Everyone in the hotel wakes up to a big happy birthday message spelled out in the sand on the beach. It isn’t my birthday, but I wish it was as I wake up with a Nespresso on the balcony overlooking the beach. I think everyone in the hotel must feel the same — although the folk at the Fairmont Ajman certainly know to make everyone feel special.
From the moment we’re picked up in Dubai to the time we arrive in our room, the welcome is warm and hitch-free. After a welcome drink (and cold towels) in the lobby, we’re personally escorted to our suite and all the fancy technology is explained. I’m on a weekend staycation with my mum, who’s visiting for a few weeks, and I’m as glad of the room tour as she is — although in-room technology is a different story.
There are special moments everywhere, little touches that instantly indulge us and put us at our ease. Chocolate sculpted to look like a wave sits on the coffee table, studded with tiny treats — turffles, pralines, meringues. A handwritten welcome note from the hotel staff is an unexpected pleasure in times of stock printed letters. And everyone knows about our allergies, and have planned accordingly. And with a Nespresso machine in the room, I’ve got just enough time for a quick coffee to enjoy the stunning sunset view before dinner.
We eat at Gioia, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. My mum’s on a bit of a beef binge at the moment, so she orders the carpaccio, which is beautifully pink and comes with a celery and asparagus salad, and follows it up with the Angus tenderloin topped with pan-seared duck liver. She can’t finish it, of course, but I’m happy to help: the meat is perfectly pink and the grape sauce is sharp but velvety. But if meat’s not your thing, there’s plenty of choice for vegetarians, too — the mozzarella truffle and wild mushroom risotto is just creamy enough, and there’s a wide variety of pizzas and pastas.
Afterwards, we stop off for a celebratory drink — any time family comes to stay is worth celebrating — at Xolo, where the staff specialise in mixed beverages. One with chocolate is particularly memorable, but thankfully our room is just a couple of floors up. After some minor stress trying to plug in our phones we collapse in front of the two televisions.
The next morning, I’m up early and sharp as a tack. The bed seemed to vacuum up the week’s stresses, and I’m raring for breakfast, and go downstairs for a gargantuan spread — I think there were about eight different buffet counters — while mum showers. Since the bathroom is one of those modern glass-walled affairs with no door, she needs her privacy.
Luckily, there are eight restaurants, a beach and a pool, so there’s plenty to do on a long staycation — perfect for a Diwali getaway. There’s no spa, but the hotel staff will arrange treatments at the Kempinski nearby, whose pocket-friendly prices make a pleasant change from similar facilities in Dubai.
Indeed, that’s the best thing about this little gem of a staycation: it doesn’t break the bank and service is Dubai standard — but friendlier.
The Fairmont Ajman has only just opened, so go now, before they push their prices up for the winter.
The Fairmont Ajman is offering staycation deals for UAE and GCC residents until December 30. Packages include breakfast, 10 per cent off the best available rate and free Wi-Fi. Rooms must be booked 24 hours ahead. Call 06 701 5757
