Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City , Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £209
loading...
Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City Reviews
on the eastern shore of Dubai Creek, UAE.
Travel:
Flights:- The outbound flight was overnight, leaving Heathrow at 21:25 (local time), arriving in Dubai at 06:25 (local time). It had been recommended by Virgin that we booked an extra night at the hotel although we would be flying for most of the night so that we could book into our room on our early morning arrival, rather than wait around until normal Dubai check-in time of 15:00. The flight was uneventful, the cabin crew attentive and (for a change compared with some airlines) the food very edible. The same applied to the return flight. The only negative comments are about the comprehensive entertainment system in that it was very slow in responding to the passenger controls (the Captain apologised over the tannoy that the entertainment system was overloading due to excessive passenger demands) and that the flight wasn’t long enough to watch each of the 40 or so films, let alone the TV programmes and music channels!
Transfers:- On arrival at Dubai we were met by a local Virgin agent who arranged for a taxi to take us to our hotel (as opposed to a coach as stated in the paperwork). Everyone was very courteous and helpful. However, we were taken to the wrong hotel – the Crown Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Road, which is the business district located on the other side of the creek. We had confirmed to the agent at the airport that we were booked in at the Crown Plaza Festival City and as we approached the Crown Plaza commented to the taxi driver that this was the wrong hotel according to the pictures and map in the brochure, but there were communication barriers (I don’t speak Arabic). On arrival at this hotel the hotel staff unloaded the taxi for us, opened the hotel doors and escorted us to reception. The receptionist agreed that we were not booked at this hotel. He kindly phoned the Crown Plaza Festival City and confirmed that we were booked in there and arranged for another taxi to transport us to the correct hotel and the hotel staff wheeled our 2 cases back to the new taxi and loaded them for us. And so having made a mini tour of Dubai, we arrived at the Crown Plaza Festival City ………
The Hotel:
The hotel is on the Eastern bank of Dubai Creek and is part of a new interconnected complex. Next door is a sister hotel, (the Intercontinental), and joined to this is the Festival Mall (currently about 300 shops together with a small marina and the mall incorporates a decorative canal) and a conference/ business centre.
Arrival:
On approaching the hotel we were slightly concerned by the amount of construction work around the rear and to the side of the hotel and later found out that this area is still being developed with a further hotel and landscaping. I must emphasise that we were not disturbed at any time by noise or dust, unlike hotels in Mediterranean countries in the past.
The taxi doors were opened for us, the luggage removed and we were escorted into the reception lobby. The staff were profusely apologetic that we had been taken to the wrong hotel (not their fault and certainly out of their control) and the Front Office Manager was called to the reception desk to apologise again! Having completed the signing in processes we were escorted to our room and the various comprehensive control systems for lights, TV and other equipment explained.
The Room:
Each floor has a single curved corridor with rooms on both sides making it simple to find each room. Emergency escape routes are clearly marked.
Our room was on the top floor overlooking the creek, with Dubai as a skyline. A splendid view, especially at night. Unfortunately during our stay, until our last day, a humidity haze during the daytime reduced visibility to about 1½ miles.
The room was light coloured, spacious and extremely well appointed with lots of storage space and our own iron and board. Fresh linen and towels were supplied every day, as were the bottles of water and toiletries. An interesting feature was the full wall internal window alongside the bath (with an electrically operated internal blind if required for privacy) that allowed you to see the Dubai skyline across the room whilst soaking in the bath! The mini bar was well stocked and was reasonably priced. Ethernet connections to the web were available, but not used (we were on holiday) and only once did we use both phone lines simultaneously. The large screen LCD TV had a wide variety of channels, both local and international and always had a good clear picture and sound. The BOSE alarm radio was also useful. The room servicing comprised at least 2 visits per day, one to impeccably clean the room and replenish supplies and then later in the evening to turn down the bed and arrange the slippers! There was never any noise of other guests.
