I didn’t know what to expect from Dubai. Apart from sunshine. And shopping.
I wasn’t too bothered about the shopping, but I was definitely looking forward to some sunny weather.
We flew with Virgin Atlantic out of Heathrow.
I found the Virgin cabin crew very friendly and helpful. By the time we landed in Dubai airport six hours later, it was 8.25 in the morning and the sun was warm. Which meant that we were wearing too many clothes…
Now here’s the thing. When I booked, someone (I can’t remember who it was) suggested the Waldorf Astoria. It looked lovely on the Virgin website and within our budget.
It turns out there are two Waldorf Astoria in Dubai. Who knew?
We thought our hotel was at The Palm. But it turned out that it wasn’t because instead we were driving in the opposite direction – on our way to the other Waldorf Astoria at Ras al-Khaimah.
The hotel had a big wow factor. A friendly porter greeted us and we walked through the magnificent marble entrance into a huge lobby. Like a cathedral. And the centrepiece: a beautiful 20 feet gold clock. Apparently, it chimes the prayer times however, sadly we didn’t hear it
Amidst the grandeur of this beautiful place we noticed a lovely peace and calm.
The staff are delightful, nothing is too much trouble, everyone smiles.
Our bedroom was huge, the size of a small apartment. Above all I loved the walk in wardrobe! I also liked the fact that an espresso coffee machine was provided with a selection of capsules. Housekeeping was faultless, nothing was missed.
We enjoyed the buffet style breakfast and dinner because of the freshness of the food and the big choice of dishes.
Outside, you can relax by the pool or on the white sandy beach. We spent more time by the pool because there was more shade from the palm trees. In addition, the sun beds have thick comfortable mattresses and the towels are extra-large and freely available. As soon as we arrived at the pool area we were met by an attendant who found us beds, then laid out our towels and gave us bottled water in an ice bucket.
Would I go back to this particular Waldorf Astoria in Dubai? Absolutely!
Hx
