Dubai Hotels and Locations

We will be in Dubai for 2 nights before our cruise.

Never having been there, I am curious regarding what part of the city would you recommend. Fortunately, we have points for Holiday Inn and Renaissance hotels.

Any recommendations for the best area to stay in?

We were in Dubai 2 days on a cruise last spring and it's pretty spread out. I don't recall any of the 5* hotels near the port but the gold souk is nearby. If you want to visit Burj Kahafa and the adjacent Dubai mall, there are a few hotels attached or nearby (sort of mid city).There were alot of great hotels downtown. If you want to be on the water at the Burj el ?? ( the hotel that looks like a sail boat ) that is further away from the port. BTW there were a number of office buildings downtown that had outstanding architecture including built like sails. I may still have a map of Dubai. If you want it send me an address, email or phone #. BTW we have a 2nd home in Naples and will be there around labor day weekend. Apart from taking a tour of the highlights of Dubai, we did the observation floor at Burj Kahafa and did a desert dune buggy ride. DW also bought jewelry at the gold souk. I don't know if you're also going to Abu Dabai, but if you do, you must see the new grand mosque, an outstanding site.

I will tell you one NOT to stay at. The Sheraton Deira is booked by the US government to process their US contractors going in and out of Afghanistan.

I work in the Middle East a lot. I have made the transition through Dubai to Iraq and Afghanistan quite a few times. I even pay for a hotel in Dubai because all you need is a bunch of LOUD contractors coming out of a war zone, haven't had a drink in a looooong time, have a lot of money in their pockets and you can just visualize how crowded and noisy that hotel can get. Most of the guys just stay at that hotel because it is free and they get to see their buddies.

Me being a female in no way wants to participate in the rip roaring that goes on both going into and out of the War zones. Obviously louder for those coming out but the lines when they are processing in and out can get extraordinarily long and get right in the path of normal tourists.

The best hotel for the money IMHO and in the middle of everything is probably the Grand Hyatt. 5*, GREAT food in the deli type restaurant in the lobby, attractively priced and they have a great tour desk that really bends over backwards to help.

There are so darn many places to stay in Dubai (and anything 4* or above is perfectly decent) it really kind of depends on what you are doing, whether you have transportation, what attractions you want to see and your budget.

Give us some feedback of what your plans are and we can guide you more. I've tried a lot of them just plinking around (plus Dubai, Bahrain and Thailand are where contractors go on a weekend off to get out of the War zones). I have stayed in everything from a top of the line suite at Jumeirah Beach hotel to a "serviced apt" which is kind of like a time share but a little fancier. A lot of difference in the price. 3 or 4 of us "girls" used to get on a plane in Kuwait and find a relatively cheap serviced apt for a few days away from the War zone. About $250 per night with maid service and usually a beach location and split 3/4 ways, the price was right. Cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and we could cook if we didn't want to go out to eat. LOTS of choices. What do you want to do???

I will tell you one NOT to stay at. The Sheraton Deira is booked by the US government to process their US contractors going in and out of Afghanistan.

 

I work in the Middle East a lot. I have made the transition through Dubai to Iraq and Afghanistan quite a few times. I even pay for a hotel in Dubai because all you need is a bunch of LOUD contractors coming out of a war zone, haven't had a drink in a looooong time, have a lot of money in their pockets and you can just visualize how crowded and noisy that hotel can get. Most of the guys just stay at that hotel because it is free and they get to see their buddies.

 

Me being a female in no way wants to participate in the rip roaring that goes on both going into and out of the War zones. Obviously louder for those coming out but the lines when they are processing in and out can get extraordinarily long and get right in the path of normal tourists.

 

The best hotel for the money IMHO and in the middle of everything is probably the Grand Hyatt. 5*, GREAT food in the deli type restaurant in the lobby, attractively priced and they have a great tour desk that really bends over backwards to help.

 

There are so darn many places to stay in Dubai (and anything 4* or above is perfectly decent) it really kind of depends on what you are doing, whether you have transportation, what attractions you want to see and your budget.

 

Give us some feedback of what your plans are and we can guide you more. I've tried a lot of them just plinking around (plus Dubai, Bahrain and Thailand are where contractors go on a weekend off to get out of the War zones). I have stayed in everything from a top of the line suite at Jumeirah Beach hotel to a "serviced apt" which is kind of like a time share but a little fancier. A lot of difference in the price. 3 or 4 of us "girls" used to get on a plane in Kuwait and find a relatively cheap serviced apt for a few days away from the War zone. About $250 per night with maid service and usually a beach location and split 3/4 ways, the price was right. Cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and we could cook if we didn't want to go out to eat. LOTS of choices. What do you want to do???

