Hotel Review: Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Dubai

I would not live up to my name as MuslimTravelGirl if while in the UAE I didn’t visit Dubai. Who doesn’t like Dubai at the end of the day?! Might not be my favourite place in the world, but once you are in Dubai you get emerged in this dream land. I had a free voucher to use from Hilton credit card (really awesome deal) and as the expiry date was approaching I decided to check out the new Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah. We decided to spend a day in Dubai rather than going back to Abu Dhabi And I am so happy we did.

We arrived around 11.30am in the hotel and once I went to the check in desk the lady informed me that as a Gold member I can check in the VIP check in lounge. Now this was a first for me 🙂 as in poor Europe we don’t have all these VIP amenities. I can only say my husband and I loved it.As I was using my coupon my stay was totally free (usually £250 a night) but they had booked me into a room with restricted view! I am in the Palm why would I want to do this to myself, so as a gold member I am not sure if I would have received my standard upgrade to the next category. So I asked to see if I will get my upgrade and my access to the lounge.  I decided to upgrade as lounge access is very good and it can save you a lot more money than you actually pay for it. It became free for me at the end which was an added bonus.  After all the formalities we were escorted by our concierge for a tour around the hotel and our room.

The hotel is huge and there is quite a lot of walking involved. So perfect if you are after a short light exercise. As this is a brand new hotel, it was officially opened in April I believe, everything is nice and shiny. There are two pools, one for adults only and one for families. I really loved the beach cabanas because they are perfect for Muslimahs who want to relax a little bit more. I did enjoy the swimming pool, if you are a Muslim woman and you have a burkini don’t be shy enjoy the pool, it was amazing and totally relaxing. There are plenty of restaurants around for food and of course the lounge. The best part though is the view, I mean you are on The Palm, you have the beautiful view of the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa on one side, the Atlantis and the marina on the other and last but not least you have the view from the 5th floor of The Palm. The beach was beautiful and the water was really clear and blue, it totally reminded me of Greece and made me homesick.

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The Room

We had the deluxe room with a view of the Burj Al Arab & Khalifa, not sure what the other rooms are like, I would assume they are similar, but the room was spacious and elegantly decorated.  We had a walk in wardrobe, marble bathroom with rain shower and a bathtub, though I am not sure what is the big deal with the bath and TV! Do actually people watch TV while in the bath? 🙂 The bathroom had some awesome Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries, which were excellent, much better than the Hermes I had used before. I tried them especially the shampoo was awesome, I brought some back which I am thinking of giving away to you guys. 🙂

I really liked the fact that they had a Quran and a prayer mat in the room, which is a nice touch especially as many Dubai hotels do not provide this. It is nice to know that I don’t have to carry my travel prayer mat and can find one in my room. We also had a balcony with a nice couch to relax and it was quite private, you could easily sit there and enjoy the night, if it wasn’t so hot. I decided to check out the balcony at 11pm at night, but after 5 minutes I gave up and went inside not sure I am used to the heat any more. 🙂

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The lounge

The lounge was on the 5th floor and had some amazing views of the marina, Atlantis and the Palm. The staff were very polite and courteous. We spent a lot of time there as it was boiling hot outside and we are not particularly keen on staying by the pool during lunchtime heat. We worked in the lounge, had snacks and enjoy the beautiful views of Dubai.  If you are with a family or you just want a relaxing holiday I will totally recommend paying extra in order to have lounge access. In the lounge you have  free drinks, snacks and desserts and for those who drink free Happy- Hour.

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Breakfast

We had breakfast in the main restaurant and I can say it was lovely. They did take care of us and I think the manager got concerned when we took few photos. We was nothing but polite and had a great chat about the hotel and service. They did have a variety of dishes from the local cuisine as well as the standard English breakfast. Though when I was living in Greece I would find it funny when English people wanted English breakfast, I do the same now, so lesson learned never say never! 🙂

Due to the location of the hotel a taxi to the marina or Dubai mall will be approximately 40AED so less than £10. I personally didn’t find a reason to leave the hotel especially when it is so hot and humid. If you are going in December when it is cooler a walk around the Marina and JBR is a must in my opinion. The Waldord Astoria Palm Jumeirah is a luxurious though a little expensive hotel especially in peak season when it can be £500 a night. But if you have the money or a special occasion I totally recommend you stay there at least for a night.Tip: Currently Hilton is having 33% off their EMEA hotels you can book until 30th of September. There are some really good deals to be had if you are looking for Eid holidays as well.

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