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Hilton Dubai Creek

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 00:11
by Roxy-Popsy
I tend to woffle on so I will TRY to make this concise.[:I]

My family & I (husband - aka 'love-him-as-I-do-but'..., [:w] & our 2 older daughters) stayed here for 3 nights at the end of May.

We had booked through hotels.com as I had read previous reports that they were good. We obtained a very good rate & my only worry was the fact we just received booking refs but others have said this so I thought all should be ok. I was right, no probs.

As we had booked an 'executive' deal, so transfers from & to the airport were included.

I rang the hotel direct 3 days before our hol & spoke to the Concierge to let him know what flight we were arriving on. Also, I thought this would confirm that the hotel did have a booking for us. I was right, all was fine & the Concierge very polite.[^]

After we had cleared customs a driver was wating for us with the hotel's sign prominently displayed. [^][y]
He took one of our cases & led us straight to the vehicle, I THINK it was a Toyota Previa (or their version of). It had a beautiful walnut interior & power-assisted sliding rear doors.[y]

We didn't get held up by the evening traffic & arrived at the hotel within 12-15 minutes.

A bellhop took our cases to be delivered direct to our rooms & another bellhop took us straight to the lifts to check in by way of the executive lounge on the 12th floor.
The executive lounge isn't large but perfectly adequate. We were offered drinks (complimentary) whilst we completed the necessary paperwork & then shown to our rooms on 11th floor.

The first room, 1101, was lovely but didn't have a bath AND a shower in the bathroom which we would have liked. The bellhop said no problem & diappeared & returned a minute later with another set of key cards.
He then showed us rooms 1104 & 1110. These rooms both had showers & baths. Both were large & spotlessly clean. As previously stated by folks before me there was definitley a WOW factor. It was dark & the views from both were stunning, all twinkly lights & reflections from the creek (river).[^][:D]

Fruit & bottled water was in evidence, & water replaced daily as we used it. The coffee machine looked beyond me [?] so I found the kettle & sachets in one of the cupboards.
The girls wanted coffee so found a passing member of staff who was only to happy to unlock it(?), get extra bottled water, fill it & show them how it worked.
The beds were sooo comfy, towels replaced twice a day, as was the water & also complimentary toiletries when we had used them.
We went up to the roof to check out the roof top pool & the night view was WOW WOW WOW UNBEATABLE!![^]We used the pool several times & really enjoyed the way out factor of roof top pool & amazing views over the busy creek.

The restaurant on the ground floor, Issimo served good food at a very reasonable price. 30 approx for main meals for 4 plus a round of drinks.

Breakfasts were very good, plenty of choice, replenishments readily forthcoming & good service. Buffet style for everything except'cooked' brekkies, eg smoked salmon & scrambled eggs (so yummy I had them on 2 mornings[:D]), 'full English', pancakes & woffles.


We booked places on the complimentary coach to the sister hotel on the beach which was well worth doing. We enjoyed the gorgeous turquoise warm water & people watching (free & endless fun).
We had lunch on the beach & it was good & very reasonably priced when you take into account the surroundings, but I can't remember what we ate.

The 'beach butler' came by several times selling cold drinks or you could raise the flag provided to summon a waiter.
Another member of staff came round with ice cold flannels which we found very refreshing.
All the staff we encountered were always smiling, efficient & polite.
If we looked out to sea it was a fab view, if we turned towards the hotel all you could see beyond it was high rise buildings going up. The work going on did not spoil our enjoyment at all. I don't know if I would want to stay on the beach area though.[:?]
The transfer coach(air-conditioned) operated twice in the morning & twice in the afternoon. It leaves PROMPTLY!!!


There is a gift shop in the Dubai Creek hotel which is small but sells lots of items useful for gifts as well as postcards & stamps, (all the postcards we sent arrived within a week[^]) All the staff we came upon were happy for us to browse but helpful when we wanted assistance.
It also sells Amoxil anitibiotic capsules honestly! [:$] We didn't buy any, we were all quite well thank you.

We booked the transfer to the airport 24 hours before we required it & the same vehicle was waiting for us.

Would we stay there again? IN AN INSTANT[^][^].
I think that this hotel must be one of the Hilton chain flagship hotels.
GO, GO, Go, GO & we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.