Dining:
We were staying half board and ate mostly in the Zaytoun restaurant. What a positive experience! The range of foods catered for every palate. It was freshly prepared and was presented as a buffet where you identify which food you want and it is served onto your plate by the waiter and brought to your table. I have never been more looked after in any of the hotels I have stayed in worldwide, including those used by foreign royalty. Examples: one night my wife, having selected a variety of dishes wanted rice. The rice on offer was with prawns. My wife is allergic to shellfish and asked if they had any plain boiled rice. The answer was “Yes, in about 10 minutes. Would you mind returning to your table. We will bring your selection from the buffet.” They did. Another night we were discussing the different styles of cooking rice in India with our waiter. A short while later came back to our table and presented us with a sample that he had asked the chef to prepare to show us, apologizing that it was not authentic as the rice should have been soaked overnight before grinding and cooking, and it should have been filled. The next night he brought the chef with him with correctly prepared samples – just so that we could see what it should look and taste like! And presented us with a printout of the recipe and method!!
As well as the Zaytoun restaurant on the fifth floor there was the Maza lounge bar in the lobby that served drinks throughout the day, either in the spacious and comfortable lobby (do try their strawberry milk shake made to order from fresh strawberries, ice cream and milk – delicious.) or on a secluded balcony overlooking the creek and for the evenings there was also the Belgian Bar (very popular), specializing in Belgian food and drinks. The mussels are flown in from Belgium because they taste better, as was the chef because he knows how to prepare Belgian food properly!
Exercise options:
The facilities of the Crown Plaza and the Intercontinental are available to all guests. I did not investigate the inside facilities at the Intercontinental. Inside the Crown Plaza there is a well equipped gymnasium and in each of the inside changing rooms there is a sauna and a steam room. Outside, each hotel has a swimming pool, a childrens pool and 3 jacuzzis. These facilities are effectively on the fifth floor and provide a pleasant view across the creek. The Jacuzzis are positioned near to the edge of the roof and have ‘infinity’ edges towards Dubai providing a magical experience. The Crown Plaza main pool is 25m long and half the width is laned for serious swimming and the remainder is free swimming. All of the pool areas were very clean and tidy and the (fresh) water was always clean and clear. It was observed that the water was sampled and analysed daily. The plentiful teak sun loungers (with thick mattresses) were extremely comfortable, spread with fresh towels each day and provided with a separate towel for drying off. Lifeguards were on duty all day and supported by other poolside attendants. All were continuously attentive to what was going on.
Staffing:
The 1200 staff comprises 54 nationalities, all having some English. On each and every occasion that we passed near any we were greeted with a genuine smile and a ‘Good Morning/Afternoon sir/madam”. Other than the door to our room, we were not allowed to open any door if there was a member of staff nearby, even if they were doing something else! On commenting to the hotel management about the positive attitude of the staff, we were told that their prime consideration in selecting staff was attitude not capability – capability can be trained (and had been). It was also observed that the staff are a happy, integrated team that helped each other.
Complaints:
There were only 2 very minor complaints(?). These were:
1. When using the massive overhead shower above the bath, some water dripped from the edge of the bath onto the tiled floor, making the bath mat wet.
and being ultra finicky,
2. The feet on the chairs in Zaytoun restaurant were not felt padded and could ‘screetch’ when dragged across the tiled area of the floor.
Neither of these caused any serious discomfort. As a Health and Safety Assessor, I found no instances of any hazards, actual or potential.
Other Notes:
During the first day the ‘Virgin’ rep from Alpha Tours arrived at the hotel to apologise about the confusion with the transfer and refund the cost of the second taxi (~£4.50 for a 15 minute drive) and to offer us a selection of tours and activities. We chose the ‘City Tour’. We were collected from our hotel in an air conditioned minibus and then, having collected the other 6 passengers from their hotels spread out around Dubai, we started our 4 hour tour. This took us to see Burj Al Arab (from shoreside as casual visitors are no longer permitted access), the Palm, the Jumeirah Mosque, the local harbour area, the Dubai Museum, a trip across the Creek on an abra (water taxi), and finally shopping in the Spice souk and the Gold souk before being returned to our respective hotels. All entrance fees and fares were included in the tour price. This tour I consider was very good value and well hosted by KJ (no-one could pronounce his Japanese name!).
Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive (especially if taken from outside a mall).
Summary:
Would we go there again?
Most certainly (but not until its cooler – 50’C in the shade was a bit warm!).
Marks out of 10?
11 all round (except for the misdirection at the airport).
Most outstanding?
The feeling of warmth and friendliness from all the hotel staff.
Most Memorable?
Sipping coffee on the lawn after the evening meal with the sky lit by the lights of Dubai and my wife not being eaten by mosquitoes.
David Mann