When checking in, Katya from Georgia was at the hotel, she speaks Russian. But we saw her only at check-in at night and in the morning at breakfast, she was no more. The rest of the staff only speak English, but this did not create discomfort, since communication took place through the translator application on the phone and everything was ok.
Upon check-in take a tour. fee, 70 dirhams for 7 nights. This amount was exchanged at the airport. There is no deposit. Beach towels are provided free of charge.
The disadvantages in my situation, which I did not encounter while relaxing in Turkey or Egypt, are 1) they promised a transfer from the airport, it was not there, whose fault is still unknown. We went by taxi, paid almost $15. Transfer to the airport was provided.
2) The moment of check-in and check-out is not the same as in Turkey and Egypt, and we found out about this when we processed the documents, and we were not even warned if we had not read it. If the arrival is at night, the room is usually booked in order to be settled immediately, if the arrival is in the morning, then the check-in, depending on the hotel, is from 12-14 o'clock.
Check out: our plane was at 3:2.28/08. The transfer picked us up from the hotel at 23:00 on 27/08. According to the requirements of the UAE hotels, we release the room, again depending on the hotel, from 14-16 hours. Or 110 dirhams, and your number by the time you leave the hotel. And if you have breakfasts and dinners on the tour, then you will have a paid dinner already. Or you could have lunch for free and pay for dinner before leaving. 1+1 child 10 rub. (age matters up to 12r) 55 dirhams. When in Turkey and Egypt we were under such conditions when a night flight could stay in the room until the very end and use the services of the hotel until the very end.
Here, after 4 p. m. , we sat in the lobby, since we didn’t walk much at +40, and we had to pay for dinner. Therefore, consider this. This moment somewhat left an unpleasant aftertaste.
We needed a room for an overnight stay, we are not whimsical. The safe was, but did not work, they had to repair it, but they never did, although they asked. The air conditioner was fixed when they said it had stopped working. The repair is not new. Windows don't open. Air conditioning and refrigerator work even if you remove the key card. The water in the shower was hot, I don't know if it's the only thing we have. The temperature control valve did not work. The room was cleaned every day, towels changed, 2 bottles of water 0.5l each. This is not enough, in the supermarket on the street on December 2, on the road to the right of the roadway there is a supermarket where you can buy 1 liter for 1.5 dirhams. But be careful, as the price tags are not everywhere or under the wrong product. The same 1 liter of another brand of water can cost 10 dirhams.
The hotel has a gym which is quite good.
Metro 40 min walk.
It's hard to walk in this heat and stuffiness. Therefore, in order to purchase a map, it is better to get there by taxi. Cards can only be purchased and topped up at metro stations. Or at bus stations, not stops! ! ! Either always use a taxi, or rent a car. The hotel has a possibility.
The food is wonderful. We took breakfast and dinner, dinner can be changed for lunch. Not such a buffet as in Turkey or Egypt, but you won’t leave there hungry for sure. Tea and coffee only in the morning, they are not available in the evening, you can take tea or coffee from the room and pour boiling water in the restaurant. You can buy lunch or dinner at the hotel. It will be cheaper than going to eat somewhere else. 1 adult and 1 child 10r = 55 dirhams.
The beach is good, there is a place to change clothes, a shower, a toilet. Sunbeds and umbrellas are paid, we took our beach carpet and placed under a palm tree. Didn't burn out.
The water on all beaches is different in color and transparency (according to reviews), we were only on two beaches.
La Maire only loses in water, or we fell into such a period that the sea was exactly there muddy and with spots of unknown origin. We were at Sunset Beach, which is before the sail, it is very good there, the water is clean and transparent, but there is nowhere to change clothes and toilets. And there are two hotels under construction, so the view of the Parus hotel is not so good anymore.
We visited the water park on La Mer. Budget, the cheapest in Dubai. Tickets were bought in Turistino. Cheaper than at the box office. Norm, but it is better to pay extra and visit another water park. Where will be much better.
I would return to Dubai, definitely YES, I am delighted with this city, but the hotel would be chosen differently.
The hotel does not deserve a ** star. At least ****. VERY conveniently located. La Mer beach within walking distance (15-20 minutes on a flat and straight path, beautiful scenery + free). Metro walk 35-40 minutes, we were also not strained. The hotel staff is good. Cleaning every day. If you have read previous reviews, you have seen - the safe is free in the room, there is a kettle, water, tea, coffee, sugar is replenished every day. The toilet is combined with a shower. Water does not pour out, as someone wrote. Liquid soap + shampoo is available, hair dryer is also available. Beach towels can be requested at the reception.
There is a transfer to the beaches and Dubai Mall, but according to the schedule, you need to sign up a couple of days in advance.
The food is normal. We liked it better than in Egypt, there are no national spices. You can change lunch with dinner and back, if necessary.
There is a Russian-speaking Annechka at the reception, very good, smart girl.
The weather was 25-30 degrees, sea 20.5. The temperature is comfortable, no heat. The water is kinda cold for me. You enter with an effort, but when you enter, you swim calmly and exit perfectly. After 17.00 it gets cooler. They put on sweatshirts, but it was not cold.
