# reviews

doc_id: 37530181614444101417508482526280978290
title: A big fish in a big pond - fits in well with the Dubai philosophy.
date: May 29 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Me and my wife stayed here for 7 nights from 22nd May and we enjoyed our stay. This was our first visit to Dubai and when reading the previous reviews on this hotel I was a bit worried on what I had spent my money on. However we were pleasantly suprised with what we got. We were upgraded to an Atlantis Room with a balcony and the most fabulous view of the palm, Royal beach, Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai - well worth it. The hotel is massive but easily traversable with plenty of restaurants, public spaces, shops and bars. The hotel was clean and well serviced and the service from all the employees was impeccable - they could not do enough for us. We were vegetarian for the trip and we don't drink alcohol so it was not as expensive for us compared to what previous reviews have stated but they are not wrong in stating that the food and drink is generally expensive. We only ate twice at the hotel - both for our evening meals, at the Italian and Saffron (buffet) restaurants and the food was good. The Italian serves pork by the way. The breakfast was in the Saffron (west tower) and gave your usual english breakie (minus the pork bacon) and also indian, chinese, japanese and other food. It is open till 11:30 so you can make it an early lunch. It is quite a spectacle with good grub on offer but be warned that the queues start to form after 10:30. We travelled into mainland Dubai on a number of days and took advantage of the free shuttle buses to the Emirates Mall and the (better) Mall of Dubai - however due to the exchange rate everything was expensive so we just window shopped. We also travelled to Bur Dubai and Deira - quite an experience to see the 'real' Dubai - more like some cities in India than the picture normally painted by tourism Dubai. If you like indian food, than travel to Bur Dubai to eat like a king for about 7!!! The taxi from the hotel to the mainland is about 7 - 12 so not too bad. The Aqua-adventure park was really good, especially in the heat of the day and the rides are well worth it. The entry is free to hotel residents. So that was the good stuff, now for the not so good-stuff.If you want to hire a locker for the Aqua-adventure then it will cost you 10, totally unacceptable. The hotel is somewhat of a tourist attraction with a lot of non-residents coming to see the site so it is more busier than expected but on the positive these visitors are restricted to only some areas. The hotel is expensive for food and services - they do cater for the more wealthier visitor. The hotel is a bit isolated from the rest of Dubai and the Palm is very much still a construction site, so not an ideal hotel if you wish to explore Dubai rather than just staying in your resort. The Lost Chambers really are lost, pointless attraction and it is lucky that it is free to hotel residents because you would be well annoyed if you had to pay to see this cave. The nightclub is devoid of any life bar Tuesday and Friday so visit it on those days only - but be aware of the prices for drinks!!! Other postive points were that beach towels are free for hotel residents, the electricity mains points are the same as the UK - no need for adaptor, iron and hairdryer in the room, free bottles of water + fruit and space in the mini bar fridge for your own drinks and food, fab bathroom and if you get a balcony then you can dry your swim wear. Overall it was a good trip for us and the hotel had more positives than negatives and I don't feel that all the negative views are justified. I would recommed this hotel for about 3 nights so that you can take advantage of the waterpark and then maybe move to a hotel more inland. Really good for families (if you can afford it) but don't expect to leave the resort due to the travelling. Dubai itself, can be seen in about a couple of days and all the glitz and glam is a thin veneer to quite a culturally devoid city, coupled with ghost towns of Dubai marina, New Dubai and Jumeriah.


doc_id: 306842507308096547965892322777699220609
title: Perfect for children
date: May 29 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
It's bold, it's brash, its great for kids.My two children (6 and 4) loved the following best: the fish, the waterpark and the chocolate fountain (at breakfast). It's a fantastic place for a beach holiday especially if you have young children and don't mind the heat. The two vast pools are perfect for children and the setting is fantastic with views from the Royal Pool back to Dubai. Located at the end of the Palm the front of the hotel looks out to sea. You can also use the hotel beach, where swimming in the sea is like taking a warm bath. The enormous aquarium is the main feature of the hotel and is the biggest fish tank I have ever seen. It's mesmerising. Residents have free entry into Lost Chambers, which is an extension of the aquarium boasting numerous rooms enabling you to view all sorts of sea life. It's amazing. Residents at the Atlantis also have free entry into the enormous adjacent waterpark. You have to brave the heat and not hang around too much if you come at the end of May but once the children had walked into the park to Splashers they loved it. And there are loads of other water rides to keep everyone happy. The hotel is vast, with numerous expensive but exquisite restaurants. We ate on the beach one night and I experienced some of the most sensational flavours ever, eating the cold and hot mezze at Levantine, the Lebanese restaurant. I would definitely recommend this place to friends with families or friends who don't mind lots of children.......................