As an aside,
The electric plugs are the same as the UK so no need to take adapters.
The convenience store at the rear of the htel across the road is good for stocking up on bottles of water, little essentials.

Take the 'Big Bus ' tours ,good value.

There is a service available 'Marhaba (meaning welcome) Services' to escort you through the airport ,assist with baggage, fast track at immigration etc. If you think you will be arriving at the airport at a busy time it would be worth considering this reasonably priced option. We read about it in one of the freebie visitor mags. We didn't know about this service but we scooted through immigration (very lucky[y]).

As from 17th June it is stated that the airport authorities will be introducing 'liquids in a small bottle in a see thru bag' system the same as we have in the UK.

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 00:39
by honey lamb
Glad you liked the hotel. We thought it was absolutely terrific and I would go there again in a heartbeat

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 01:30
by gingerflyer
Totally agree this is a really lovely hotel - have stayed here twice before and have my third visit later this month! Agree the executive lounge is compact, but is it has a lovely view and the evening canapes are really good.

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 06:29
by buns
Roxy-Popsy

No waffle here[;)] The place is worth shouting from the rooftop

Mrs Buns & I have stayed there in the past and plan to go back - perhaps when it is a little cooler

buns

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 15:01
by mcmbenjamin
I did enjoy the Hilton Dubai Creek but next time (July 2007, Delta baby) it is the Hilton on the beach.

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 16:31
by n/a
Originally posted by mcmbenjamin
I did enjoy the Hilton Dubai Creek but next time (July 2007, Delta baby) it is the Hilton on the beach.


Paris or Nicky?

GJ

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 20:33
by mcmbenjamin
Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
Originally posted by mcmbenjamin
I did enjoy the Hilton Dubai Creek but next time (July 2007, Delta baby) it is the Hilton on the beach.


Paris or Nicky?

GJ


Nicky, I think. She is younger. Paris is too old at 26. I am 23. Like my fwb's younger. I have a grandmother.

PostPosted: 10 Jun 2007, 20:35
by preiffer
And Paris has done time... [:w]

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 16:26
by jaguarpig
Happy to report the Hilton Dubai creek is still up to scratch.We were there 3 nights over new year and left without any complaint.Service was faultless, Food was good quality and good value, 6pm-8pm free drinks in the compact exec lounge and they served an excellent pint of strongbow in the ground floor bar cheaper than at my local.As a HH Diamond we got a fantastic upgrade to a penthouse suite very nice.

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 16:38
by HighFlyer
Thanks for your update, JP. We popped in for our meal at Verre and the Hilton looked a million times better than the Sheraton we stayed in across the road. Glad to hear that it wasnt just appearances and that you were looked after as a HH member. You suite looks lovely.

Thanks,
Sarah

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 16:45
by jaguarpig
We couldn't get a table at Verre on the only night we were free but the menu read nice and looked a lot better value than his Tokyo place at the Conrad.Was it good?

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 16:53
by HighFlyer
Originally posted by jaguarpig
We couldn't get a table at Verre on the only night we were free but the menu read nice and looked a lot better value than his Tokyo place at the Conrad.Was it good?


Probably better for the foodies to comment than me, i enjoyed the food, just a few little things let it down in terms of service, such as wait staff having to be reminded to tell us exactly what was in our amuse bouche, and them handing over the wine list and stating that 'some of the vintages may have changed'. It was a great experience though, probably just needs a bit more polish from Ramsay himself.

Thanks,
Sarah

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 20:11
by DragonLady
Originally posted by jaguarpig
We couldn't get a table at Verre on the only night we were free but the menu read nice and looked a lot better value than his Tokyo place at the Conrad.Was it good?


Am I the only person who's not had a good experience at Verre? I took my mother for dinner when we were in Dubai and we were both hugely disappointed.OK food and somewhat snooty service. Glad to get the (not insignificant)bill and leave.

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 20:23
by HighFlyer
Originally posted by DragonLady
Am I the only person who's not had a good experience at Verre? I took my mother for dinner when we were in Dubai and we were both hugely disappointed.OK food and somewhat snooty service. Glad to get the (not insignificant)bill and leave.


I did have a good experience, and i did enjoy the food, but i didnt think it was outstanding. I thought perhaps i had chosen the 'wrong' things from the menu. The food was good, but not amazing. I think i prefer the Savoy Grill, and definitely prefer their bills [:)].

