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Hotel Review: Aloft the Palm Dubai – a great hotel with a fantastic view

Here is my review of the Aloft the Palm hotel in Dubai, a property that I didn’t expect to like, but it quickly became one of my favourites in Dubai.

If you follow me on social media you know why by now. 

Aloft hotels are Marriott’s hip, funky, trendy and no-frills hotels. I always wondered what a cheaper trendier brand is doing in the Palm? Since I had only stayed at the Waldorf Astoria the Palm in the past, I had a different opinion of it.

The property is smaller than some neighbouring hotels like the new Taj property, the Rixos further down and the Waldorf Astoria.

Aloft The Palm Dubai

The view from the city side of the hotel. You can see their beach and the Atlantis

There are four properties in the block, two hotels (including the Aloft) and two residences.

I booked this hotel as it is a category-four hotel, and I had a free hotel certificate to use.

Dubai only had two category-four hotels, the Marriott Al Jadaff and the Aloft on the Palm.

The winning vote was for the Aloft as I always wanted to experience the New Year’s fireworks, and this hotel has the perfect view.

Plus it has good reviews on Tripadvisor. 

In hindsight, my booking worked amazingly well, since we stayed around New Years and prices were very high.

If you are not a Marriott member consider booking via Booking.com since you can get a free night after 10. So effectively 10%discount.

Aloft The Palm Dubai

external view of the hotel from the promenade

Check-In

We checked-in in the morning 26th of December, which was a busy time. Our rooms were not ready because it was the peak season and we arrived early. But, the staff fixed that quickly. So it was good.

Mohammed checked us in at reception, who was truly one of the best employees of the property and potentially one of the reasons I enjoyed my stay.

I always say that properties, no matter how luxurious, are made great because of the people working there.

I also booked a room for my husband using the earned points for five nights. So we had two rooms.

Our rooms got upgraded due to my Platinum status, and we got the sea view balcony rooms. The rooms’ view was of the Burj Al Arab and the Dubai skyline, which is precisely what I had in mind when I was booking the hotel.

Our rooms were not ready since we arrived early. But, as we finished all the formalities and when we came back at 2 pm, the keys were waiting for us at reception.

The room at Aloft the Palm

The design of the Aloft hotels is constant throughout their locations in the world. I like their rooms as they are minimalist, modern and new in most cases.

Aloft hotel Room

The sea view balcony rooms are everything you need on a holiday.

Aloft hotel Rooms Dubai

The rooms here where spacious and as our king size room was a corner room, we had about 30cm more length, which made the room feel bigger than the twin size. Though both were adequate for what we needed them.

The best thing about the hotel and the sea view rooms (which I recommend) is the Burj Al Arab’s view and of course the night skyline, which is the total value for money.

view from our hotel balcony at aloft the palm

the view from our balcony

view from our hotel balcony overlooking dubai _1

The view

The Bathroom 

The bathrooms in the Aloft the Palm are nicely designed with plenty of space and a small vanity area which is a bonus.

Aloft The Palm Hotel Interior Dubai

The Breakfast

Breakfast options are good, and you get a chance to choose from, and the hotel also has an egg station. Do check it out when you stay there.Breakfast in Aloft The Palm Dubai

The restaurant is small and cosy and can accommodate 10 to 11 people. It can be jam-packed, but overall, you’ll not have a problem finding a table if you go early.

I also found that the tables are moved closer around busy times. As a result, not the best place for personal discussions. We visited the restaurant at around 9 am during our stay, and we almost always found a table.

Staff is polite, although there can be improvements in clearing things away and bringing tissues or water. However, I never felt I was annoying them when I asked for something they had forgotten, so it was good.

Overall impressions of Aloft the Palm

The hotel also has a pool overlooking Dubai and offering its guests a private beach time.

Yes, the property is not on the beach, but it is just a 2minute walk.

When I read the reviews online before my visit, I was confused about what they meant about the beach, but basically, as they are four properties in this area, all four share the beach.

Beach Hotel Aloft The Palm Dubai

The Aloft hotel has sun loungers, a bar and free towel facilities on the beach.

Their beach is next to the Anantara hotel, so you are getting the same beach as the more expensive properties next door. 

There are plenty of sun loungers around, and many people prefer the pool, so it was never crowded even during peak times.

The beach is lovely, it does have some corals, but overall it is shallow so the kids can swim and I felt less worried about my daughter going on the deep end and there is also a lifeguard there too.

the other side of the beach

The other side of the beach

They also have a small playground area which I discovered by mistake when my daughter wandered towards the baby pool. I wish someone had told me about it since we kept looking for baby swings and I could find it only in the hotel.

Playground Aloft The Palm

It is an excellent addition and made me like the hotel even more since we can easily spend 30min on a swing without leaving the property.

Another great thing for family and toddlers is the walking path. It is just outside the hotel. The promenade walk goes around the Palm’s full crescent and is made up of soft timber so you can bike (free bikes from the hotel) or walk for miles on end. 

top view of the hotel, you can see the promenade.

Many people only visit the Palm so that they can enjoy a walk on the promenade. So it was fun.

bottom view of the pool and Burj al Arab

One thing that needs definite improvement, however, is their housekeeping. I am not sure if they were busy with almost a fully booked hotel or didn’t have enough housekeeping staff to manage the workload, but this needs improvement. 

The cleaning was not up to the standard, and although they do clean, change beddings and towels, it has to improve especially at the time of check-in and check out. 

Something else to keep in mind if you are booking the hotel will be that it is further on the Palm, so it does take time to exit the Palm and visit some of Dubai’s famous attractions. 

I would suggest you come to the hotel to stay and enjoy the beach for a few days; otherwise, it becomes expensive because of taxi fares. If you rent a car, then exploring Dubai from there is not a problem

Overall I loved the hotel, I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived, but I am pleasantly surprised. 

The view is much better from my previous room in the Waldorf and a fraction of the price. I would recommend this hotel if you want to stay on the Palm, but you are on a budget. 

During most of the year, prices are around £50 a night, which is very reasonable and on my list of budget-friendly hotels in Dubai.

If you book early, you can secure a superior sea facing room at a reasonable price for New Year’s 2021. 

As always I would appreciate if you support and book via link on Booking.com or Tripadvisor. 


My other hotel reviews while we stayed in Dubai

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