doc_id: 173213357450972903037990047832700771143
title: Not for us - Not a Luxury Hotel for Couples.
date: May 27 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Well we moved onto this Hotel after spending our first two nights in Dubai at the wonderful Burj Al Arab.So, lets start with the best bits. The Atlantis is gorgeous, the grounds, the pool and the food though quite expensive is really lovely. The staff at this hotel is its saving grace. They are just so friendly and so helpful; they could not do enough for you.Now the reason we would probably not return.This is our third time to Dubai and we do love our Luxury. This is something the Atlantis promotes but sadly for us, it did not deliver.The hotel really for us was far too big and though not too crowded it just seemed like a huge Florida hotel that was promising luxury but at times looked like a massive theme park hotel.We would have loved to have seen areas for Adults only.Our room had paper thin walls and the first night I was kept awake until 1.00 am with children screaming in the next room, I thought this would never finish, luckily they must have checked out the next day, surely though you shouldnt be able to hear every word and sound in the next room in a Luxury Hotel. The Imperial Club for us was a complete waste of money. We have always stayed Premier Leisure Club in the Al Qasr at the Madinat Jumeriah and it has been brilliant  however you could not compare the Al Qasr lounges to the Atlantis.We only used it twice the whole of our stay, it was fine if you are a drinker (which we are) but as to the food, it ran out every time we went into the lounge.In fact I think the only food we had, would have filled a small tea plate the whole stay.One chap waited for at least 20 mins for the food to be replenished and it never came. We thought that was disgraceful  what were we paying for.??Again though the staff in the Imperial Club were amazing.I am sorry to complain about this hotel because the staff and the surroundings are really great, but its just too big to claim to be a luxury hotel and to have hoards of day visitors, it doesnt do the hotel any favours.Another tip, be careful in Aquaventure, I hurt my back quite badly due to deflated tubes.I also heard that there have been numerous other incidents too.We probably wont return to the Atlantis, which is a shame.


doc_id: 27610348896878213929476716916927515226
title: Fantastic. What a Resort!!!
date: May 27 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We had an absolutely fantastic time here.It was only a short stay, 4 nights, to get away from cold sunless London and what a good choice it was. Sun is guaranteed but the Atlantis surpassed all expectations. The rooms were immaculate and comfortable but the real treat were the staff. They would go out of their way to help you enjoy your stay.We laid by the pool, taking a little hut to hide a little from the midday sun, and we were constantly offered iced lollies to cool us (note to self must say no sometimes!!), but the inner child in us made us try the water park one day which was great fun too.There are plenty of restaurants on offer, Nobu and Levantine both standouts.For an extended weekend stay to warm up from a decidedly chilly spring in London Atlantis was just what we needed!!


