Hotels in Dubai

Reviews of the best hotels in Dubai, UAE

There is an abundance of excellent hotels in Dubai, it is the only place in the world that has a 7 star hotel (Burj Al Arab) and there are some of the most amazing hotel/tourism projects the world has ever seen which should be open within the next couple of years.

Dubai itself is very compact, with excellent roads and good value for money taxis and so location isn't really all that important. You do though have to choose the location that you prefer, and you are really presented with three or possibly four different options.

The beach area is very popular with business people and tourists alike, and truly is a wonderful place to stay, as you will be able to enjoy hotels that have all the business facilities you require and yet still offers splendid views of the Persian Sea, it can be very refreshing during a hectic schedule to have breakfast outside, breathing in the wonderful clean sea air, and over looking beautiful gardens, the beach and the Persian Sea. As most hotels along Jumeirah Beach are only around a 20 minute ride from the city centre (costing roughly 30 Dhs by taxi) you really can enjoy the best of both worlds.

The famous Creek area which is directly in the city centre, is another excellent option, as most hotels here offer excellent views of the creek and the numerous dhows that are constantly moving up and down. Obviously you have more amenities outside the hotel here than you would have along the beach.

The other major areas really can be converged into the same section and even added to the above. The city hotels that are not along the creek are again in excellent locations that offer all the amenities of the city at your doorstep. A new area which is being heavily built up is the World Trade Centre area. Already you have the Emirates Towers (claimed to be the third tallest hotel in the world) which opened in April 2000, the Dusit Dubai Hotel which opened May 2001, The Fairmont Dubai which opened in 2002 and the Shangri-La which opened mid 2003.

Hotels in Dubai do have some important little differences that you may want to consider, for example we have seen hotels offering local calls free of charge, as they are inside the city, whereas other hotels charge as much 2 Dhs a call, this interesting principle also applies to Internet connections where we have seen rates vary from 0.34 Dhs all the way up to 2 Dhs a minute. This can make quite a difference to a business trip especially, and we have tried to outline below the rates that the hotels charge. To avoid silly hotel charges for internet connections make sure you read our review of how best to Connect to the Internet in Dubai.

If you plan to spend Christmas or New Year on the beach in Dubai we recommend you book WELL in advance - one year in advance should guarantee you a room. It is very busy.

Due to the overwhelming size of our reviews of Dubai hotels we have had to cut the page into smaller sections to make for easier reading.

Please continue to our review of hotels in Dubai - Page 2, Page 3.