Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is located in a prime location and a good base to explore Abu Dhabi. The hotel has its own private beach and boasts beautiful views of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

The lounge area is grand and spacious – perfect to make you feel welcome. Outside there is plenty of seating and lovely areas just to chill out.

Room:

The hotel has over 350 rooms. We received a complimentary upgrade to a Standard View Room and it was amazing. Having a full glass window with views of the Mosque and Beach was a nice sight to wake up to.

The room had the standard amenities you would expect for a hotel this standard.  There was a walk in shower and a bath tub. We had a his and hers wash basin in a spacious area and there were plenty of mirrors around including a lit make up one.

The washroom area had a speaker located on the ceiling which enabled the sound to be evenly distributed around the room…and of course everyone loves to listen to some music when putting on their make up right?

The bed was big enough to fit 4 and was comfortable. We had ample space to relax in the room too including a big sofa and desk.

Beach and Pool Area:

After all the excitement in Dubai, we needed some relaxing time by the beach and that is what we did as soon as we checked in to the hotel.

There are plenty of sun-beds and cabanas dotted around the pool and beach area which means you can get a good spot anytime of the day.

The beach was clean and well maintained. There is a long stretch and if you want to be as far away from the kids pool area you can.

The pool is a good size and has a pool bar too. There are a couple of huts/stands where you can get complimentary flavoured water and order food & drink.

I enjoyed a bowl of healthy vegetables with some guacamole on my first day. After over indulging in Dubai I needed this.

Restaurants:

The hotel has a few restaurants where you could dine. For half board guests , dining at CuiScene is free. This is a buffet restaurant. If you don’t fancy this you can get 180 AED each towards your meal at a couple of their other restaurants.

On the first night they had they had a seafood buffet and it was amazing. We had a selection of grilled lobster and had lots of other seafood to choose from. The service could have been better – we were one of many guests waiting around for drinks and cutlery.

On the second night we went to Frankie’s restaurant, an Italian collaboration between by Frankie Dettori and Marco Pierre White. 180 AED can get you a pizza. The ambiance was warm and relaxing especially with the pianist singing away in the background. We ordered scallops and a truffle pizza to share to fill that little gap after tucking into a big milkshake in Ferari World.

Our last night we had the buffet too – this was an ordinary night and it was nice to see what selection they had. The chef made some fresh garlic naan for us which went down well with some sheesh kebab and chicken. There was sushi every night along with the range of salads you would expect in a buffet.

I think I could have eaten at the buffet for another day because they had fresh stations but longer than that I would have needed a change.

Going half board was value for money at Fairmont because it cost around £20 each more at the time of booking where as if you were to each out it would cost more than £30 each.  For paying guests the buffet was 220 AED.

Breakfast at the hotel was at the CuiScene too. There was an array of dishes to have and hot stations that made fresh crepes and eggs benedicts.

Bar:

There was a sports cafe which Kev enjoyed. You could tell where all the Brit’s were especially during happy hour. The atmosphere was vibrant and staff were friendly too.

Staff:

The staff were all friendly and ready to assist through out the visit. If they couldn’t assist they would find someone who could. A lot of the staff we came across were new to the job and did not know as much so there was a bit of waiting around whilst they got the right person to assist. The staff who provided room service were friendly and couldn’t do enough for us.

Price:

We found the cheapest deal from TravelBag and booked a half board rate. Dinner is around £25- £35 per person in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in most restaurants.

I loved our stay at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr and it is a shame we were not there long enough. I hope to return sometime in the future.

Neha 

x