Anyone who lives in Dubai has seen these iconic towers on Sheikh Zayed Road. However, the very first time that I came here, I wasn’t sure where Nassima Royal Hotel was because I had always called that building ‘Radisson Royal Hotel’, but to clear it up to those who might also be confused– its the same place, just rebranded!

We headed down to Nassima Royal Hotel for our weekend staycation. The hotel is located in such a great place because it connects old Dubai to new Dubai. It’s in the beginning of Sheikh Zayed Road, on the Jumeirah side. It’s also very close to many shops, restaurants, a 5-minute drive to the largest mall in the world (The Dubai Mall), a 10 minute drive to historic areas in old Dubai, and a few minutes walk to the Metro Station. How much more convenient can it get?!

The entrance of the hotel and valet access area are always busy because its in such a central location, but the valet staff were very quick in assisting us with luggage and taking the car to the parking lot. As my husband looked over the unloading of the bags (I know, I know it was only a 3 day stay so there shouldn’t be so many bags, but I always tend to overpack), I went over to the reception area to take care of the check-in procedures.

When I got to the reception desk, I saw that the hotel actually had a second lobby wing that was much more spacious than the one in the entryway, and there was even a little cafe area there.

Whenever we passed by reception during our weekend stay, there always seemed to be quite a few people  getting assistance from the front desk, but the hotel was always very well-staffed, so I never had to wait in line to check-in, check-out, or pick up spare keys.

After handing over our IDs, they quickly processed the check-in and told us that the room was ready. They gave us a choice of whether we wanted to leave a deposit of up to 500 Dhs in case we might want anything from the mini bar, room service, dry cleaning or phone calls. I opted to pay upon purchase, or pay at the end and they were happy with that. After getting the keys, we went up to our room.

The decor of the hotel is exactly what you would expect from a 5-star hotel. There’s touches of fresh flowers and classy statement pieces all over the hotel– it’s very beautiful and elegant.

The hotel, although its considered to be more of a business hotel, will definitely not have the leisure guest feeling that way. If there’s one way to put it, its that this hotel is the most ‘leisurely’ business hotel that we’ve been to!

Our Deluxe Room was on the 44th floor, and we love to stay on high floors during our vacations and staycations so we can really make the most of the views that hotel has to offer. The view from our room is certainly one of the most beautiful views of Dubai. Our room was in the corner so we had a full 180 degree view of everything, and the fact that the windows are floor to ceiling is a huge plus! From the right hand side, we could see all of Jumeirah, the beach, and even Dubai Marina and Burj Al Arab in the distance.

But that was nothing compared to the breathtaking view that we had of Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Towers and the heart of Dubai. I didn’t get sick of this view at all.

The curtains stayed open every day that we were there, from the moment we woke up, until we fell asleep (because hey, no matter how pretty a view is, waking up at the crack of dawn because the sunlight streams through, is not so pretty). Oh and if you forget to draw the curtains before you climb into bed, don’t worry– they’re automatic and will close at the touch of a remote control button. So will all of the lights!

After marveling at the view, we took a closer look at all that the hotel room had to offer. Everything is laid out in one main area, with the bed taking up half of the room. Next to it are two side tables, which is where the alarm clock/iPod dock and curtain/lights’ remote control are laid out.

The TV is set on a high stand so that your little ones can’t easily reach it. Next to that is a spacious couch, coffee table and a narrow built-in work desk and a comfortable chair.

The hallway that leads into the main area of the room is where the closet is. The closet has a decent amount of space, lots of wooden and plush hangers, a safe and a couple of house slippers.

Next to it there is a luggage stand, and on the other side of that is the fridge, minibar and snacks area. The hotel provides complimentary water, teas, nescafe packets, and coffee pods to use in their Caffitaly coffee machines. I always appreciate when a hotel keeps a coffee machine in the room!

The bathroom is right across from the closet area and even the bathroom has a floor to ceiling view! From our room, we could see all of Jumeirah and even the Bur Dubai area.

If you want privacy, there are shades to pull down, but since we were on such a high floor and were not facing any other high-rise buildings, we didn’t feel the need to do so. The bathroom is split into three parts. The main area has a huge bathtub and a sink with a large countertop, good sized mirror and a makeup mirror.

The shower had a separate room within the bathroom, as did the toilet and bidet, so technically you and your spouse or kids could be using the bathroom at the same time and still have total privacy!

Somebody needs to tell me where I can get one of these shower heads at home, because I loved it! There’s an option for a rain shower, a detachable shower head, and also three massaging shower heads that are directed at your body. The water pressure is perfect and it actually did feel like a real massage when I put it on the body shower heads setting.

After getting acquainted with the room, my husband went downstairs to get a massage at their Spa Zen. Read about his experience here: Spa Zen Review.

When he was done with his massage, he came back up to the room, completely rejuvenated and wanted to go out. We decided that our little Khalifa needed some playtime, so we headed over to The Dubai Mall. The trip from the hotel to the mall only took a few minutes, even being that it was a Thursday night, which is impressive if you know how traffic is in Dubai on a weekend.

