SHERATON DUBAI CREEK HOTEL & TOWERS

Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers is a nice hotel. It is grand, but you can tell that the hotel is not a new one. There is something about it that makes you feel it needs some updating.

Checking in at reception, late at night, as flights to Dubai normally reach at night, was extreeeeeemely slow. I am not sure how many questions I got asked... which probably could have been done when reserving the room. I had my voucher... but still... questions and questions. Excuse me man! I want to go to bed... I was thinking. And I was lucky, as I was the first one to reach the desk from a large group. I wonder when the next group of Argentineans would have reached their room.

The elevators were on the opposite corner of the entrance, which was a bit of a nuisance, as my room was just on top of the main entrance... So my "promenades" in and out of the hotel were spectacularly long... I feel they need to improve this.

The room was nice and spacious. Big bed (as I normally ask) and plenty of pillows. I tend to only need one, but watching TV in bed always requires a few more. The room was clean, but my complaint would be that, facing the main road, the noise isolation was not very good. Also, the fountain in the lobby made a constant noise. I was too tired by the end of day to have these affecting my sleep, but I wonder how other people with lighter sleeping habits would manage.

The shower was good... and so was the smell of the soaps... Sometimes you go to certain hotels that have extremely scented soaps... which really, put me off. It was not the case here... I really liked it.

Breakfast was good... although not first class. Horrendous juices, of course, not fresh. Artificial egg liquid for omelettes (I am sure it has a name, but I don't recall it now). This is really important for me... so I opted to get fried eggs. Fruit, however, was impressively tasty, sweet and abundant, so... I got a lot of it.

I had my breakfast in the outside terrace, which was a bit hot and had some smoke from smokers... but was worth it to overlook the creek, watching the waterbuses pass by, and the skyscrapers in front of you... A bit of relaxation to start with before a stressing day.

Checking out was way faster than checking in...although they tried to charge extra for my breakfast, which was included in the voucher. Strange! So beware of the charges.

Another negative point was the charge for Internet in the room. A totally unacceptable high price.

It is a good hotel, but I am not sure whether I would go back again. I would definitely try to go to the nearby Radisson, which is closer to Union Metro Station, and probably, would offer free Internet, as it is customary in those hotels.

SHERATON DUBAI CREEK HOTEL & TOWERS
Baniyas Street/Creek Road
Po Box 4250
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971-4-2281111
reservationsdubaiuae@sheraton.com

SOFITEL CITY CENTRE DUBAI

Sofitel is a good hotel. When you stay over in one, you are staying in all, as they all have the same features. However, the Sofitel hotel in Dubai is in deep need for renovation. Its 361 rooms are old, and the typical Arab lack of maintenance shows that many years have passed since it was refurbished. It clearly gets away from the idea of a 5 star hotel, making it more like a 4 star one.

The hotel location is excellent. Only 10min from airport, and offers a free shuttle bus service. Once you finish work, the hotel offers you bars and restaurants, but the best thing is that is attached to the City Centre Shopping Mall, were you can walk, shop, eat, drink, watch a movie... You don't even need to go into the City centre in Dubai...

The rooms are reasonably big. The beds look clean and are comfortable. For some reason, I really felt good in the bed. At night, when you return to your room, your curtains are drawn for you, the bed open, and a little chocolate (extremely good, I have to say) waiting for you by the bed.

The bathroom offers a kit that is welcome, as well as two bottles of complementary water. Avoid the EVIAN, which you have to pay for...

Breakfast is good... for the first day. Then... it is very repetitive. I was expecting a little bit more. There was no fresh fruit. Only fruit out of a tin. Bakery was ok... but the best was the possibility to get a couple of fried eggs or an omelette... How many omelettes can you eat in a few days? Service was a bit slow, but pleasant.

My rate included free internet connection, which allowed me to keep up with the office.

The bellboys were rather slow, careless, distracted, and not that helpful... but their managers weren't either. It was a nightmare to get a taxi unless one came to unload... This is a general problem in Dubai, but a little bit of interest from the bellboys would have improved things.

My flight was an evening one (I think they normally are... Who flies from Dubai in the morning?) and I got an extension until 4pm to do the checkout, something I am really grateful about.

SOFITEL CITY CENTRE
Hotel contact details
Near City Centre Shopping Mall,
Deira, DUBAI,
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Tel +971 4294 1222
reservation@citycentrehotel.ae