Is this really the best hotel in the world? (The Jumeirah Beach Hotel)

Member Name: sarajackson

Product:	The Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Date:	22/05/03 (510 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Large (if not elegant) well equipped rooms, Attractive pool and beach area, Lots of restaurants

Disadvantages: No feeling of a 5 star hotel, Feels detached from Dubai, Glitzy not elegant decor

Ever since the Jumeirah Beach Hotel opened we had intended to stay there when we eventually visited Dubai, but ironically it wasn't until another hotel, the Fairmont, opened in Dubai, that we made our reservation. What could be more perfect that a trip combining the Fairmont brand, always a fantastic choice and in our opinion the best hotel chain in the world and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, reputedly the 'best hotel in the world'.

We booked our room for a three night staying January this year, through Airline Network in the UK, paying £200 for the room per night. This was for a Deluxe Balcony Room including breakfast, and was one category up from the standard deluxe room, the balcony being the only difference. Before our stay we had been in contact with the hotel on a couple of occasions, and had found their replies helpful if not always particularly speedy.

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel that many people associate with Dubai is actually quite a distance from the city, being around 15 miles from the creek. Travelling along Sheikh Zayed road, you can see the adjacent Burj Al Arab always in the distance, and when you approach both of the hotels, you are struck how separate from everything else they are. Actually many of the other beach hotels are clustered together even further away from the city. The shape of the hotel, in the style of a breaking wave is architecturally striking and the Burj Al Arab behind only reinforces the pleasing effect.

Having just checked out of the fantastic Fairmont in the city, when we arrived at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel by taxi, we were struck straight away by the difference in service. Contrary to what we had been used to for the days previously no one offered to open our car door, or help us with our luggage. We carried our own bags to reception, and although there was plenty of staff around, none of them seemed particularly interested; this came as somewhat of a culture shock. When we approache
d reception, our presence was not acknowledged by any of the three receptionists on duty, two of which were apparently intently dealing with other guests. We waited for many minutes without even being told we would be helped shortly. We stood around, both of us realising what the other was thinking - how we had suddenly come down to earth with a bump!

Eventually a receptionist was free, and he proceeded to check us in. We were asked for our passports, which caused some inconvenience as they were at the bottom of our suitcases. I asked if we could bring them down after we had unpacked, but he abruptly answered that 'no they had to be faxed to immigration straight away'. This annoyed us somewhat as we had already gone through this at the Fairmont (although much better handled) and so could not see the point of faxing the documents again. For a while he could not find our booking, and when he did, no mention was made of our request for a room on a high floor. Although the rooms with balconies only go up to about half way up the building, we still hoped we would have one of the higher rooms. We were handed a pocket-sized directory of the hotel, which only seemed to consist of details of all the restaurants. We were not given any useful information like when or where breakfast is served. The receptionist asked if we had a luggage docket, and we replied that no one had assisted us with our luggage, but he did not offer to arrange this for us. It was only when we were making our way across to the lifts that a member of the bell staff asked if we needed any help.

The lobby is not particularly large but very high, with rows of balconies, outside of the lifts on each floor, rising to the ceiling. The floor has a large multicoloured carpet with a busy swirly pattern. The lower floors all have a light blue swirled carpet with sea blue walls, the higher floors changing over to red tones. All floors have heavy light woods doors and are
air conditioned to arctic effect! The guest rooms are all on the beach side of the hotel, so all have views of varying degrees. The corridors have large windows looking in the opposite direction, and the building is curved so that you aren?t struck by the size of the hotel, as you can only see a short distance along the corridor. Generally the public areas are light and airy, and on the ground floor towards the rear of the hotel, looking out over the beach and grounds, are various shops and the Colonnade restaurants as well as a lounge. You are struck quite quickly that everywhere is very busy, and there isn't a feeling of serenity, due to the hotel's size.

Our room was large, with more swirly carpet, honey coloured cane type furniture and a large soft bed set at a slight angle (so that's where the Brigstowe in Bristol got the idea!). The bathroom is also large with a five-piece suite and marble effect vanity tops and a bath with shower head conveniently stowed away. There is also a really large separate shower behind the bath. There was practically all the toiletries you required, regularly replenished and a more than ample supply of mineral water. Unfortunately during our first evening during the turn down service all the towels we had used were taken away and not replaced, meaning we had one towel to last us until the following day. The hotel room contained a minibar, hairdryer, fax machine providing the entire bill viewing options etc and bathrobes and slippers (hurrah) were also supplied. Considering the Jumeirah Beach Hotel is a 5 star hotel, (sometimes laughably classed as a 6-star hotel) the furnishings in the room did not particularly reflect this. Although the furniture and soft furnishings are co-ordinated and of fairly good quality, overall the room is bright and welcoming, but by no means luxurious and certainly not elegant. Comparing photographs of our room at the Fairmont (disregarding the size of the suite) with our
room at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel some friends commented that the Jumeirah Beach Hotel room looked positively tacky. I am sure if you were a regular beach holiday hotel guest, you would be very pleased with the décor and style of the room and public areas, as I imagine the Jumeirah Beach Hotel compares favourably to any good beach resort hotel. However, as a regular City Hotel guest, I just found the style lacking in that understated elegance that is common in 5 star city hotels.

