An oasis of palm trees, gardens and pools 100m from the Emirates terminal: review Le Meridien Dubai

There are half a dozen Hotels located in close proximity to Dubai International Airport. They all or nearly all have very competitive prices, around (or below) 100 euros per night for single occupancy (some with breakfast included, some without).

The one closest of all to Terminal 3, used by Emirates, Is the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Center. It is so 'attached' to T3 that, if the six-lane highway in each direction were not in the way, one could walk to the lobby from the arrivals hall easily. And, with a flight back to Italy shortly after 7 a.m. at the end of a two-day trip to Dubai for the Arabian Travel Markets, I chose the shortest distance from the airport as the directing factor in my booking.

Reservation

Having exhausted in preparation for an upcoming trip to Thailand the small haul of Bonvoy points I had, I took a look at the hotel site (to gain new ones by booking directly), finding that the 'garden room' (It didn't matter whether it was single or double use) Started from 154 euros per night, excluding breakfast. I was relatively interested in this, since I would have to get up the next morning on the second night at an hour when breakfast would not yet be served.

I was making a reservation from the hotel's website, when I had a question about giving a look at the offers listed on Tripadvisor, catching one so greedy that I suspected it was a rip-off: lastminute.com offered those same two nights for only 202 euros, instead of the 308 at the hotel. I succumbed to the flattery and, as I will explain later, would at least partly regret it later.

Location

Said extraordinary proximity to the airport, the second thing that attracted me to Le Meridien was its gardens and pools, ideal for spending a few moments of relaxation after fair rides.

The facility lived up to the promises of the photos: the rooms, arranged in two low buildings in the shape of an 'x,' all overlooked the gardens. And there were even three swimming pools available to guests, also surrounded by greenery, one of which was open to guests until 10 p.m. In short, a kind of oasis of greenery, palm trees and water nestled in one of the surely busiest areas of the Middle Eastern metropolis.

The guests of the rooms 'royal club' have at their disposal a multi-story building separate from the others, with A dedicated check-in area, a private pool on the ground floor in addition to another one located on a terrace on the fifth floor.

That said, The hotel is located a considerable distance from Jumeirah and the beaches and is therefore not suitable for those who want to 'do some sea.' And also To reach Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall requires at least a 20-minute tax ridei, traffic permitting.

Check-In

Arriving at the hotel after the flight from Milan was traumatic, to say the least. Why my reservation, prepaid and confirmed to me by email from lastminute.com, at the hotel, I was told, had never arrived. And it did not turn up even after 'searches' by receptionists.

Result: two hours spent texting lastminute.com and talking on the phone with their call center, after which it appeared that the reservation would be resent by the search engine to the hotel in the afternoon.

Wanting to change, take a shower and then head to the Arabian Travel Market, while waiting I had no choice but to pay for another room, with the meager consolation of the points Marriott Bonvoy I would have pocketed.

The room

Not very big, but with all the things (desk, couch, bed, closet, refrigerator) put in such a way as to make it spacious. And with a big window to one of the gardens with a pool.

Huge and very comfortable (even more so on its own) bed. Spacious closet with multiple drawers. Well-stocked minibar, though with not-so-fresh drinks. Plenty of 'complimentary' water bottles, as many as 4.

Lots of well-placed light points that can be operated through buttons placed in three different places in the room. Reading lights on both sides of the bed and classic large screen TV on the opposite wall.

Spacious bathroom with toilet and shower in separate rooms, bathtub, vanity kit and Mailin+Goetz wall dispenser with bath gel, shampoo and conditioner.

Again, Slippers, bathrobe and plenty of towels Of three different sizes. To top it off, Evening service with bathroom cleaning and change of towels In addition to the one in the morning. In short, a true five-star.

Common parts and restaurants

Elegant and huge lobby, with profusion of sofas, armchairs, plants, flowers, furniture items and workstations in the somewhat more secluded areas.

Large gymnasium divided into three different rooms (boxing and martial arts, free body and 'machines') open until 11 p.m.

And well 15 restaurants for all tastes, all averagely quite expensive but not overpriced. In the two evenings spent at the hotel, I ate Chinese from Long Yin and Japanese from Kiku. But I could also have eaten Italian, Indian, Lebanese, Thai, Spanish, French. Or gorge myself on meat or fish or seafood. There was also a buffet option with the fixed-price formula And 'all you can eat' style.

La rich breakfast was buffet style as well, but with coffee or tea and eggs ordered and then served at the table by the wait staff.

Conclusion

As the character from a famous comic strip several years ago said (in turn quoting none other than Shakespeare), 'all's well that ends well': in the end, my reservation with lastminute.com was 'found' and the expense of the second reservation was refunded to my credit card.

Moving beyond personal hiccups, the Le Meridien Dubai is the perfect hotel for those who have to stop in Dubai for a couple of days or having a day between two flights and want to stay in a elegant but informal place, with a excellent value for money, perhaps indulging in a few hours by the pool while sipping a beer or cocktail (those, yes, expensive ones).

• hotels near airport