doc_id: 205697463897868792332671233057376724433
title: Atlantis...WOW...beautiful everything and simply magical...paradise!!
date: May 26 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We came here to celebrate a quick getaway for our anniversary and my birthday. We have two children, 3 and 1.5 so wanted to stay here as it had the waterpark in-house...the reveiws were mixed but, hubby dear inly wanted to stay here so we booked this hotel. We got it on a BB basis. Arrived at the hotel by 11pm...very fast check in, they upgraded up to the Atlantis room, which had two huge queen beds, and a massive bathrooom which had a tub as well as a separate power shower, hmmmmmmm. The bathroom was separate by sliding doors that overlooked the bedroom, so we could put the kids in the tub, open the doors and watch them as we relaxed on the beds, hahahahaha, if we were on our honeymoon, it would have been a very sexy thing to do, hahahahaha but, anyway back to the review. Our room overlooked a humongous aquariam down below, literally the width of the hotel, amazing at night when the lights are on....you can see the Aquaventure waterpark in the distance, the monorail, the Burj and the beautiful ocean from the room, as well as from any other room. Belive me we went all the hotel even to the top and it was a magical view no matter where you tried to see anything. The room service is expensive, which is expected from a 5star plus tel however, the prices for the pool bars was ok...6 for a kids meal which included chicen nuggets with chips, that was more than sufficient for both my kids to eat. Trust me, my little ones can eat so it was a good portion. The restaurants are also good. We never had dinner at the hotel but, the breakfasts were amazing. All the restaurants are buffet, excet the Ronda Locatelli and Nobu. You are spoiled for choice from a traditional English breakfast, you can order any eggs you fancied...to an Indian feast, a brilliant Chinese stir fry, fab Japanese sushi or broths, any croissant or muffin or pastry, all sweet treats to ruin your teeth ahahahaha including a chocolate fountain, a fresh juice bar, and finally a meditteranean breakfast and continental one including cold meats and cheeses as well as wheatfree and glutenfree stuff.....they have thought of it all!!!We ordered milk for th kids after midnight as the restaurants were closed and we were charged 6 per bottle, don't ask!!! We asked the restaurants the next day and they were more than helpful...we got our milk from them for free and until midnight we could go and get some...very handy.Dinner is about 40 each but, again you can have what you want...we went out every evening. You get a free shuttle to the Emirates Mall, which saves you about 6 however you have to make your own way back but, again its cool...you are never too far from anything and the cabs are so cheap. DO NOT take transfers when you book. Just get a cab from the airport, its less than 20 each way, and only about 25 mnutes away.The spa was good. We were offered BOGOF on our treatments so that a bonus. 100 for two massages that lasted over 1.5 hours, hmmmmmm and you get to eep the treats they supply, like bottles of talcum powder, razors and cream, combs and face pads all in a funy bag.The waterpark was ABSOLUTELY incredible. You have to go....I did the Leap of Faith...yes, its all true and worth it. Its about 40 each to entre but, in hotel residents get in free...the rides are all brilliant, and there is something for eveyone. The kiddie part was cool....infact the whole damn park is great. The good thing was, you don'thave to carry your wallet around, just charge everything to your room, even silly things like icecream from the stands and bottles of pop...so handy! They ahve thought of it all.....the arabs are clever!! The Lost Chambers was nice...so many different fishes and marine life...its so well designed and nice to relax...again its about 30 to get in and look around however, resident guests get in free, yay!!!They have loads of designet jewellery shops and clothing shops...I don't shop at them but, they were nice.They have the biggest indoor aquariam. Its bloody huge! Its got to be seen to be believed. The staff are so helpful and cannot do enough for you. Alwasy smiling from the toilet attendants to the managers.The decor is just breathtaking...see my pics. Oh yes, the rooms are fully eqipped with an iron and ironing board, a hairdryer, a radio alarm clock, a flat screen tv with loads of freeview channels of al languages and with something for everyone, a kettle, free tea, coffee and cappucinos...you even get free mineral water and fresh fruit. What more could you ask for?!GO stay there....you wil love it.


doc_id: 20238896258906393799903468772271525912
title: Superb Hotel Location is Amazing Best breakfast spread I have EVER seen!
date: May 22 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Decided to stay 1 night there, as stay includes the water park and lost chambers. We got our room early, great, and began our Water park adventure. great rides all around, finally did not do the leap of faith. next time I will!!. The hotel is expensive, but then, hey look at it. Huge, rooms, 45 sqmtrs, huge bathrooms, all have balconies overlloking the palms or open ocean. Back to the waterpark. The rides were fun, my kids tried almost all. I was disappointed they did not have great white sharks!! But we saw a whale shark and my kids were thrilled. I still say they could get a great white! The DOlphin Bay, we only sat behind, would have loved to do it. Expensive when 4 are involved. DH 645 per person for hotel guests. Ouch...I know its a once in a lifetime thing, again, maybe next time. The breakfast (included) was Man,,, the largest spread I have EVER seen. And superb to say the least. HUGE restaurant, Safforn. We ate at one other restaurant, pricey, but then, hotel is a deluxw luxury place. so anticipate that. one thing upset me, in the water park, damn it, they could afford to put water fountains near the toilets at least. COme on. You go to buy a water bottle, 500ml and it costs a bomb. Dubai heat, you need lots of water. water fountains need to be provided. its not downgrading if thats what they thinks. Rest, if the price works for you, you HAVE to stay there for a night at least.


