Everything I love about The Madinet Jumeriah Beach Resort
My hotel recommendations The Madinet Jumeriah is my absolute favourite resort in Dubai. Its like its own mini city. Located right by the Burj Al Arab the resort consist of five 5* Jumeriah Hotels where you are able to use each of the hotels facilities giving you plenty of choice for pools, bars and restaurants and not to mention the 2km private beach with its bath like sea. The resort is huge but there’s no need to worry about getting around on foot in the Dubai heat, there are buggy stations throughout the resort and waterways to travel by abra. The kids love getting the boats to dinner in the evening and the resort at night is truly beautiful.
The 5 hotels 1. Mina Salam – I have never stayed at this particular hot but have used the hotels facilities many times. It has recently been re-furbished and I’d say more of a boutique vibe. There are some lovely room views of the waterways and the Burj Al Arab
2. Al – Qasr – My first and second visit to the Madinat was this hotel. Fantastic lobby, huge pool, kids splash pool and lovely rooms
3. Jumeriah Beach Hotel – The very first hotel at this Resort and one of the first hotels in Duabi (the wave shaped one that’s all over the brochures along side the Burj Al Arab) This is actually my least favourite hotel of the bunch. I feel it’s a little commercialised however it does have a cracking English Restaurant – Dhow & Anchor and they do a lovely Sunday Roast while over looking the Burj Al Arab hotel in all its glory in the evening. There is also a fabulous adult bar on floor24th floor for adults only, with a great outdoor terrace and fab views.
4. Al Naseem – The newest hotel and my joint favourite! They really have gone above and beyond with this hotel, its truly stunning and feels like absolute luxury. It has 3 great pools to choose from (1 being adult only). The rooms are lovely and if your fortunate you will get a Burj View from your balcony
5. Dar Al Masyaf – My joint favourite for different reasons. I always book a waterside room so that my balcony is on the waterways. This is a completely different vibe to the other hotels. This hotel gives a more personal experience. The Dar Al Masyaf are individual summer houses with 10 rooms in each. Each summer house has its own private check in desk and its own butler service 24/7. There is no big pool here so you have to get a buggy or an Abra each morning to your chosen pool so this is something to bear in mind if you have small children and may pop back to the room often. However each summer house does have its own smaller smaller pool which tend to be quiet. Great for check – out day and also in the evening. I would go up the room to start getting ready while my husband had an extra hour at this pool with the kids. Makes getting ready so much easier. A big bonus about this hotel is they offer free drinks in each summer house reception/lounge from 18.00 until 20.00. This includes spirits, wine, beer, prosecco or a fizzy drink and its completely unlimited. You should know Dubai is very expensive when it comes to drinks and you can pay £15 for a small wine and £7 for a can of pop so this really is a great for saving a few pounds in the evening for pre-dinner drinks.
Restaurants at the Madinet Jumeriah There are more than 50 restaurants and bars to choose from on the complex from beach front restaurants, dinner on the waterside, Mexican to Greek, Sea Food to Thai food you wont fall short of choice. *Top Tip – look out for the free Half Board upgrade in the Summer months. The Half Board is one of the best I have ever had. You have the flexibility to use it for either lunch or dinner for 3 courses. There is choice of over 20 restaurants to choose from around the resort and at the Souk Madinet located at the Mina Salam hotel. You also have the option to dine at Jumeriah Zabeel Saray out on the Palm who have a fantastic Indian and Lebanese.
Things to do at the Madinet on site If you have enough of lounging around one of the pools or on the beach then you could hire a jet ski or pedalo, there are plenty of water sports to choose from. You can get out of the heat for a while and have a walk around the Souk located at the Mina Salam. Souk is a labyrinth of shops from designer to traditional stalls. You could get some henna or take the kids for their hair braided, there’s even a cinema and of course a costa coffee. I love costa so I get my daily fix from here. If you are a gym lover then there is a gym located at each of the hotels (accept the dar al masyaf) so you could use a different gym each day. All are very well equipped. The Mina Salam is the biggest but the Al Naseem is my favourite…. It’s a gym with a view! You could take yourself off to the Spa for some R&R – although treatments are pricey but if you felt like treating yourself I’d say its worth it. Its set within tropical gardens on the waterways and really does have a tranquil feel. Last but not least…. THE WILD WADI…. Who doesn’t love a waterpark? As a Jumeriah guest you have unlimited FREE access! My kids absolutely love this place. There are some great family ring rides, a lazy river around the whole park and wave pool! If brave enough you can have a go of the free fall water slide Jumeriah Sceirah, I cant tell you what this is like as I am yet to brave it but my younger daughter can't get enough of it. For the younger children there is a great water play area which consist of smaller slides, sprinklers, buckets and water guns
A few Top Tips 1- Use local Taxis and not private cars 2- Make use of the bottled water around the pool its free (you can even take the mini squeezy jucies to add to it for the kids) 3- Buy any alchol for your room from duty free on arrival - one you are through arrivals you can't buy alchol unless from a bar 4- Take water shoes and swimvest for the waterpark - they are very expensive if you buy from there
