Dubai must be the city in the world with the most five-star hotels. Finding luxury accommodation here is not difficult, the hard part is finding one affordable luxurious and family-friendly accommodation. After much research, we chose to book in for 5 days The Ritz-Carlton Dubai at Jumeriah beach in June 2014 and in July 2016.
The hotel stay began already at the airport, with a transfer to the Ritz-Carlton by the hotel's limousine service. We were picked up by a nice and well-dressed driver in a big black Suburban who drove us safely to Dubai marina and the hotel. Once in place at check-in in the large lobby with flower petal fountain, freshly squeezed juice was offered and little E received a welcome pack from the Jaques Coustau children's club, where she would do a number of crafts and tasks to then turn in and receive a prize. The prize turned out to be very much appreciated, as it was a VIP card for free Häagen-Dazs 24 hours a day for the duration of her stay. That card was going to be put to good use!
The Ritz-Carton has several features that a family with children wants – a kids' club, location on the beach and a large children's pool with a sun canopy. Dubai is generally very child-friendly and she was uplifted and looked after wherever we went.
The rooms
The rooms are large and airy, with a large inviting bathroom with double sinks, bathrobes, slippers and both a shower and freestanding bath. Between the bathroom and the bedroom is a glass wall with an automatic curtain that can be drawn. The room has everything you need: comfortable beds and thick bedding made of high-quality cotton, but also a capsule coffee machine, automatic blackout curtains, a safe and a 47-inch TV. Wifi was free through codes you picked up daily at reception. The best part was that the wifi not only worked in the room, but also covered the pool area.
The hotel is relatively small by Dubai standards and the hotel with its 294 rooms is built in a low building right on Jumeriah beach in Dubai marina. The style is Arabic/Mediterranean with modern elements and everything feels very well maintained and clean. Even the corridors are free of bag scratches and stains in the carpets. The garden is like an oasis and filled with palm trees and other heat-resistant plants, and the rooms have their balconies facing the sea, the pool area and the garden.
The pool
The pool area consists of 5 pools, including a large family pool (which we used the most), a large adult pool and a children's pool with a sun roof. There are plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas here, it was never even half full when we were there. However, this may be because the vast majority of people think that June is far too hot in Dubai. The daytime temperature was around 40 degrees and the sea was so warm that it did not cool down. At the pool you have full service and the staff lays out your towels and fixes the parasol at the perfect angle and serves you free bottled water whenever you wish. If you have kids who love to swim, it's teeming with lifeguards who covered every corner of the family pool, making sure it was calm and nice.
The breakfast
The breakfast was probably the best we've had so far (and then we still stay in a hotel for a few months a year) – full range of Western and Arabic breakfast with everything freshly pressed, freshly made or cooked to order. Personally, I loved the Arabic scrambles, while little E ordered waffles or pancakes with strawberries and chocolate balls. A little different from the breakfast she gets at home ;) During the morning hours it was still relatively "cool" outside and breakfast could be enjoyed on the veranda with a view of the sea.
Club room
During our second stay at the hotel, we chose to stay in a Club room, which meant free access to the Club lounge with breakfast, light lunch, afternoon tea, hors d'oevres and evening chocolate. Very good selection of both food, pastries and drinks - in principle an all-inclusive with high quality both on the wines and on the prepared dishes. Well worth the extra money to stay on this floor, as Dubai is generally an expensive city to eat out in.
The location
The location of the hotel was excellent: On the beach and at the beginning of the shopping and restaurant street in Dubai Marina. Here you will find all kinds of restaurants and cafes, although most feel very American.
So what will the family rating be?
The Ritz-Carlton Dubai is one of our absolute favorite hotels, so the rating is nothing but fantastic! Perfect pool, location and room and 100% chance of sun.
Do you want to read more about Dubai? Look into my United Arab Emirates page!