doc_id: 127258873343648896976651990002222480193
title: Fantastic - In a Vegas kind of way.
date: May 21 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Accept this hotel for what it is and you won't be disappointed.It's a family resort, and as such it has a certain 'Disney' charm about it, not unlike some of the better theme hotels in Vegas. It's luxurious to obscene levels, and the staff can't do enough to assist you. We checked in at 6.30am local time, fully expecting a good wait before getting into our room, but we were issued with the keys straight away and allowed to check in. The room was spotlessly clean, and huge. The stand-alone bathtub was amazing. We were staying in an Executive Suite on the 9th Floor with views over the gulf. I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay the rack rate for the room (over 1000 a night), but it's certainly luxurious. The restaurants are expensive, but no-one is forcing you to eat there and the food quality is excellent. We ate at the Seafire Steak House, which was excellent, although I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay over 100 for a Japanese Beef Steak which was on the menu!We also ate at the Lebanese restaurant which was a really nice meal, although there was far too much food. We could have ordered half the amount. We ate at the buffet restaurant as well, and this was pretty good. The prices ranged from 90 for two people and a couple of drinks at the buffet, to 130 for two people having steaks and drinks at the steak house. It's worth bearing in mind that a bottle of beer will set you back about 8. The water park (free to guests) is really good, and a great way to chill out fo an afternoon. The rapids are over a mile long, and it's great fun to just bob along in your rubber ring. The slides are also good fun. A great place for adults and kids alike. The Dolphin Experience is also something I'd recommend. Though I'd say to pay the little bit extra and do the deep water interaction as you get much more out of the experience. The trainers were friendly and knowledgeable, and the dolphins seemed happy and content in the large enclosures. The one thing I will say is that the photographs are really expensive (around 15 per photo, or well over 100 if you want them all on a CD). Talking of prices, things are expensive here. A small bottle of water is 3.50, and lunch in the pool restuarant (a burger + chips, a sandwich and two drinks) was somewhere in the region of 25. Still, if you're staying in a 6 star resort, then you kind of have to expect to pay 6 star prices. Finally, I'll mention the fish tank, although you have to see it to believe it. It's so large that they have a whale shark comfortably swimming around in it. The design is simply amazing, and the Lost Chambers (kind of like the Sea Life Centre) is a really nice way to spend an afternoon. All in all, one of the best (if not THE best) hotels I've ever stayed in, and would return in a heartbeat... Although my wallet might not be so keen.


doc_id: 204795890650677811302721128911248086419
title: Wow luxurious and unique
date: May 19 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Spent 3 days here with the family... was pretty amazing and an experience... room was spacious with nice fittings.. service was a high standard and pleasant... breakfast was incredible with a global choice - budget for 1.5 hours here to experience it all... we had dinner one night in the hotel and it was fairly expensive for what you get... the other night was spent in town and was considerably cheaper - if price is an issue just get a cab and travel into town to get a better deal..entry to aquarium and aquaventure was free and was enjoyed by the kids....overall the hotel is pretty unique and is well worth a visit.. not sure if 7 days would be too much but is certainly worth a stop over for a few days..


doc_id: 18042357110344588521253760835177355212
title: Amazing Holiday
date: May 12 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
i,v just returned home having had the pleasure of staying at atlantis for 6 nights in early may... well what can i say about this truly exceptional experience, the list is endless , but here goes...... i travelled with my wife and two children aged 3 and 4... on our arrival at the hotel at 6.30am local time we were met personally by the assistant resort manager who oversaw our speedy check in. i had sent the hotel a short email prior to our arrival with 3 small requests regarding our deluxe room, all these requests were granted and we found our room to be perfect for our needs, the beds are very comfortable, huge walk in shower big enough for 4 , bath big enough for two!!!!!! and all toiletries restocked daily......... on day one we visited the Aquaventure water park which is linked to the hotel with free entry for hotel guest (normal price is 55 pounds per adult per day!!!!) ... we found it to be very clean and safe for our children with fully trained lifeguards situated 10 metres apart all around the park, &quot;the leap of faith&quot; is a must do experience... there are many food and drink outlets scattered around the park , lunch can be bought for 6-10 pounds with drinks 3-5 pounds, the kids play area called &quot;splashers&quot; really is fantastic and was a great hit with my two kids, all in all what a great start to our holiday............we visited the water park on 3 other occasions during our stay and every time we found there to be no or very short queues for the rides and the lazy river is a great relaxing family ride...... the lost chambers and the viewing areas of the huge aquarium are breathtaking, at 10am every day a diver hand feeds the vast array of sealife and is a great spectacle.we ate in the hotel on 4 of our 6 nights at atlantis at the beach restaurant called nasimi and the saffron restaurant . nasimi was a very good experience , but Saffron WOW , it is a buffet style help yourself retaurant and i truly exeptional with a huge array of culinay delights( steak , chinese, indian, unbelievable fish selection lebanese, salad bar etc etc etc) for any tastebud added to that the chocolate fountain with more soft chewy sweets to choose from than a pick and mix shop, cost per person for the buffet is 40 pounds, (the children had the option of their own set menu for 6 pounds a person) a little pricey maybe but worth the experience, we also ate breakfast in saffron which again was simply fantastic... there is another buffet style eaterie at atlantis called kaleidscope which has an excellent choice of food too, others to be found on the atlantis site are NOBU, SEAFIRE, LOCATELLI,s to name but a few.....the absolute second to none service we recieved from all the hotel staff right from the assistant resort manager ,guest services,security staff, concierge, bellmen, waiters, pool attendants, lifeguards really made our holiday, no one could do enough for us and even the smallest or strangest request was met with a polite &quot;of course sir&quot;.....now down to the money side of things, well anyone that has done their homework on dubai knows its not cheap (6 pounds for a cup of tea) and we fully expected some hefty bills at the end of our stay but this was simply outweighed by the amazing and exceptional experience we had at atlantis.... i cannot fault the hotel in the slightest, will we return again there.. ABSOLUTELY....THANKYOU AND WELL DONE TO EVERYONE AT ATLANTIS, we had an amazing holiday


