This past weekend was a ‘visa run’ weekend and I spent most of my time in the Conrad Dubai. For those of you who are not familiar, like me before expat life, those who come with their spouses abroad and still don’t have a residence permit, need to leave the country every 30days to renew their visa. As I mark my first month in Doha my 30 days was fast approaching and all it meant for me, was a lovely weekend to Dubai. Not that I need an excuse for one of those!
Anyhow, I was looking for hotels in Dubai but considering it is peak season and also that there was an Iron Man competition taking place; can you believe it, 70miles of a combination of swimming, running and cycling. Crazy! The hotel prices in Dubai were high. I was monitoring them for about a week and although I wanted the Jumeirah hotel for the free access to wild wadi they had decided to close it down for maintenance. I mean really? During peak season?
As my choices were looking slim with hotels, I checked the Hilton website and I saw that the Conrad had dropped from 890AED a night to 550AED which is really a steal, so I booked it.
I wasn’t impressed with the reviews online and I was a little apprehensive after reading comments on staff, upgrades and service. But it was booked and I had to take it. 🙂
We arrived on a super early morning flight from Doha, I think we were at the hotel around 9 am. To my surprise, the reception girl called Narcissa did provide us with the last available room as I was a Diamond member. I know that because the people in front of us didn’t get a room! I was ecstatic since I was sleepy, tired and hungry and all that before 9 am. 🙂
We were given a room on the 33rd floor which had a view of the Jumeirah Towers (oh, the irony) and the desert. Quite amazing that you have a building of 60 floors so close to old buildings of 6 floors. The room was a standard room but it was spacious, clean and had one of the comfiest beds ever!
The Room
The Bathroom was a good size, although the tub was a little small, I think they just wanted to put a tab in the room and had to literally squeeze it in there. However, it was a good size bathroom and had all you would need.
Since I live in hotels one thing I started noticing, which I never paid attention to before was the wardrobe. Because I usually travel light and I don’t stay in hotels more than a couple of days I never paid attention to the wardrobe space. But now, it’s my number one thing. 😀
How things have changed in my life.
The wardrobe space is not big enough to accommodate someone staying for let’s say a week in this hotel. I would struggle to fit both our clothes in there. But I assume many people don’t stay more than a week.
The Lounge
As Diamond members, we had access to the lounge where I had breakfast on both days. We did have access to the breakfast restaurant but after going there in the morning and seeing how busy it was we opted for the lounge.
One staff member that I really need to praise is Annah, she has exceptional customer service and a lovely smile. She was polite and remembered our orders, I also noticed another lady which was talking to the other server about how great Annah was and I have to agree.
Considering that some of the reviews online had to do with lounge staff not being good, I think they have changed that.Well done to them!
The breakfast spread was good, it had a lot of variety and also cooked eggs and omelettes as well. Personally, they had everything you will need for breakfast and that is why we chose to have it in the lounge instead of the restaurant.
The lounge is on the 24th floor and although it is lower than our room it had good views of the sea. It was big, spacious with nice secluded areas if you wanted to enjoy some privacy and they also had a nice meeting room area. If I was staying for longer this could definitely be a nice office to work from.
One thing I noticed is that even when it was busy during breakfast it didn’t seem too busy or that you wouldn’t find a place to sit. They offered afternoon tea as well but that didn’t include sandwiches it only had sweet deserts which are great but I would have liked to see some savoury options too.
The Happy Hour, however, had a nice spread with hot and cold options and when I returned from my walk to the Dubai Mall I almost regretted eating dinner there as they did have some good choices. Even happy hour, though, the place was busy but there were still seating options available. Which is nice, as sometimes lounges can be small and feel claustrophobic with many guests at happy hour.
The Pool
The pool has an interesting concept and although I had reviews that they were not enough sun loungers I didn’t have a problem finding one. The pool area is called Puro beach and they have created a lush garden around the pool, which also has a “gate fountain” in the middle. It was very relaxing and enjoyable and for a minute you forget that you are just above a super busy road.
However, I did find the pool small for the size of the hotel. Really if all guests were to come down by the pool there is no way they can accommodate them. I know it’s highly unlikely but still, I thought the pool was bigger when I was reading the description online. Great marketing!
Location
One of the biggest advantages of the hotel, in my opinion, is the fact that the metro station of World Trade Centre is literally outside the hotel’s entrance. I usually take taxis when in Dubai but on this trip, I used the metro as it’s so much cheaper and super convenient with this hotel. You are literally 3 stops away from Dubai Mall / Burj Khalifa for the total cost of 6AED / £1,30 and if you continue further you can even get to the Mall of Emirates and Dubai Marina/JBR which is one of my favourite areas in Dubai.
Not many hotels I have seen have such a great convenience of a metro station outside their doorstep so for me this is a total plus, especially if you are on a budget or you want to experience the efficiency of Dubai metro.
The property is also located 15minutes from Dubai Airport and an Uber costs 40AED because of its location it also gives you access to the Deira area and Sharjah as well.
Overall
I really enjoyed my stay at the Conrad Dubai. I believe this was partially because Narcissa and Annah had such great customer service but also because the hotel is a lovely property. Yes, there is some wear and tear in areas of the room or the hotel but I think it’s because it is a high-traffic hotel and they are really not super significant. Considering the price we paid it was a total of 650AED, including taxes. I think it was fairly decent for the peak season of Dubai. On my next visa run, I will again consider the property as it ticks all the boxes.
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