Emirates Palace

I've stayed at a lot of hotels in the world but this is one of the best, if not the best. This was my second visit. The hotel is so grand that no photographs can do it justice. The place just won't fit in a phones camera lens. The service is what sets The Emirates Palace apart from other places. The people who work here are great at their job and genuinely just seem like lovely people. You get a butler on call 24 hours a day at this is just great to have if you are someone who is just spontaneous and demanding like myself. You get over 1km of private beach. I know we visited during the extreme heat of the summer but still, it was perfect and very very quiet. There was hardly anyone here. Two swimming pools in either wing. You can choose to bicycle to the other wing or you can take a buggy. The west wing pool is aimed more towards children. It has a lazy river and two small water slides. The east wing pool is aimed at the adults and has a swim up bar. The beach is a whole stretch of white sand right next to the presidential Palace and it is empty. Nice and tranquil. You get your choice of noodle floats there's plenty around. The pool is quite empty. Both times I have stayed at this hotel I have enjoyed the fact that you feel like you're one of the few people staying here. There are water sports available. (No jet skis) Kayaking and paddle boarding is totally free of charge. The guy who worked here was brilliant. Do not take your phone in the sea even if its water proof. Its very very salty. You get some great views of the hotel and the Etihad towers from the sea. You can also get a great view of the presidential Palace. Theres a camel riding service, but I wasn't too impressed with it. Maybe it was due to the temperature which was about 38 degrees celcius. But the guy who took us on the camel ride literally took us on a journey of less than one minute. Restaurants We had the half board, which provides you with a vouchers of 270AED per person to use once a day on either lunch or dinner. The value can only be used for food and not drinks. It was worth it. If you plan to eat out a few days I would say you don't need the half board. There are loads of different restaurants within the hotel, all offering different cuisine. Indian I was in love with the Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi restaurant. The food was delicious and the staff were very informative and precise with their descriptions and recommendations. Lebanese Mawal was also rather scrumptious. The food was delicious and the service was second to none. We ate and had shisha here which was also really nice. We had asked for a recommendation of a flavour to smoke and what we were given was really on point. Chinese Hakkasan is Hakkasan, if you've been before you know exactly what you're going to get. Pool restaurant We ate Cascades for lunch nearly everyday. It's by the east wing pool and provides a variety of different food. I usually had the club sandwich, keeping it simple in the heat. My partner had a seafood paella but it had no taste so she had to change it. Sea food Sayad the was the one restaurant I did not enjoy as much as the others. But I'm not a sea food fan so my opinion on this is rather biased and not reliable. Breakfast was provided on the lower floor and there was a variety of different things on offer that you would expect from any establishment . If you wanted anything in particular you could ask the waiters and they would go out of their way to obtain it for you. Special mentions The service was impeccable right throughout the hotel. Norbu who works at concierge, epitomises the quality of service on offer to anyone who visits the hotel. He is courteous as you would expect but he truly goes above and beyond what he needs to do. I cannot thank him enough for his hospitality and service during my stay. This is the second time I've stayed here and he has been the constant. Special mentions have to be for Rohit at guest check in. He is a great guy. He was helpful, informative, concise and always there to help with any queries or anything else I may have asked. As you can imagine from this post I'm not the easiest guest. Irshad at Bellhop was so friendly and really made our stay easy about getting a taxi or a hotel buggy to a different area to the hotel. He was prompt and informative. Yoweri was the same as and always so friendly and courteous. I cannot forget to mention Maurice as well who along with these two was just amazing at his job and customer services. People like this make your stay what it is and genuinely make you feel the warmth of the place (apart from the weather). My butlers Jomy and Muktar were a god send. Tremendous at their job but also made you feel like they weren't doing a job and were part of the family. They provided anything we needed and also beyond what we asked. The nicest people you will ever meet. I also have a few other people to mention but unfortunately I cannot remember their names. For Friday prayer I joined the Fleet manager who's name I think was Ayub. (sorry if it isnt) but he was great along with everyone else who had the kindness to take me to the Mosque for prayer. Read less

Well if you are going to do Afternoon Tea, this is the place to do it in Abu Dhabi. The hotel itself is stunning. Opulent inside and out. Manicured grounds, private beach and a real sense of grandeur and calm in this bustling city. Afternoon Tea was served by Marshall and Surinder. Their service was impeccable. The food was superb; melt in the mouth sandwiches, selection of beautifully light scones, cream and preserves plus fabulous cakes. Lovely tea and coffee selection. Unhurried. Decadent and by comparison to some high end U.K/London offerings, great value. Read less