doc_id: 176598526767624429495266650618194980672
title: New Hotel = So So
date: May 10 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
From the view of a 13 year old.We stayed here for 3 nights after a week in the Park Hyatt (recommend completely, refer to my article on that hotel) to have some fun at the water park. By the way, I am 1 of 4 kids in a family of 6. We had booked two rooms in the imperial club. We arrived just after noon at the hotel and checked into our room only to be told that we would have to wait for 30 minutes before they were ready. We said that that was okay and they escorted us to the imperial lounge on the 12th floor. The lounge was amazing; it overlooked the ambassador lagoon (one of the largest aquarium tanks in the world) with the whale shark swimming around on the surface (look at my photos). The lounge has a small buffet that changes at different times of the day (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. It is complimentary. So after 30 minutes we went up to the desk of the lounge to ask about our rooms and they told us that it would be a little bit longer. So we waited another 15 minutes just to be told it would be more than an hour before the rooms were ready!!!!! So I took my brother and sister down to the lost chambers. It is like a small ancient aquarium with lobsters, tropical fish, jellyfish, eels, and more including a viewing panel into the ambassador lagoon. We spent about 30 minutes in the lost chambers then went back up to the lounge and waited another 1h 15min!!!! We were then finally escorted to our rooms on the 13th floor. We had booked one suite and one standard twin. My brother, my sister and I slept in the standard twin with a rollaway and my parents and my little sister slept in the suite with a rollaway. Staying in the imperial club also gives you complimentary wireless internet access in your room and in the lounge. The waterpark is amazing! It had one central waterslide tower with two ways to get up. You either walk or take the conveyor belt on your tube. The leap of faith at the top is an almost vertical drop from 27 meters through a shark tank. The tube ride that goes through the shark tank is not great. The ride is awesome but when you get into the tank the glass is scratched and you cannot see much. It is much better to watching the people go through from the viewing panel. The childrens play area is great and the rapids are OK. Though the torrent was awesome, they throw you in front of the wave maker and it sometimes flips you over. At the time we were there the hotel was extremely busy but the waterpark was quite quiet. The rooms were very nice but the wait at the start really put us off. The Kaleidoscope restaurant I recommend. They do a buffet with worldwide cuisines. The hotel also has a variety of shops on the way to Aquaventure and the pool is absolutely amazing. The hotel was nice but the wait was really annoying. Jet Privelage Number = [--]


doc_id: 285429620959883687884761876923645990971
title: Would go back tomorrow...
date: May 10 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
All of the staff were helpful and polite. The room was clean and the air conditioning easy to use. A 1.5 litre bottle of water was provided every day and a bowl of fruit provided on arrival. The aquaventure park was clean and had plenty of staff around especially life guards along the lazy river and rapids. There are 2 cafes in the park, both selling snacks including burgers, hotdogs, chips as well as more healthy options. Also there are plenty of places to buy drinks.The beach was pretty but the sand was very coarse. The 2 pools were clean, one was zero entry the other was an infinity pool. There are 2 pool bars and a buggy drives up and down the beach selling refreshments. The sunbeds have canopys which very a very good idea. The Kids Club kept my 10 year old entertained completely to the extent that he would have stayed in there every day if he could!! The food was excellent, especially in Saffron which had at least 10 food stations with different themes on each. The chocolate fountain at breakfast was a particular favourite with the kids. Everything at the hotel can be charged to your room, even down to an icecream at one of the bars. Club Rush was a slight disappointment as the internet speed was really slow and many of the games didn't work. Drinking fountains would have been useful but I couldn't find any.