It would have been nice to make it back to the hotel in time to try one of the restaurants in house, but we were running late and decided to eat at the mall instead. However, we did try one of their restaurants, TRE,  prior to our stay and you can check out the review for it here: TRE Restaurant Review.

Once back at the hotel, we closed the curtains and fell right asleep in the big comfortable bed!

Day 2

Our day began with a late breakfast at their Celsius Restaurant. We got there around 9.30am and it was quite full with guests, but there were plenty of different dining areas in that restaurant so it can easily accommodate more than you would expect at first sight.

We were taken to our table, then asked whether we wanted tea or coffee. I ordered my usual cafe latte, and then got up to get food. The breakfast buffet was spread out across the restaurant. The mains station had different kinds of Arabic, Western and Indian breakfast items, as well as an omelette station. There were also separated areas for all kinds of cereals and oats. In another section was breads, muffins and pastries. On the other side was a cold cuts area which also had Arabic appetizers and even sushi!

After breakfast, we went back upstairs and I put my little Khalifa down for his morning nap, and headed downstairs so I can enjoy Spa Zen. I had such a lovely experience and would really recommend the Deep Pore Cleansing Facial at Spa Zen to those who are looking for an effective facial. To check out the full review, read Spa Zen Review (make sure to scroll down to “Deep Pore Cleansing Facial”).

I went back up and Khalifa was wide awake and I was back on mommy-duty. We went out and had lunch near Jumeirah beach, which is located right behind the hotel. My husband had to make a quick trip to Abu Dhabi, so Khalifa and I came back to the hotel and we explored more of it. We found that there was even an adult-supervised Kid’s Club!

It’s packed with toys and activities for kids of all ages, even for itty bitty crawlers. Khalifa loved it so much that we literally stayed there for almost 2 hours! The woman who supervises the play area was really playful with him, even though I was there the whole time.

Although it was empty most of the time, Khalifa did meet a few new playmates while he was there. Once he got too tired to play any longer, we went back upstairs in time for a nap… and I made it right in time to get a glimpse of a beautiful sunset.

While my baby napped, I decided to take a bath. I was happy to find that the housekeeping team replenished all of the bath products that were used the day before.

My husband soon got back from his errands and we spent the evening in the hotel room flipping through the TV channels as well as admiring at the view we had of Dubai. We also got to enjoy some of the chocolates and treats that were left in our room.

There are plenty of activities and restaurants at the hotel and if my little Khalifa wasn’t so attached to me, I would have happily had a babysitter watch him while we checked out Movida, which is located in the hotel. However, those days are in the past for me, so a quiet night in was just as exciting.

Day 3

I woke up before both of the boys, so I was able to sneak in a freshly made coffee in peace. Oh, and the view didn’t hurt either!

Once they got up, we went down for breakfast and feasted on the delicious things that were available. The selection stayed the same, but there were a few variations here and there on some of the mains.

After breakfast, we headed over to the pool. Its an open pool and feels incredible on a sunny day’s morning.

When we got tired of the pool, went back upstairs and got ready to go. My husband needed to iron his clothes, but there wasn’t an iron or ironing board available in the closet, so we called housekeeping for one. They took about 30 minutes to respond, and unfortunately they didn’t have any spares at that time, but they did offer to iron two pieces of laundry on a complementary basis in order to make up for the lost time, which was a really kind gesture on their part, but Mohamed ended up finding something else to wear in the meantime so we decline the offer.

While they got ready, I took one last shower in the extraordinary shower! Not only are the features of the actual shower and shower heads great, but they also provide really good, posh British products from The White Company.

After the shower, I got ready, packed up and we headed downstairs for checkout. It was actually sad saying ‘bye’ to this beautiful view!

Although there was a lot of people in the lobby area at that same time, the service was really quick and check out was a breeze. All of our bags were quickly put in the back of our car and we headed home.

It was a very, very nice stay. Like I said before, its not technically considered to be a leisure hotel but it is, at least by my standard! I mean– there’s a kid’s play area, world class spa, nice rooftop pool, several great restaurants and one of Dubai’s most popular nightclubs!

One tip I would give if your staying at this hotel is to make sure to book a room on a high floor, preferably in the corner, so you can make the most of the view.

The price for one night in the room we stayed in (Deluxe Room on a High Floor inclusive of breakfast) is around 950 Dhs (January 2016).

* The hotel has special deals on their website (at the time of writing this review), so make sure to check them out when your booking. 

Ratings (0-5): 

• Location: 5
• Hotel Ambience: 5
• Staff (Friendliness and Helpfulness): 4
• Rooms: 5
• Room/Bath Products Provided: 5
• In-Room WiFi: 3.5 (Free and Sometimes Good, Sometimes Slow)
• Amenities: 5
• Housekeeping: 4.5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.6

To book at Nassima Royal Hotel, call +971 (0) 4 308 0000.