Maybe one of the more foodie people amongst the bitches can comment more fairly?

Thanks,
Sarah

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 20:59
by Decker
Well speaking as the person who had the sautŽed Foie Gras to start - it was a huge piece, thus representing good value for money. It was well presented but I felt that it was slightly undercooked. I blamed this for a subsequent - ermmm - excursion to the bathroom. The halibut was well presented and tasty. The assiettes of dessert were pleasant but not stunning. For less than £90 per head including aperitifs, water, wine and service it wasn't ludicrously overpriced. Service wasn't quite Michelin standards and the seat positioning around the table left something to be desired with three diners bifurcated by a table leg.

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 21:47
by Wolves27
Yes, and I'm jealous of you (although not your excursions to the toilet) for having the foie gras. What I had tasted delicious.

I thought the food was very good, very little to get dissapointed by, from the canapes right through to the petis fours. My only gripe was some service issues, previously mentioned by Highflyer and Decker as well as rather inept service in the bar whilst waiting for the food. Would happily eat there again, though.

Hotel looked nice from what we saw (I think we were all secretly annoyed that we could have got rooms there), although for me the PH was miles nicer (and miles more money no doubt).

Penthouse looks great JP, especially the bathroom. Shame they couldn't upgrade the usual toiletries with the room though [:)]

cheers!

Dean

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 21:53
by RichardMannion
As one of the non-foodies attending the meal....

I enjoyed the food, though as some of the others have said the service needs some polish:

- The wine list - 'some of the vintages have changed' - no, what they meant was as it was Christmas week they were going to find a vintage a year earlier and charge 50% more. Over a third of our bill was drinks, and 2 of us were not drinking (out of 6 people)

- Again the Menu Prestige was not avaialbe and had been replaced by a Christmas menu, that had no resemblance to Christmas at all but was 25% more in price.

- The table thing was strange, I tried 2 weeks before and they were 'full', 4 days before they could fit us in at 6:45pm, even though they don't open at 7pm, so we were directed to the bar (for drinks). When we were seated the place was very empty until gone 9pm when it did start to fill (but not completely full). The guideline is to book 5 weeks in advance.

I did enjoy the food, but was disappointed a bit with some of the nickel and diming to be honest. As Sarah said, we much prefer the Savoy Grill, though thats out of action now until 2009. Damn.

Thanks,
Richard

PostPosted: 04 Jan 2008, 22:39
by Wolves27
There's always KFC down the road [}:)]

PostPosted: 05 Jan 2008, 11:16
by jaguarpig
Penthouse looks great JP, especially the bathroom. Shame they couldn't upgrade the usual toiletries with the room though


What sharp eyes you have[:D]

Over a third of our bill was drinks, and 2 of us were not drinking (out of 6 people)


No matter where we eat out if everyone is drinking the bar bill is always 50% of the meal cost

PostPosted: 07 Jan 2008, 22:30
by Roxy-Popsy
So pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Hilton Dubai Creek. We didn't eat at the posh restaurant so can't comment.
However, the breakfasts were fabby dabby doso.[^][^][^][^]
personally I would LURVE to go back.[:)]

PostPosted: 07 Jan 2008, 22:49
by RichardMannion
Originally posted by Roxy-Popsy
So pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Hilton Dubai Creek. We didn't eat at the posh restaurant so can't comment.
However, the breakfasts were fabby dabby doso.[^][^][^][^]
personally I would LURVE to go back.[:)]


It wasn't that posh, they let Decker in after all. But then he didn't have that hoodie at the time....

PostPosted: 07 Jan 2008, 23:10
by Wolves27
I'm sensing the beginning of a loooong running joke here [}:)]

PostPosted: 07 Jan 2008, 23:39
by Francesca
Fozzyo and I had a wonderful starter....prob the best[:)]

As for the hoody, I will gratefully receive any suggestions on how to get rid of it!

Mrs D

PostPosted: 07 Jan 2008, 23:41
by preiffer
Ahem - 'I'm the firestarter'... [:w]

PostPosted: 08 Jan 2008, 01:47
by Francesca
My worry is that it is so Bling,fire won't work - only huge amounts of taste will kill this beast (Not known on V-Flyer as a rule other than her Ladyship[:)]).

Mrs D
xxxx