doc_id: 323594182549387658095400208738163633996
title: Good value for 5 star hotel. Unique building.
date: May 5 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Stayed here in a side room in the right wing (palm view) for 3 nights with my spouse in mid January 2009 during a stop over from Maldives. I am from Dubai and have been to many other hotels in Dubai.Positive points:-The room was much bigger than I expected it would be for a standard room. There was a large walk-in closet and we had views of the hotel's pool, Palm Jumeirah island, the Dubai Marina and from the side window, the sea.-The hotel itself has many attractions like an aquarium and waterpark and a very unique design and decor.-Room service was good and breakfast was excellent.Negative points:-It is close to some of Dubai's new attractions like the Marina but the area in general still has a lot of construction and it is a bit far from the city centre. I would like to stay here again when the Palm Jumeirah is complete.-The bed was a little small.


doc_id: 218546896444986105870710613842717147009
title: incorrect info
date: Apr 28 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Not sure about the review from pinktaylor on 20th April. Some of things said do not ring true.- especially when saying the Jumeirah waterway bars are empty and the abras on the waterways are not running. This conflicts with what I know. so where did this info come from??


doc_id: 110836790089211112080717469783465935222
title: Nice Hotel but not worth the money
date: Apr 28 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Just returned from 5nts at Atlantis, hotel itself is nice. Room was fine and the resort was good, kids enjoyed pool &amp; beach areas but thats as good as it gets. Service was poor, we have been to Dubai many times and maybe expect to much but was left disappointed.Food is stupidly expensive and found it a lot cheaper to get taxi's to Dubai Marina Walk and eat at the various restuarants or in the Malls. In the evenings and weekends the hotel lobby areas etc are just manic and having to fight the crowds.Would I go back - NO. There are better and cheaper hotels out there.


doc_id: 310777479783644401769266816514692609908
title: the finest birthday
date: Apr 27 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
the only thing that could go wrong with this hotel is the price. but it was my birthday so that wasn't a problem for me. the service is extraordinary. the food and cusines offered in a variety of restaurants are out of this world, litterally. the water park has a number of different rides which are unbelievable. one is an actually shark tube!all you need to know, is to expect the unexpected.


doc_id: 22673430023989987777642472024050695600
title: No place for penny pinching :)
date: Apr 20 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Just stayed at Atlantis Dubai for 4 nights enroute to London.... this place is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime must-see experience, however! it is the most expensive hotel one could imagine..we were lucky to be treated by some very generous friends and enjoyed the whole stay. The service was impeccable, the breakfast was magnificent, so much choice &amp; negated the need for lunch, which is a good thing if u want to save money. The foyer &amp; halls, the aquarium, the restaurants &amp; bars were ssooo beautiful. We used the gym &amp; found it to be well equipped, the hotel pool area is also a good place to relax. There are a lot of young children around, (it was school hols) but this may bother some, I think they have a deal for under 7's. Also one more complaint, wi fi cost around $65AUD/24hrs.


doc_id: 262519314679855340252116123625060254899
title: 10 for a bottle of water!
date: Apr 20 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I visited the Atlantis The Palm for my 30th birthday in April 2009. Whilst driving from the airport to the hotel the city looked fabulous; never in my life have I seen buildings like it and spent the entire journey saying 'wow look at that!'The hotel itself is like something out of Disneyland/Las Vegas. Absolutely stunning, stunning foyer, amazing kids club, lovely pools and delicious food.What I will comment on is THE PRICE!! At the moment there are some fabulous deals on to entice you into booking a holiday, however when you get there its a different story. The hotel was packed out every day and from the english people that I spoke to it seems they took up on the deals advertised in the national papers aswell.Water by the pool cost 10! a bottle and a diet coke is 12! A complete rip off. People were in uproar - after all where else were you supposed to go, we were on an island!The Ossiano restuarant was 500 for 2 people to eat! Yes the restaurant is the most stunning restaurant I have ever seen with impeccable service and immaculate waitors.Nobu was 540 for 4 people to eat. By the way we only eat your average size meal.So we decided one night to take a trip out of the hotel and go somewhere else which was equally expensive!What I can say about Dubai is that it is a complete ghost town now. The credit crunch has hit hard. Buildings stand unfinished and even derelict. Where what once was a bustling city with the fantastic waterways of Jumeirah was completely desolate. There weren't even any staff in the waterside bars of Jumeriah and because of which the water barges are no longer in operation.Whilst I had a lovely time, my husband thought it was incredibly expensive and he wouldn't be booking another holiday there.


