Crowne Plaza Dubai Hotel

Well, you could say this is the best of the business type hotels. Like a more upmarket version of Holiday Inn. However, in comparison with the rest of Dubai it has more to go in the light of improvements. One issue that cannot be resolved is the location. The hotel is based on the outskirts of the Diera area, so walking is absolutely out of the question; hence cabs are necessary to get anywhere. The cabs are cheap enough with a standard fixed fee of a couple of AED, not even 50p!
The staff are helpful, but can get agitated at times, including asking not to take pictures in case it bothers the rest of the tourists!
The hotel provides no entertainment for its residents as such, however there is a nightclub located in the arrival lounge.
We stayed around the Xmas and NYE period, but did not attend the NYE celebrations in the hotel itself. Crowne plaza used the Bollywood theme for.
There is a swimming pool located on the roof in front of the main towers. The hotel also has squash courts, a gym, massagers, sauna and steam rooms.
One point to note is that if you would like net connection in your room, it will be no faster than 28kpbs so don’t bother trying to do anything as it is just wasting money as the clock ticks! There is an Internet area in the reception with fast running broadband and all common messaging programs installed.
The hotel itself has many restaurants with different cuisines. However, my favourite has to be Al Dana restaurant. I think every Tuesday and Thursday nights are seafood nights. The hotel sets up a seafood station with a chef ready to serve you the shellfish you please or cook any fish you choose. The buffet is large and has good quality food. To decorate the themed night, the hotel also provides a grand display of ice sculptures.
Overall, I’d recommend this hotel to those who aren’t too interested about their accommodation, but would like a comfortable nights sleep and no problems on holiday!