Dubai. Where? Well, if you look at the sea from Palm Jumeirah (palm island) to the left about 18 kilometers. There are no buildings or skyscrapers nearby. True, another palm island began to be poured right next to the hotel (you will see in the photo), but until 2013 THE CONSTRUCTION IS FROZEN, we did not see a single car or workers... Just a sand embankment is visible somewhere far away, where the horizon should be. Maybe not very beautiful for panoramic photos, but there is a huge plus: there are no waves, since it already turns out to be a huge bay with access to the sea. On the right, the cranes of the port of Dubai are visible, but far away (there is a free trade zone of Dubai, containers with cars and other things come there)...
Transfer:
From the airport, drive about 40 minutes towards Abu Dhabi. But the road is not annoying: for now, look at all the skyscrapers, half an hour passes, and then 10-15 minutes along a free highway. The nearest “Mall Ibn Batuta” is 18 minutes on a free bus (we spotted), so you don’t feel like in the desert, just on the outskirts.
Territory
Look at the plan and you will see that it is simply huge! Along the seashore at least 400-500 meters, and in depth about 2 kilometers. It is all well-groomed, green, the grass is all cut, there is no garbage anywhere! There is a place to take a walk with a child, and older children will have a place to run and you will be sure that they will not leave the territory. We, adults, did not have enough strength to reach the checkpoint! On the territory there are many rivers with fish, lakes, waterfalls. Huge golf courses, among them are paths along which you can walk for a long time. To the right of the main building is a huge parking lot of ocean yachts. We specifically looked, there was not a single gasoline speck on the water. The only jet aircraft stand in Dubai. They do not disturb at all, it is even interesting to watch how they land on the water. And no matter how cool you are and no matter where you live in Dubai, if you want to ride a plane over Dubai, this can only be done from here. This already speaks about the level of the hotel. Peacocks roam everywhere, birds sing, in a word, paradise! Small golf cars scurry around the territory, IF YOU NEED to get somewhere around the territory, ask the concierge and he will immediately call you a CADDY car and you will be taken to the place (sports club, horse base, and so on), it's free.
Hotel buildings:
The main building of JEBEL ALI GOLF is seven-storied, facing the sea. The rooms go either with a sea view (odd room numbers) or in the opposite direction, on the Golf course. Of course, the sea is better, but look at how much time you will spend at sea. Inside it turns out a long corridor, rooms on both sides.
The buildings of the PALM TREE COURT hotel are three-story, looking obliquely ALL TO THE SIDE OF THE SEA. There are more than ten or twelve of them, standing in three or four rows. That is, your room will still look towards the sea, but if the buildings are not in the first row, you will see only greenery from the balcony. Rivers flow between the buildings, smooth paths and everything is planted. Undoubtedly, Palm Tree is higher level. He has his own reception in a large hall with high ceilings, when you enter, you already get the impression of a rich hotel. And everything else won't let you down either.
Rooms:
At the JEBEL ALI GOLF hotel, the standard rooms are small, 22-25 square meters, but quite comfortable and the interior is well thought out, nothing interferes. A lot of mirrors (4-5), including full-length mirrors (this is very important for women), a full bath with a shower. Washing accessories replenished daily (shampoo, caps, etc. ), towels, only if you throw them on the floor. Of the inconveniences, only small balconies (do not put out a chair, just stand together) and the hair dryer is constantly plugged into the network and lies in one of the drawers, so it cannot be dragged around the room. There are bathrobes and slippers. Tea accessories are replenished every day (sugar, tea, coffee), the kettle is worth it. The mini-bar is full, paid, the prices bite. Complimentary 2 bottles of water per room daily. TV - plasma, 45 channels, three of them are Russian. If you take a siut there are already full two rooms, 2 + 2, you can safely settle. The suites are located on floors 5-7, there is a small cafe right on the floor, where tables are set for residents for a light breakfast. WIFI (Internet) throughout the hotel is free of charge, almost full coverage regardless of building or floor. You take an envelope at the reception with a password and use it for 7 days from the moment of the first “login”, then change it to another one.
The rooms in the PALM TREE COURT are slightly larger in area, we did not notice any special differences in the decoration of the room and the service (our group lived both in the hotel and in the Palm Tree bungalow), everything is also very stylish. BUT the balconies are much larger, they fit two sun loungers and even a sun umbrella. The floors are slightly ledges (the upper floor is slightly deeper than the lower one), so that regardless of the floor, the balcony is sunny. On the ground floor, in addition, you have a small private area of lawn in front of the room, where your sunbeds are located and you can sunbathe from the room a stone's throw away. Undoubtedly, this part of the hotel is for a more demanding public.
Vacationers:
As they say in our understanding "Germans". Those. Europe in all manifestations. There are plenty of Russians too, but since they don’t yell drunk songs in front of the pool, sometimes you don’t even know what nationality people are relaxing next to. In any case, ALL HOLIDAYING CALM SOLID PEOPLE (well, at least it seemed to us). There were also corporate parties, but according to their program, they did not cause much trouble.