Where it's cold, where there are air conditioners, it's tough. They are everywhere: stops, metro, buses, malls, shops. The locals are smart, they wear sweatshirts. I recommend to follow their example, so as not to cough, as I am now.
What else?
Cultural program!
Everyone studied at home. Super flower park in Dubai. Every year a new composition. Dubai Mall is a must-visit: an aquarium and an underwater zoo (I don’t recommend going into the middle, just look for free, nothing super interesting. Those who were in the oceanarium in Moscow will understand me), over 1200 boutiques, singing fountains from 18.00 every half hour, Burj Khalifa. We were on a sightseeing tour of Dubai. Liked. Were in Abu Dhabi. Super. Do not take excursions to hotels, they are more expensive. On the beach offer cheaper.
In general, we received a lot of positive feedback. Roads, cars, safety, cleanliness, the sun in the end!! !
There were preferences - 5 was not needed, it was supposed to be on the move all the time. But the priorities were still when choosing. Proximity to the beach, proximity to the city center, to attractions, good food and cleanliness in the room. I contacted the tour operator directly (I like it more). What was offered earlier, everyone was in Deira (the old city) and, to put it mildly, not very good according to the reviews. Here everything came together - all the criteria that I wanted. The three of us went, there are no 3-bed rooms in the hotel, in principle. But there are rooms with one double bed and a sofa bed. That's the room we lived in. We had an early check-in, we arrived at about 3 or 4 in the morning. We settled in 3 minutes. I asked for a room overlooking the port, they gave it without question. They don’t understand a word in Russian, and they don’t have to, but a basic knowledge of English is enough for any requests. The room has everything you need - water for each bottle (replenished), tea. coffee. sugar, kettle + cups, spoons. In the bathroom - shampoo, shower gel, soap and liquid and solid). Shower caps and even a toothbrush with pasta. but for some reason one)). And this is in 2 !! ! Ironing board and iron on request. Cleaned well. The truth was not without incidents)) Once. We return to the room, and there, right from the threshold, a toilet brush is lying on our shoes)) Apparently the cleaner lost. The number of towels decreased by 3 pieces)). But we quickly restored it. True, it didn’t give anything through the reception for 15 minutes, we just caught a cleaner in the corridor and he gave us everything and even more)). We overslept the first breakfast)). But already the next morning they were able to appreciate them. The breakfasts are delicious. Sausages of two types, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs - in any form. Salad, carrots, cucumbers. Tomatoes, olives, olives. something Arab - chickpeas, some other curry something . . jams, buns. toasts, juices. tea, coffee, fruit salads, orange fruits, grapefruit, watermelon, melon. Whole apples and bananas. Nutella, Hersheys. . you won't go hungry at all! I like that there are many rooms, but no one hears anyone, the soundproofing is excellent! There are rooms for smokers and non-smokers, upon check-in they ask. The contingent is a lot of Europeans, there are Chinese, there are fewer Slavs. From the hotel there is a free shuttle to the metro, to the beach, to Mercato Mall and to Dubai Mall. On foot from the beach km-2. Bus stops 4. Now many beaches are closed-construction. The place is just wonderful! It's not far from Dubai City, 15 minutes by taxi, 30-40 minutes walk. Walk 25 minutes to the nearest metro, 10-15 minutes drive. Approximately. I recommend this hotel to everyone! It is not a beach, city, but its quality does not suffer from this)). I would once again settle in this hotel.
If there is a country in the world more luxurious than the UAE, show it to me.
The hotel was chosen by Holiday Inn Express Dubai, 2 *, met expectations: clean, comfortable, room cleaning and towel change every day. There are no Russians and Ukrainians in the hotel. The staff is polite, English speaking. Open beach - 10 min walk from the hotel.
Of the minuses. Breakfast is really monotonous: muesli, jams, toast, oranges. No pool. Otherwise, the hotel pleased.
I advise you to visit the Wild Wadi water park, the cost of entry is 205 derhams and from 1.00 to 1.00 your slides.
The tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, is located in Dubai, the entrance is 100 derhams and tickets must be bought in advance, as the hype is very big and tickets are sold out 2 days in advance - Bullshit. Firstly, they don’t take you to the last floor, and secondly, they let you out, you looked around with binoculars (the same view can be seen from the window of the plane) and back into the elevator and to the ground.
I advise you to change the currency to derhams and pay with it. You can exchange at the airport, in malls or at exchange offices, the exchange rate in exchange offices is the same everywhere 3.66. And if you pay in dollars when buying in malls, the rate is lower.
As for the festival, yes, there are prices lower than in Kiev, but you won’t feel a discount on good things. A huge minus is that it’s simply not realistic to find the size you need at the festival. Shopping malls are a different story, they amaze with their size and beauty, for example, an aquarium to the ceiling, waterfalls (Dubai Mall).
We traveled around the city by taxi, by the way there are two types of taxis: Toyota Kemri (state taxi) and Lexus.
Of course, Dubai is amazing: air-conditioned stops, a meter in which you can live (be sure to visit and get off at that station for which you paid), every bush is watered.
Yes, in supermarkets you will not find alcohol at all - it is prohibited. As there is no prison in the city, it is simply not needed, theft is absent.
Have a nice holiday!