Hi there,
We decided to stay at the Riu Dubai, a seafront resort that often appears among the popular options for travelers who want to spend several days with all the comforts of an all-inclusive hotel without leaving the resort too much.
Our experience began on the morning of the 21st, when we arrived around eight. Although the official check-in was later, the staff was flexible and between ten and eleven in the morning they already allowed us to enter the room, something that is greatly appreciated after a long flight.
One of the aspects that most influenced our experience was the location of the hotel. It is located on the outskirts of Dubai, in a new area that is still under development. This means that around the hotel there is practically nothing: no supermarkets, no restaurants, no shopping areas, and no streets to walk around. The landscape is mainly made up of desert and numerous hotels under construction.
If your idea is to go to Dubai to stay in the resort, enjoy the all-inclusive experience, and not leave the hotel too much, then this is not a big problem. You can simply take a taxi from the airport and spend your entire stay there.
However, if your intention is to explore the city every day, the hotel location becomes quite inconvenient.
In our case, we went out to explore the city daily and that meant always depending on taxis. In Dubai, public transportation is limited and only covers some areas of the city center, so from this hotel you practically have no other option than getting around by car. Every trip ends up being expensive. On top of that, there is usually heavy traffic when entering the city.
In the end, the feeling was that the hotel was too far from everything, which made getting around Dubai rather inconvenient.
Before booking any hotel we always ask the same question: whether they have vegan options. When a hotel is not specialized in this type of diet, food can easily become a difficulty.
That is why we contacted the hotel before confirming the reservation, and they told us it would not be a problem and that the chefs would be happy to prepare vegan dishes.
The hotel has several restaurants (buffet style): the main restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a Lebanese restaurant, and an Asian restaurant.
The main buffet had a lot of variety, but the atmosphere was chaotic. The hotel is very family-oriented and during meal times it would get extremely crowded, with excessive noise and constant movement.
We discovered that the Italian restaurant also opened for lunch, and that completely changed our experience. It was a much quieter space, so we ended up eating there almost every day.
In addition, the chefs were extraordinarily kind. Many times they asked us if we would return the next day and what we would like them to prepare. In the Italian restaurant they would make us vegan pasta or vegan pizza, and in the Lebanese restaurant they also made a big effort to adapt several dishes.
In fact, on several occasions they prepared so much food that we ended up eating far more than we had planned.
An important detail if you are vegan in Dubai is that many dishes are cooked with ghee, a clarified butter widely used in local cuisine. This means that foods that appear to be vegan — such as rice or pasta — may not actually be vegan, even plain white rice. At the buffet it was essential to check the labels carefully and make sure they clearly indicated vegan.
The rooms were comfortable. The space was well distributed and included a small but functional closet.
The bathroom was spacious, with two sinks and a large shower, and the toilet was separated from the rest of the bathroom, something practical when sharing a room.
The bed and pillows were comfortable, and we slept well at night since there was no noise in the rooms. The television also allowed you to connect directly to your Netflix account, a simple but useful detail when you spend several days at the hotel.
A less attractive aspect was the view. From many rooms what you mainly see are other buildings and hotels under construction, since the area is still being developed.
If there is one thing that truly stands out about this hotel, it is the level of cleanliness. It is not just that everything is clean, but the level of detail with which the facilities are maintained. On one occasion we even saw an employee cleaning the tile joints on the floor with a small brush, which shows the attention they put into maintenance.
Although in some places you could notice small finishing flaws, the overall impression was that the hotel was well maintained.
In addition, there was hand sanitizer in practically every corner of the hotel, which reinforced that constant feeling of hygiene.
The common areas of the hotel are spacious and well maintained, although there is one aspect worth noting: it is a very family-oriented hotel. There are many children, and this is especially noticeable in restaurants, pools, and other common areas. Throughout most of the day you could hear children playing or shouting.
For those traveling with family this can be a perfect environment, but if you prefer quieter hotels or usually stay in adults-only hotels, the difference is huge.
Another detail that caught our attention was that the air conditioning was always very cold, which caused abrupt temperature changes when entering from outside.
A rather disappointing aspect for a hotel of this type is the lack of wellness facilities.
In many five-star all-inclusive resorts it is common to find a spa, sauna, or jacuzzi, but this hotel does not have the spa included.
The gym also does not compensate for this absence. It is very small, and with just five people inside it already felt completely full.
It is also not easy to exercise outside the hotel because the area is designed mainly for cars and there are not even sidewalks for running or walking.
The only real option to do some physical activity inside the hotel was the water activities, such as kayak or paddleboard, which were included; although the area where they can be used is quite limited.
The hotel beach was one of the weakest aspects of the hotel. In Dubai, many beaches are artificial, and in this case, it is quite noticeable. In addition, the hotel is surrounded by construction sites and other hotels under development, so the landscape is not particularly beautiful, and construction noise is often heard.
It is not a pleasant beach for walking or taking long strolls.
Among the positive aspects, it is worth mentioning that the wifi worked perfectly in all areas of the hotel, including rooms, restaurants, and the pool.
Airport transfer from the airport to the hotel is included.
The best and worst of Riu Dubai
The best
- Flexible check-in when we arrived early
- Chefs very attentive to vegan options
- Themed restaurants with good service
- Comfortable and quiet hotel rooms
- Exceptional cleanliness throughout the hotel
- Wifi working perfectly in all areas
- Free water activities such as kayak and paddleboard
- Hand sanitizer available in many areas of the hotel
- Airport transfer included
The worst
- Very inconvenient location if you want to visit Dubai
- Constant dependence on taxis to get around
- Isolated area with no shops, supermarkets, or restaurants nearby
- Unattractive views due to construction sites
- Artificial beach that is not pleasant for walking
- Construction noise around the hotel
- Air conditioning too cold in common areas
- Very family-oriented hotel with a lot of children noise
- Main buffet restaurant very crowded
- No spa, sauna, or jacuzzi included
- Very small and crowded gym
Before traveling to Dubai, we carried out an extensive search to find a hotel that matched the type of trip we usually do: adults-only hotels, with vegan options and a clear focus on wellness.
During the previous two years we had traveled to Robinson Cabo Verde, a hotel that had exactly those characteristics and had given us a very good experience.
However, in Dubai we did not find anything comparable. The few adults-only hotels we found did not offer vegan options, and those that did offer some vegan foods were not adults-only. In addition, we did not find any hotel with a real wellness focus.
That is why, after reviewing many options, Riu Dubai ended up being the closest option we found among the limited alternatives available in the city for what we were looking for.
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