Hi greatam, :-)

I have the same question (issue) as OP. We'll be in Dubai for 5 days in April 2014 (as a pre-cruise stay). And I have no idea where to stay and what area to choose. The only thing I know that Dubai (and it was mentioned) is kind of spread out (around 48 miles from one end to another). As for things to do in Dubai... We are planning on doing all "touristy" things. Like: Burj Kahafa, desert dune tour, Malls, souks, etc. We are not "beach" people, so we don't need a hotel close to the beach area. I checked two hotels: Riviera Hotel and Samaya Hotel Deira, but I am not really excited about them. It doesn't matter where we stay, we'll have to use public transportation or taxi a lot, because all major attractions are located in different parts of Dubai. But we would like to stay in the area where we can walk around in the evening, where we can find supermarkets and restaurants with "affordable" prices. Our budget for hotel (per night) is $150 - $200. I would really appreciate if you recommended us a few options.

Thanks a lot!

Hi greatam, :-)

 

I have the same question (issue) as OP. We'll be in Dubai for 5 days in April 2014 (as a pre-cruise stay). And I have no idea where to stay and what area to choose. The only thing I know that Dubai (and it was mentioned) is kind of spread out (around 48 miles from one end to another). As for things to do in Dubai... We are planning on doing all "touristy" things. Like: Burj Kahafa, desert dune tour, Malls, souks, etc. We are not "beach" people, so we don't need a hotel close to the beach area. I checked two hotels: Riviera Hotel and Samaya Hotel Deira, but I am not really excited about them. It doesn't matter where we stay, we'll have to use public transportation or taxi a lot, because all major attractions are located in different parts of Dubai. But we would like to stay in the area where we can walk around in the evening, where we can find supermarkets and restaurants with "affordable" prices. Our budget for hotel (per night) is $150 - $200. I would really appreciate if you recommended us a few options.

 

Thanks a lot!

One option to consider within your budget is the Arabian Courtyard in the Al Fahidi district of Dubai near the creek. It is across from the Dubai Museum and near the traditional souks. Check TA or Expedia for reviews which are favorable. You will be about a 10-15 minute taxi ride from downtown Dubai where Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountains, and Dubai Mall are located.

http://www.arabiancourtyard.com/

There is also a nice Radisson Blu across the creek in Deira

http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-dubaideiracreek

Even if you decide not to stay near the creek, it is an area not to be missed for a Dubai experience aside from the shopping and beaches. In addition to riding an abra across the creek for just one dirham ($.27) enjoy an a la carte dinner cruise on the Batteaux and visit the Sheik Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding and join one of their historic walking tours in the area.

If you want to stay closer to downtown there are many hotels along Sheik Zayed Road between Emirates Towers and Business Bay metro stops if you are looking at a map as Sh Zayed Rd is quite long. Also along Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd. Among the more price sensitive might be another Radisson Blu, Al Murooj Rotana which is close to Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa or almost as close and steps from the metro Towers Rotana. There is also Dusit Thani in this area that is five stars. When I just checked rates for the beginning of April 2015 they were within your budget and nice properties.

https://www.rotana.com/rotanahotelandresorts/unitedarabemirates/dubai/towersrotana

http://www.dusit.com/dusitthani/dubai/default-en.html

Downtown ticks all of the boxes for lots to do, many dining options, easy metro access. Both areas are safe to walk around in.

From the Burj Khalifa downtown area you are about a twenty minute taxi ride from Burj al Arab and Mall of the Emirates (mall with indoor ski slope)

Have fun planning your visit!

We will be in Dubai for 2 nights before our cruise.

 

Never having been there, I am curious regarding what part of the city would you recommend. Fortunately, we have points for Holiday Inn and Renaissance hotels.

 

Any recommendations for the best area to stay in?

We stayed at The Palace at old Dubai. It's in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa. We used the public bus that connects to the metro everyday. The holiday inn by the airport, is not so handy, but is a great price. It is also on the metro route.

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Don't stay ANYWHERE in Diera or near the 'Dubai Creek'!

My recommendation would be the Sofitel on JBR (or any of the hotels on JBR for that matter.) Beautiful hotel, nice pool with swim-up bar, and JBR has tons of dining choices. (If you're there on a Thursday night, the endless stream of expensive import cars cruising is quite a site!)

Hello Margaret and Carl

I travel to Dubai for work and pleasure around 6 times per year and have stayed at a most of the 5 star hotels in Dubai.

If you want close access to the Airport and sites like Dubai Creek ( Souks etc) Mall of Dubai ,Burg Khalifi etc dont stay out near Jumeriah.

I personally like Raffles Dubai great staff ,rooftop pool other solid product is Hilton Dubai creek ,Fairmont .Rotana has some really nice hotels but some are no alcohol .

Taxis are cheap spotlessly clean and Dubai .Watch the heat during the middle of day try and be indoors like a mall etc as it can be a shock.

We stayed in Dubai in Feb this year. We booked the Bonnington Hotel at Jumeirah Lakes. It is very close to the transport system, which will get you to all of the main areas in Dubai cheaply and fast. There are restaurants nearby, a supermarket and you can walk to the beach.

The hotel is great, serves a fantastic buffet breakfast and the staff are really friendly. If you book a "Business" class room you have access to the business lounge where you can have free alcoholic drinks every evening from 5 or 6 till 9pm, they also serve free snacks.

The hotel booked us a trip up the Burj Kaliffa, which is really a must see when you are there.

Enjoy your trip, wherever you book!:)