The first afternoon we explored the hotel, but were rather shocked to find that we were not as free to roam around as we usually are in 5 star hotels. To get to the beach area, it is necessary to go down to basement level. You are not supposed to go between this level and the lobby by lift and you cannot use any of the main doors to get out to the grounds. All around the hotel, including in the rooms are notices advising guests to dress appropriately to the Muslim culture, and we found this slightly patronising that they thought the type of people staying here nedded to be told. During the first afternoon the realisation of many rules and regulations began to stifle me. The actual grounds are very attractive. There are quite a few pools to swim in or relax beside, including a children?s pool, a lap pool and two leisure pools. We made our way towards one pleasant looking beach area, only to find this was reserved for Beit Al Bahar/Burj Al Arab and Premium guests - yet more rules. There actually seemed to be ample space on the beaches though, especially in January, and the service is attentive and swift. Drinks and food will be brought to you and quickly charged to your room. During our stay I got used to the fact that we had to reach the beach by a certain route, and I warmed to the beach areas. In fact one lovely thing to do is to walk around the grounds in the evening when there are various sparkly lights everywhere and hardly anyone around. The one feeling we both ha
d regarding the hotel though, was that you could have been anywhere. It seems a shame that most people who stay here don't really get a feeling for Dubai, and you could easily be in the Caribbean or any other beach destination.

There are many dining options at the Jumeirah Beach, and far too many to sample during the average stay. One cluster of restaurants (I use the term loosely) is called the Colonnade and consists of various different mini outlets which you help yourself to buffet style. We thought that this kind of low-end dining establishment brought the whole hotel down somewhat. Breakfast is served in the Colonnade, and the choice is huge, and the casual style is less of a problem at breakfast I guess. It is also possible to sit outside on the very full terrace. There are also 'traditional' English and German pubs, which perhaps are somewhat basic, but offer a casual option that serves its purpose well. We enjoyed a casual meal at the English pub, although we wished we had sat outside - the profusion of cigarette smokers can sometimes be a trial in Dubai. The pub serves a variety of beers, wine and the usual spirits, and a fairly short bar menu of such things like Fish and Chips, burgers etc. After a rather rich dining experience at Verre the night before, we were fairly happy to dine at the pub, although if I had known the Uptown Bar served food, this would have got our custom. The Uptown Bar is situated at the top of the hotel, and has a lovely roof top terrace for the warm weather. This is where you find the main cocktail choices - something else that is rather lacking at this hotel. The cocktails were priced at Dh30 each, and were good, if not fantastic. The view however is fantastic!

There are a few outdoor dining venues as well as a fine dining restaurant, the Apartment, but the best meal we enjoyed here was at the Marina Seafood Market. This restaurant is at the end of the breakwater, and has a rooftop bar
ideal if it is warm enough. We found the s
ervice somewhat disappointing, and certainly in general at the hotel the service cannot compare to alternative city hotels. The Marina restaurant has a largely seafood menu, with many of the items chosen from the fresh market selection. The fish and seafood items chosen from the market are charged at 'market price' with a small supplement for preparation and accompaniments. For starter my husband ordered the Bouillabaisse, which he said was very good, but I decided not to order a starter. We both ordered a lobster from the market, and there were various sizes to choose from. Indeed the whole market appeared to have a very good selection of seafood. We were a little dubious, not knowing the market, of the cost of the lobsters that we ordered, but the market price was about Dh150 per kilo, our reasonably sized Omani lobsters cost about £30 each. The lobsters were tender and flavoursome, and a contrast to Canadian or European lobsters, but they compared very favourably.

Overall I enjoyed my stay at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. From all the hype, consistently being voted by the Daily Telegraph as the best hotel in the world and the continually exaggerated star status it is a sad fact that the reality cannot come up to expectations. We noticed a mission statement at the hotel, which stated that they aim to be the 'best resort hotel in the world'. Probably they have achieved this aim, although the real achievement would be to compare favourably with other landmark hotels worldwide - and then truly deserve the title of 'best hotel in the world'.

In our experience resort hotels very rarely compare to their city counterparts, and so it is unfair to expect too much of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The problem is that they make so many claims, and have had so many awards that they ostentatiously display, that the expectations are probably unfairly high. I have many very fond m
emories of Dubai and there were some memorable and pleasurable elements of our stay, although if I was to return to Dubai and wanted to stay at one of the Beach Hotels, I don't think I would choose the Jumeirah Beach Hotel again. In fact I would have to be suffering from severe beach withdrawal symptoms to stay anywhere other than the Fairmont.

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