doc_id: 190582753093686385122430149260022929351
title: OVER PRICED AND NOT WORH IT!!!
date: Apr 19 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
the atlantis dubai seriously disappoints. there is nothing to rave about the hotel.right from the service to the food to the rooms are all very bad!!!went to the lebanese restaurant and have never had worse lebanese....same for the italian.... i would give it zero stars...


doc_id: 256587551537301562547541284632753088040
title: save your money
date: Apr 19 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
This was our 3rd family holiday in Dubai. We took our 8 and 5 year old and my mum of 67. First year at Jebel Ali and we had a great time, apart from uncomfortable beds no complaints - excellent personal service. Last year we stayed at Al Qasr. This had the vow facotor. A little impersonal and food was not great but everything else was excellent- highly recommend it. This April we stayed at the Atlantis for 10 nights. On arrival we did not receive the customary welcome but our rooms were ready immediately. We had booked 2 rooms and requested that they would be as close as possible. We were on 4th floor and my mum was on 16th. One of the rooms was in a poor location, dark and dingy. We requested a new room and were told that it was not possible. Upon talking to someone else, we got a room that was slightly better but not one we requested. there were 4 of us in the 1 room and yet all facilities provided were for 2. you cannot go anywhere without showing your card key, infact they have made it easy by giving you a little holder you can wear around your neck. there are not any stairs and the lifts were always full. at most times we had to wait atleat 5 minutes for a lift which lacked a fan/aircon. Of all the times we have holidayed we never had to queue for breakfast. after 9.15am be prepared to wait in a very long queue. Also be prepared to wait a very long time for tea and coffee- forget about refills. It was over crowded &amp; the hotel grounds could not cope. Not enough sunbeds or even space for additional sunbeds by the pool. At one point we were told to come back later! the beach is made up of poor quality grit. It is essential for kids to wear shoes. Lots of broken shells and concrete. The water was stagnant. After 3.00pm the pool and the beach falls in the shade of the massive hotel and the air becomes cold. the buildng also acts as a wind deflector so around the pool it does get windy. booking for dinner is essential. food was great. no little treat at turn-down time. The water park was great and a god send. But essential to get there before 10am or forget getting a bed or even a rings/tubes. Children's club far too expanive. Expect long queues (atleast half hour waits) at the reception and conceirge. It can also be noisy if your room faces the main road at front of hotel and if you are facing the pool area. The unacceptable noise, however, was from the cleaners. During the night they would slam doors shut and have a full on conversation whilst you are trying to sleep. They would even knock on your door at 7am to see if you want your room cleaned! One occassion we returned to our room from the beach dripping wet, running late for our dinner reservation and the cleaner would not let us in. We were told that we had to wait 15 minutes until they were finished. After 5 minutes of standing in the hallway, I took the kids into the bathroom for their wash whilst they cleaned the room at 6.30pm. Morning of our departure, I requested help to remove our cases from the rooms. We agreed the time but no one turned up. Upon calling several times, we were informed that there was no one to help. so with 2 kids, we had to move our 5 suitcases in an over crowded lift which we had to wait over 10 minutes for. This hotel has cut too many corners and does not offer those essential serives that is provided in 4 star hotels let alone a 5 star. It is a grand hotel with great decor; It is a good place to visit but I can think of lots of other better places to stay. Do recommend the water park and the dolphin bay.


doc_id: 100284932388135533752257138386850949875
title: Lovely Hotel needs more personal service
date: Apr 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We arrived at the beginning of the Easter Holidays, our children are aged 9 and 12. We have been to Dubai twice before, staying in the Beit Al Bahar Villas and Mina Al Salam, Jumeriah Beach. We have also stayed at The Atlantis in The Bahamas, six years ago. I actually preferred the Bahamas Hotel, although of course, Dubai is brand new and very glitzy, it didnt feel the same as Bahamas, there wasn't any personal service, obviously very hard to be as it is so big. We were given a room which had no balcony at all, literally open the doors and stand there behind a metal fence. So we upgraded to a Terrace Suite, an extra 180 a night, alot of money granted, but worth every penny, as we could at least have some privacy once the kids went to bed. It had a very large balcony with sunbeds and a table for four people, a large bathroom and dressing room and a large lounge area. Restaurants were very expensive, service not that great, one day they forgot our order completely (at the poolside restaurant). We did find that they welcomed children more in the restaurants than the other hotels we stayed in before. Didnt find room was cleaned very well, dusty tables etc! Beach wasnt bad, kids loved the football and table tennis every day, the pools are lovely though, service around the pool was quite good. The Water Park was great, not as good as Wild Wadi but boys loved it still, especially &quot;The Leap of Faith&quot; slide!


