First Impressions:

I don’t know a single soul living in Dubai who hasn’t been to Amwaj Rotana. They have so many restaurants, a great brunch, amazing themed buffets, all while being family friendly. We’ve been there so many times before for their brunch and restaurants, but this was actually the first time that we were staying at the hotel itself. The location is amazing– right on Jumeirah Beach Residences, but you don’t have to deal with all of the crazy traffic because its right at the end. JBR without crazy traffic– what could possibly be better?!

Check-in:

Check-in took a little longer that expected, because there was some confusion as to what room we had booked. They were very apologetic and professional in correcting it. Once they fixed the issue, we were lead upstairs to our Classic Sea View Suite.

Room:

The Classic Sea View Suite was gorgeous, spacious and had such an incredible sea view (as the name suggests)! The living room is beautifully laid out and very well designed and decorated. The dining area is in the living room space as well, and its a very comfortable family-style lay out. The living room also has its own guest bath.

The bedroom is also very spacious. It can be completely closed off from the living room, or you can adjust the sliding doors to have easy open-plan access to the living area. You have the option of having privacy or not. Both the living room and bedroom have TVs, and are fully equipped to entertain the entire family.

The bedroom has an ensuite bathroom that is incredibly spacious. It has a walk-in closet built into it, his-and-her sinks and separate areas for a bathtub and shower. The marble design is absolutely gorgeous!

The balcony stretches from the bedroom to the living room. The view from this balcony is beyond gorgeous– its a full sea view, and you can see over Palm Jumeirah (it actually looks like a Palm, since we were so high up), as well as see down to JBR. This is the room that you want to book for your Dubai trip. Nothing says ‘Dubai vacation’ quite like that view!

Dining:

During our stay at the hotel, we tried out a themed night at Horizon restaurant, as well their Italian restaurant Rosso.

Horizon is an amazing family restaurant, and is centered around buffets. Every night is a special theme, and we tried their BBQ Night.

Click here see the full reviews Horizon’s BBQ and Rosso Restaurant.

Amwaj Rotana has so many different dining venues, and we’ve tried several of them before this stay. We’ve also been to the famous Benihana and the Amwaj Rotana Friday Brunch. I would really highly recommend both of those, as they are great experiences for families.

Activities/What We Did:

Being so centrally located, there are so many things to do if you’re staying at Amwaj Rotana. You can stroll down the iconic JBR, try out hundreds of different restaurants, enjoy the beach, let your kids play in the splash pad, do a bit of shopping, etc. Living quite close to JBR, we weren’t too interested in all of that because we could do that any weekend.

What we really wanted to do was relax in the suite, enjoy the gorgeous view, and also spend some time in the Amwaj Rotana pool. They have a really nice pool set up and its great for families with small children. The kids area is separate from the adults pool and our little ones had a blast being there.

I admit, though, I did do a little bit of shopping during our stay. I couldn’t help it! There were stores right across from the hotel– can I’ll just blame it on instinct?

Drawbacks:

Honestly, the hotel is gorgeous, well-kept and modern. It has been there for a few years but it doesn’t have a scratch of age on it. We did encounter one reoccurring issue though, and it was that the wait for elevators always took several minutes long. Its a popular hotel, not only do a lot of people stay there, but a lot of people also go there for their dining venues, so with a place as busy as Amwaj Rotana, this is to be expected.

Best For:

The hotel is great for families, couples, UAE residents who are looking for a staycation and Dubai tourists. It really ticks all of the boxes for all of the above. The suite that we stayed in is especially amazing for families of 3-4, with smaller children. The location has plenty of entertainment for everyone of all ages. It really is perfect for anyone and everyone.

Price: 

The Classic Sea View Suite is going for an average of AED 1,000 per night (June 2017).

Contact Information: 

Amwaj Rotana. Phone: +971 (0) 4 428 2000. Website: Amwaj Rotana Website.