There are not many people who have not heard of Dubai’s Burj al Arab or the Atlantis hotel. But with new hotels opening regularly, it is difficult to keep track, or to sniff out something with a bit of a difference. In Dubai helps you along with
a look at some great hotels you might not have heard of — yet.
SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT
LA MAISON D’HÔTES
Hidden in the quiet and posh residential area of Jumeirah, these three villas make for a perfect hideaway. Yet the quiet is deceptive – the hotel is a stone’s throw away from busy Jumeirah Beach Road, while the Burj Dubai, Dubai Mall, Trade Centre and the International Convention Centre are just across AlWasl Road.
The three villas are split into one for business use and private dining area, a family villa with sumptuous, but very affordable suites and bedrooms, and the main villa with its French restaurant, bistro and souvenir shop and reception. With twenty individually designed rooms, personal service and a setting that is different from the usual over-done embellished lobbies so favoured in Dubai, Maison d’Hotes offers luxury, location and service, all at a good price.
Tel: 04 344 1838
THE MONTGOMERIE
To get the all-in-one, why not stay in a boutique hotel on a golf course, with a spa and club facilities in the middle of Dubai. The Montgomerie Golf Club is just off Shaikh Zayed Road, across from the Marina Dubai and within minutes of the beach, malls, conference centres and sights, but is in itself a green oasis of calm that lets you forget that you are indeed in the desert.
Twenty one boutique style roomsmake this a small and personal hotel where everybody shares the enthusiasm for golf and fitness. The awardwinning Angsana Spa offers treatments for sore limbs or golf-widows. There’s also a private butler service, eateries ranging from pub-style to fine dining, a decent golf apparel shop and even free internet access and business facilities should you need them.
Tel: 04 363 1278
DOWNTOWN BURJ DUBAI
THE ADDRESS
Another iconic tower with a memorable name — ‘the’ Address. But this new addition to the Dubai hotel scene is not only one of the smartest and best-looking, it is also in what is at the moment the hippest area of Dubai to be — Downtown. Next to Dubai Mall, overlooking the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, The Address also delivers on style and service.
Not one corner, item or feature in the hotel has been left to chance, everything is designed to flow smoothly, often inspired by the Nautilus spiral, and the mix of natural and modern materials gives more the impression of an art gallery rather than a hotel. The pool area is right under the Burj Dubai, curved and elegant, while the gym is equipped with only the latestmachines and pristine wooden floors allow for yoga classes to go smoothly. The best thing with all this design and luxury abound, is that there is no pretentiousness, just genuine keenness to serve the guests.
Tel: 04 4368888
THE PALACE
While a lot of hotels’ interior would leave you guessing as to which part of the world you’re currently in, step inside the The Palace and you immediately know that you are in Arabia. An oasis in the Downtown area of Dubai, surrounded by record-breaking towers and even more cranes, the hotel has a resort feel about it, yet is right where the buzz is. It is nextto Souq al Bahar and Dubai Mall, underneath the Burj Dubai and very close to Dubai’s main street, Shaikh Zayed Road, yet you’d never know it.
Romance is spelled here with a capital ‘R’ with privacy and seclusion priority in the hotel. Special romantic weekends are available throughout the year, couple treatments on top of the list of the spa menu and secluded beach cabanas and dining areas available everywhere.
Tel: 04 428 7888
WATERFRONT HOTELS
HABTOOR GRAND RESORT AND SPA
Along the beaches of the Dubai Marina, this resort has everything you wish for in an exotic getaway— luxurious rooms with great sea view, sumptuous restaurants, including one with probably the best views in town, the aptly named 25th, on the 25th floor. Enjoy views stretching from the Dubai Marine to the Burj Al Arab, with the Palm Jumeirah Island in between, and gardens that lead down past the pool to the private beach.
The leisure facilities are impressive with tennis and squash courts, a gym, beach football and volleyball, wind surfing, scuba diving, water- and jet skiing and more. And, although luxurious, this hotel is not one of the overthe- top ones Dubai is famous for, and it is welcoming. The spa offers relaxing treatments as well as dailymaintenance such as a nail spa and waxing,
Tel: 04 3995000
BEIT AL BAHAR
Beit Al Bahar means ‘House of the Sea’,and it would be hard to think of a better name for this luxury resort of 19 villas fronted by its own private stretch of pristine beach and surrounded by lush tropical gardens. One or two-bedroom villas are available and tasteful seclusion is the keynote.
Part of the better-known Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Wave,the villas are hidden in the gardens behind the Wild Wadi water park, directly on the beach and away from the main hotel,even with their own exclusive restaurant. The villas ooze privacy, have their own plunge pool, a private terrace, and luxuriously styled décor.Tel: 04 406 8399
