I’ve heard so many great things about Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, and I’ve been to a couple of gorgeous weddings here in the past, so I was really looking forward to our 2 day stay at the hotel. It’s located in Bain Al Jesserain, and I love the fact that its not right in the middle of the city so there’s no hectic traffic or noise. The area its in has other hotels and a few villas. It’s also not too far from Yas Island, so we were able to easily go to Ferrari World and Yas Mall during our stay at the hotel.

The driveway leading up to the hotel is beautiful, and the hotel from the outside looks super modern. We were kindly assisted by the valet and luggage staff as we entered the hotel. The interior of the hotel lobby was not really how I remembered it; it felt a bit aged and there is a bit of wear and tear on the furniture, but it was clean, and after all– the hotel is not brand new. Check-in was quite fast, but unfortunately they said that all of the sea facing rooms were taken, so we had to stay on a lower floor which faced the parking area/entrance. This, however, is our fault since we didn’t request a sea view room ahead of time.

We were lead to our room and it was actually very spacious. The room, although laid out in a flat open plan, was very well organized into different sections. There is a work desk, a couch/living area, a spacious bathroom (that separated the toilets, bath/shower and  sinks/vanity into three different rooms), a large and extremely soft cloud-like bed and a closet. They’re very generous with space, and it easily and comfortably could occupy me, the hubby and baby Khalifa. The closet was a bit small, but with so much space and only a stay of 2 days, it fit our clothes and bags just fine.

We immediately changed into swimwear and went down to the pool. It was a beautiful pool, but I must say, it’s not very family-friendly– or perhaps there just weren’t any kids there at that time. It’s great for couples though. After letting Khalifa waddle around a bit, we went back upstairs.

I put Khalifa to bed and took a long, luscious bath. They have this amazing soap/body wash that smells of rose and oud. Mmm-mm. We rested in the room the rest of the night. Here’s Khalifa testing out the bed:

Now, the bed is so freakin comfy that you don’t want to get out, but there is a problem with that. The screen of the TV is quite small and I think its only meant to be watched while your on the couch, because you literally cannot see the screen well if your just sitting back on the bed. I know it sounds like a total first world problem (and it is), but it gets irritating when all you wanna do is lay back in that comfy bed and watch a movie. It would be so much better if the screen was just a bit larger. Like I said, the room is spacious, so its not that the TV is small, its just that the room is big!

We woke up early both days and made sure to go down to breakfast because they have an incredible spread! There are so many different stations, on the first day I didn’t even end up seeing a couple of them. They have literally every kind of breakfast item you can think of, and are very international with their choices as well. Also, they have many gluten-free options which is always a plus if your a health freak (which I’m not but I like to pretend to be on occasion, haha).

We spent the whole of the 2nd day at Yas, and by the time we came back the room was perfectly cleaned up. On the 3rd day, the day of our departure, my husband had a few errands to run in the morning and ended up being a bit late. They were very kind to let us have a late check-out at 2pm, and didn’t cause a fuss about it at all. Check out was very quickly handled.

Even though its a 5-star hotel, I would personally rate it somewhere between 4 and 5. The service is really great, but the lobby and rooms are lacking a bit. The breakfast definitely won us over though! Also, make sure you reserve a sea view room so you can make the most of your stay.

The price is around 850 Dhs per night (October 2015).

Ratings (0-5): 

• Location: 4.5
• Hotel Ambience: 3.5
• Staff (Friendliness and Helpfulness): 4.5
• Rooms: 3
• Amenities: 3.5
• Housekeeping: 5
• Value for money: 4

Overall Rating: 4

To book at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, call 02 654 3333.