Sea beach:
Many may say “stagnant water lagoon”, maybe a lagoon, only the water is clean and transparent, and due to the fact that this is a lagoon, there are practically no waves and surf. The beach is great! From right to left about 400 steps of white clean sand. Every morning a tractor passes by, it levels the beach and collects everything that can lie there with a comb, so there is no large debris. Then the workers go and collect all the little things. THE BEACH IS CLEAN. The beach is about 50 steps wide, that is, very wide. Moreover, the sunbeds are usually not on the sand itself, but on the lawns a little further, there is enough space for everyone. Nobody occupies sunbeds, you can find a place in the morning. Well, it is not necessary to rest your feet in the sea! The sunbeds are also of high quality, you can adjust the height without getting up using the armrests. Mattresses are upholstered, so they are not like Egyptian nasty oilcloth, but comfortable. Accordingly, the waiter will bring you drinks to the sunbed, a matter of comfort. It is very convenient for children, they dig in the sand, it is small and clean. The entrance to the sea is gentle, so it is also comfortable for non-swimmers. The buoys have a floating platform, those who swim can sit with their legs dangling...
Pools
There are three open pools, and each of them goes in cascades, with different depths. One pool with sea (semi-marine) water is different in color, slightly greener and muddier. There are 4-5 children's departments, and they are covered with a cloth canopy from above so that children do not burn themselves. The water temperature is HOT! At least 28C, it was even hot for us adults, but there is a plus: you don’t need to kick the children out of the pool, they don’t freeze there. The deepest depth is 3.5 meters, where divers work out something... there are not enough sun loungers by the pool, mainly the calculation, of course, is for the beach. There are a couple of pool bars
Bars, restaurants
There are two main restaurants (which are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner), one in each of the hotels. You can eat anywhere, but from our point of view, FOOD IN PALM TREE is better. Plus two A-LA-CARD restaurants? These are Italian on the minus ground floor at the Golf Hotel and White Orchid at Palm Tree (open for dinner). In addition, there is a snack bar right in front of the yacht parking (at the sports club), football matches are broadcast there (the prices here are reasonable, but the assortment is poor, the snack bar in a word). For lunch, without leaving the beach, you can go to the Captain's Bar (it is almost in the beach area, but there is also a full-fledged lunch with “first-second-compote”. The bar is open, you can eat in swimming trunks and a T-shirt.
Food quality:
Worthy. An assortment of meat, fish and everything else is present. Breakfasts are standard, but salmon is lightly salted, smoked sterlet is no longer just like that... Freshly squeezed juices are also free for breakfast. Baking grow-pop, but impossible to refuse. My record is 9 buns with coffee and strawberry syrup. Everything is very delicious. For lunch or dinner, the average bill was about $30-40 per person. You can take a buffet for dinner, it comes out to 55 $ / person. It's pricey, we didn't eat that much. We advise you to take half-board meals in Russia. There is also an AI system, but it seems that it is better to order what you like to order. Undoubtedly, leaving and eating in MALLS is much cheaper (even taking into account the road), but if you have chosen such a hotel, why save on food? Keep in mind, there is nowhere else to eat nearby, count only on those eating points that were described above. Behind the hotel is the steppe…
SPA
A huge SPA center at the PALM TREE hotel, a lot of procedures. Our favorite massage was Mary's. Plus a sauna with a steam room in the sports complex: small, cozy, several rooms for 4-5 people, very clean and cute.
Sports and entertainment (all)
Diving (pool lessons plus open dives), a separate store for accessories, a dive card, everything is serious about it. There is tennis (four HARD courts of good quality, between them stands under a canopy, a cooler). Since we held a TENNIS TOURNAMENT there, we can talk about it for a long time, call better... Table tennis, squash court, badminton court, billiards, gym - all this in the Jumana sports club (near the parking lot). Of course, the main thing is Golf. An incredible number of fields with holes, a bunch of cars, a store "Everything for Golf" and much more. Well, we are not very strong in golf, it will be interesting to someone - we will reset the course plan and course conditions. The hotel has its own horse base for 15 horses, a huge levada for walks and training. It is in great demand among residents of all hotels. Because Upon our arrival, everything was scheduled ahead for 2 weeks! The Shooting Club is a separate issue. Five minutes on a free bus to the end of the hotel territory - and there is skeet shooting (real vertical hunting rifles), target shooting from pistols, archery. In addition, the Club has its own full-fledged football stadium with stands. The Club has a restaurant, in terms of quality, a trip to the Steak House, expensive but of a high level. The club is open until 22:00, so after the sea it's time to shoot. 25 shots cost about $25.
Other
Business center with six to eight conference rooms with full equipment. There are also shops: Gold, more gold, again gold, souvenirs, watches, clothes, souvenirs. Basic necessities are also presented. The children's room is very large, they are engaged with the kids, many of our tourists left the children without fear of the language barrier.
Service at the hotel:
Malaysians and representatives of other nationalities of Southeast Asia. The staff is well-trained, helpful, as if unnoticed, yjm everything is done. We won’t even bother about cleaning the rooms and so on: it’s all the same Emirates - 5 *, as everything should be, the way it is. They are apparently told not to contradict the customers, because if he says NO, then he will immediately apologize and think about how to fix the situation so that the guests are happy.
How to check out from the hotel:
The nearest MALL-IBN-BATUTTA is 20 minutes away, the free bus runs according to the schedule. Taxi hotel about $ 20, local (you can call, but a long wait) about $ 12-14. Several times a day, the bus from the hotel calls in other shopping centers, even wraps around the Palm Jumeirah, there is also a large water park nearby.
If you forgot to write something - sorry, there is a lot of information. Call, we will tell, especially since we are supposed to know this.
OUTPUT:
Taking into account the fact that this is Dubai, the first line + a huge territory, there are no construction sites and clean air is an EXCELLENT OPTION, at least it is more economical than Jumeirah, it costs its money. A huge five with a minus (minus for the fact that you still want a little closer to civilization). On the other hand, Moscow is full of skyscrapers too. Go, you won't regret it!
Kyiv, Tatiana