First Impressions:

There are two Four Seasons hotels in Dubai, and this is the one located in Jumeirah. We’ve been to both (the other is in DIFC) and they’re both gorgeous, but I must say, the Jumeirah location is the best one if your looking for a resort-type of vacation. Its right off of Beach Road and it feels like a getaway from the moment you drive up the ramp and into the property. There’s plenty of palm trees and greenery, all against a calming sandy beige-colored array of buildings that form the resort. Everything is elegant, very homely and welcoming.

Check-in:

We had two rooms booked– one was a Junior Suite and the other was a Deluxe City View room. We arrived a little before 2pm so only the Deluxe City View Room was ready at that time, while the other was still being prepared. Aside from that, everything else at check-in was incredibly smooth.

They even gave the kids little gift bags (filled with toys and a shirt) while I was handling formalities– very sweet and thoughtful! Our suite was ready in less than an hour.

Rooms:

So as I mentioned, we had two rooms– the Junior Suite and the Deluxe City View Room. I love that they can be two totally separate rooms, or one large apartment. There’s a small hallway that separates the suite from the room, but the main door of the hallway can be closed and you can keep the room and suite doors open. Its the perfect set up for families because you can be as private or open as you want! The way its set up is really genius (instead of the usual connecting door that you see at most hotels). I’ll begin with telling you all about the Deluxe City View Room: 

The Deluxe City View Room is Four Seasons Dubai’s basic room, and its the furthest thing from ‘basic’! Its very spacious, has a lovely balcony, a ginormous bathroom thats split into three areas, a walk-in closet, a state-of-the-art TV and a beautiful view of Jumeirah and Sheikh Zayed Road. I would have been more than happy to stay there if it was just me and my husband, but as per usual, we don’t travel light and brought the whole gang (me, him, our toddler, our baby and our nanny), so we needed more space.

Thats where the Junior Suite comes in– its perfect for a family of two adults and 1-2 kids. There’s a separate living/dining room which has a large balcony. Ours so happened to be overlooking a sea of palm trees and #saltbae’s home, also known as Nusr-et.

The living room was very nice. It’s the Four Seasons, so of course everything was elegantly designed and beautifully laid out, but what I really liked was that it wasn’t overly packed with furniture and it had plenty of open space for my 8 month old to crawl around in (and for my 3 year old to run around in). I informed the staff that my husband’s birthday was coming up later that week, so they really went all out and decorated the entire suite with rose petals! They even put a cake and a card on the table for him.

The bedroom also had rose petals and special decorations. The bedroom is cozy, and the ensuite bathroom is huge!

The bathtub area is beautiful– I’m talking ‘goals’-type beautiful. There is an entire wall of gorgeous mosaic. They are so generous with their toiletries and lotions, etc. They provide large-sized products (bigger than I’ve seen at any other hotel), and think of everything! They even have after-sun lotion, a nail clipper and so many more things that most 5-star places don’t readily provide in their bathrooms.

The suite actually has two bathrooms, and the second is a smaller one in the hallway. I expected it to be just a small powder room, but they actually have a full shower in there. It really is the perfect set up for families!

Dining:

We’ve been to some of the restaurants at Four Seasons Dubai before, but during our staycation weekend, we tried out Suq and Sea Fu.

Suq is actually one of our favorite brunches in Dubai. Okay, so its actually my husband’s most favorite brunch in Dubai. We love that its at a beautiful place where we can gaze upon the gorgeous grounds and pool of the Four Seasons Dubai while we lunch; we love that the food variety is incredible (yet not overwhelming) and the quality is top-notch; we love that the chefs are so accommodating if we ever have any special requests; we love that they literally have the best ice-cream selection in town– you get the idea… we love it!

We also had breakfast there during our stay and its like a less extravagant version of Friday Brunch, but still with plenty of options.

