[Anonymous]

[uggboylovestravel]

September 2014, 1 night

After long consideration we decided to relax after our flight from Dublin to Dubai at the InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City for one night.

Arriving very early in the morning we took a Lexus limousine, instead of a regular taxi to the hotel.
There was a bit of confusion, because there is also the InterContinental Hotel Festival City, but the Residence Suites are at a slightly different location and building. It might be best to tell the taxi driver to go to Marsa Plaza, where the suites are located.
We paid 62 AED (ca. 13.05 Euro or 16.90 USD).

Beside the InterContinental Residences, the Marsa Plaza also contains long stay apartments.

The location was ideal for us. The InterContinental Hotel and Crowne Plaza Festival City were just fifteen minutes walk away along the New Creek. From there it was only a stone throw to Festival City Shopping Mall.

The Residence’s entrace was relatively small, compared to the seize of the building. The lobby was also small, but filled with daylight through high ceilings and offered contemporary design and had Sakura artwork. The reception and concierge were to the left. There was also a hallway leading to the prayer rooms, ATM and rest rooms.

To the right was the Cafe Deli and Mezza Luna Italian restaurant.

We didn’t expect our room would be ready. We had sent an email to the hotel to advise them we would arrive at around 08.00 hours.

The receptionists were very friendly and asked us to take a seat in the lounge area while they checked if a room was available for us soon.

After waiting for about half an hour we could check in and were pleasantly surprised. A late check out at 14.00 hours was granted without problems either. We had booked the Weekend Rate, which included late check out until 4 PM and breakfast. The over night rate for a room or a Studio Suite was the same, so we booked the studio.

Our One bed Studio Suite was located on a higher floor as requested. We had views over the airport, two mosques and towards Sharjah.

The room was large and had a kitchen, large kingsized bed, a dining table, three chairs, a 50 in flat screen TV (with 196 channels), a shelf, small wardrobe and an unfurnished balcony.

The kitchen was marble tiled and had everything expect a microwave and tea towels. According to the manual on the shelf we should have had a microwave. Since we didn’t intend to use it, it wasn’t a problem.

The fridge wasn’t stocked, beside several bottles of water and the residences are dry.

The TV channels were more than enough and should offer for every taste something.

The chairs and bed were all comfortable and the living/sleeping area carpeted with palm prints.

Overall the room had a homey feel as was to be expected since it was in a residence and was contemporary. The color scheme was inspired by the dessert.

On the shelf was a Time Out Dubai magazine, a directory, a form to join the InterContinental’s Ambassador program, the spa menu of the InterContinental Hotel Festival City (massages start from 415 AED – that’s about 87.35 Euro or 113 USD. A free shuttle bus to the sister hotel runs every ten minutes.) and the in room dining menu.

The bath room was large with a bath tub shower combination, marble tiles, granite, Toto toilet, bidet and a sink.

Bath room amenities were by Agraria.

The bath tub was a bit difficult to climb in and out. When using the shower the room turned into a steam room and at first we managed to flood the floor, because the protective glass divider wasn’t water tight. After changing the dirctions of the spa shower head it was better.

Before napping we had in room breakfast. When I ordered Eggs Benedict I was offered to have smoked salmon instead of ham at no extra charge, since I love smoked salmon it was a done deal. Beside the Eggs Royal we ordered one hot chocolate, one large bottle of still water, one carrot juice, one water melon juice and one portion of pancakes with vanilla cream and fresh fruits. It was all delicious and the carrot juice smooth. The bill was 160 AED (ca. 33.70 Euro or ca. 43.60 USD).

After our nap we went exploring the hotel and the surrounding area.

On the 17th floor were the fitness center, jacuzzis and swimming pool and the pool bar located. The pool is clean cut, interesting lighted and has stunning views over Dubai. We could clearly see the Palazzo Versace across the creek.

We had dinner and breakfast at Mezza Luna.

The staff was efficient, knowledgeable and warm. They were always ready to offer help and services or if we wanted to, have a chat. They seemed genuinely interested in us.

Time went by quick and before we knew it was time to move to our second hotel in Dubai – the Holiday Inn Bur Dubai – Embassy District.

Would we return? Definitely. The location is perfect – very near to the airport and Festival City Shopping Center -, the staff attentive and friendly, the room feels like a home and is comfortable and the cuisine outstanding.

Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? YES!
Would we stay again at this hotel in the future? YES!

[thebigseats]

Thanks for the review.

Out of interest, have you ever stayed anywhere that was not to your satisfaction/delight or indeed that you would not recommend? Just curious…

[uggboylovestravel]

@thebigseats, yes, over the years we’ve stayed at properties in several countries we didn’t like or were downright not recommendable, but in recent times we had, after researching our destinations carefully, always found hotels we liked and we look forward to review more of such hotels, we liked and recommend in the future. Thank you and safe travels.

[BTMEEditor]

Good to hear you had a favourable stay. That fare seems a little high given how close it is to the airport, but maybe that’s the limo going rate these days!

[uggboylovestravel]

@BTMEEditor, I believe the rate is calculated 40AED for flagging and the rest is the fare, it was a nice Lexus, perfect for the beginning of our stay in Dubai this time around. Thanks, yes, we had a beautiful stay.

[SimonS1]

That’s about right, the limos have a start fare of AED40 compared to regular airport taxis at AED25.

I always find it amusing how the taxi marshall at the airport tries to steer westerners towards the more expensive limos and equally amusing that 95% of them (me included) tell him to get lost.

[uggboylovestravel]

@SimonS1, well said, we like from time to time a Limo, especially when a Lexus is involved, beautiful cars, plus we like in Dubai regular taxis too, many reliable experiences, plus we love the Metro otherwise, when no taxis / limo is needed, an excellent option to see / get around Dubai. Cheers.

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