We had dinner at Sea Fu, and that place really took me by surprise. I was expecting a very non-kid friendly environment with snooty waiters, but it was the opposite. Its one of those places thats uh-maaazing for a date night, but also great for a nice night out with the family. They were so friendly and they even brought Khalifa crayons and a kids menu. While Khalifa had cheese pizza, we ordered an array of different kinds of sea food. The restaurant has mainly Asian dishes, so for starters we decided to go with a selection of sushi.

The sushi at Sea Fu is worth every dirham. I would come back just for their Volcano Roll (literally salivating as I think about it now)! For mains, we got the Lobster Wonton, Grilled Blue Lobster and the Forbidden Rice. I thought the Lobster Wonton was a real show-stopper. It tasted delicious and the sauce was irreplaceable.

For dessert, we had the Lotus Flower and its a beautiful presentation. I can’t describe it nearly as well as a video would, so let this do it justice: Instagram: Lotus Flower Dessert at Sea Fu.

We also tried out Shai Salon for afternoon tea. I changed the booking last minute because I had a major headache on the day that we were meant to go, but it ended up being for the better: I actually ended up going there with a friend instead of going with my husband. Let’s face it, tea is better with friends and gossip than it is with husbands and kids!

Spa:

The Pearl Spa at the Four Seasons Dubai is a little hidden gem. My husband and I had a couples Aromatherapy Massage booked. We got to the lobby, filled out the usual pre-massage forms, and were led to the separate changing areas. The changing areas are huge (so big that I literally got lost on the way out for a good 5 or so minutes– no joke), and they have every possible thing that you could want pre- or post-massage (showers, lotions, toiletries, blow driers, lovely robes, etc.).

The couples treatment room is really something special. Our masseuses showed us the couples quarters and then led us to the treatment room, which was all ready for us. The massages were relaxing and much needed. It had been almost a year since my last full body massage! After our 60-minute massages, we relaxed in our own private relaxing area, which is a special feature that this couples room has. We sipped on ginger tea and had a few minutes of pure bliss before returning to our hectic lives with a toddler and baby.

Activities/What We Did:

The pools and beach at Four Seasons Dubai will keep you more than occupied regardless of whether you stay there for a weekend or for a week! We had a lovely time spending our days relaxing by the pool. We even had a private cabana booked, which is a service that you absolutely must take advantage of while staying at the Four Seasons Dubai! Its your own private little space fully equipped with couches to lounge on, a large TV to watch, an overhead fan to cool you from the heat of sun after being in the pool, a platter of exotic fruits to welcome you, and amazing servers that bring by cold water, fresh juices, and aromatic wet face towels to refresh you.

The pools are also very family friendly. We didn’t venture out to the beach because I expected the sand to be too hot, its July after all!

Aside, from the pool and cabana, the kids really enjoyed the kids play area. Khalifa and Jude are both under 4 years old, so I had to send my nanny in with them, but if your little ones are over 4, and your looking for a little bit of me-time, the amazing staff at the kids club are happy to watch them for you! They have plenty of toys, dancing, singing, a ball pit, a splash pad area outside, and very friendly staff who remembered my kids by name throughout our stay!

Drawbacks:

There is literally not one single thing about this hotel that I can nit-pick and complain about. Everything went really above and beyond expectations. The only thing that I can say didn’t do so was a dining experience: the afternoon tea, which only didn’t hit that mark because we felt that there could have been a larger selection of mini sweets and sandwiches. Aside from that, everything was really top notch!

Best For:

I would highly recommend this resort for families, whether you live in Dubai and are looking for a staycation or you’re visiting from anywhere else. The rooms that we stayed in had one of the best set ups that I’ve seen for families. Its also great for couples and I would really recommend it also for honeymooners. If the staff could do such a beautiful welcoming with all of the rose petals just for a birthday, I can only imagine how they would go out of their way to ensure honeymooners had the time of their lives during their stay.

Price:

The Deluxe Sea View Rooms are an average of 1,050 Dhs per night (July 2017).

The Junior Suites are an average of 2,000 Dhs per night (July 2017).

Contact Information:

Four Seasons Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Road. Phone:+971 (0)4 270 7788. Website: www.fourseasons.com/dubaijb