doc_id: 13897967778648984023979146299586627424
title: This resort has something for everyone.
date: Apr 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed here for one night to celebrate my wife's birthday. We had our 21 month old daughter with us as well. Booked an Imperial Club room and got upgraded to a Regal Suite. It was simply an unbelievable room. Large ensuite with a jacuzzi tub. A living room with an office area to the side as well as a bar. The bedroom had a lounge area to the side with an L-shaped couch.Service was ok as the staff is still not fully trained. They try their best though which is more than you can say for some places.The beach was massive and clear blue water with white sand. Aquaventure was impressive but I would pass on the Lost Chambers if it was not included with the room.Food in the Imperial Club was ok with good service. We ate at Kaleidoscope which was better than most family oriented buffets. Nobu looked pretty cool but we did not go as our daughter was not so co-operative at the restaurant.All in all, a great facility for a weekend or 3 or 4 days. An entire week could be a bit much unless driving into the city is not an issue.


doc_id: 59942569021336470697554158067727277266
title: Visit just for the day you will still get the wow factor
date: Apr 16 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We have had several trips to Dubai and watched the Palm being developed so where quite excited about staying at the Atlantis . I have read the reviews and want to be as balanced as possible . Yes there is a wow factor but you can only watch fish in tanks for so long .I had stayed at the Atlantis in the Bahamas so i knew it would be big yet i presummed it it would have the service we have experienced in Dubai before and for me this is were it failed. Hotel caters for 1500 people staff were often very indifferent to your requests due to being busyRoom was nice but no balcony which we had requested despite being there for 9 nights they said they could not move usWe ate in two of there restaurants Rostang 2 michilin star food her e was appalling complaints fell on deaf hears . Kaleidoscope over priced for a buffet . We didnt try any more apart from breakfast which was fine .I can highly recommend both the Pier chic and PaiThai at AL Qasar roughly 210 with wine same price as Atlantis but far superior .We too also ate at the emirates mall and can recommend the Pizzaeria , Chop Chop and the mexican all in the west end section of the mall and all for under 70 for three. Try the festival mall aswell nice water front fun fair for children and nice selection of restaurants. If you like massive crowds not too fussed about the service &amp; food and just want to be seen in the in place then the Atlantis would be fine. I would recommend staying at any of the following ,Burj Al Arab,Mina A Salam or Royal Meridian all give excellent service less crowded and value for money. One last thing on the Atlantis if you have children be aware that you will have to pay for the teen and childrens club which i was not aware of before i went .The childrens club would cost 50 a day or 356 for 9 days. The water park is worth a visit for a family of 3 you would be looking at roughly 200 for the day depending on exchange rates ( WILD WADI is free to guests of the jumirah group ). Overall i do not feel the Atlantis is value for money far too big and impersonal.


doc_id: 128509184707289278504427991686531047530
title: Love Dubai but Atlantis is way overpriced.
date: Apr 16 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We just returned from 10 days at the Atlantis in Dubai. We have been to Dubai before and we have stayed at the Atlantis in the Bahamas so we are able to compare the hotel and the location. For city, I prefer Dubai to the Bahamas, but I prefer the Atlantis in the Bahamas to Atlantis The Palm. We used at Best At Travel for this trip and I was quite nervous about using a travel company like this, especially as I have read some scary reviews about them online. My initial contact with them was not good as the first agent I spoke to was aggressive and quite rude. He kept calling me and emailing me and really put me right off using them. A friend was going at the same time as me and was using BestAtTravel and she had an agent that was easier to deal with, so I switched agents and it was all good after that.Best At Travel is an authorized agent of The Atlantis so they can swing some pretty sweet deals. By booking through BestAtTravel our trip was several thousand pounds cheaper than booking directly through the hotel, plus it included flights on Emirates and hotel transfers. I had heard that BestAtTravel were slow in sending the paperwork, had terrible customer followup and you didn't always get what you paid for. This was the not the case for us, or the two other families that used them at the same time for the same trip. I will definitely use them again.As for the hotel - it is just way overpriced. Yes its 5 star and the room price is an indicator of how expensive its going to be, but the Atlantis can be accused of price gouging its guests once you are there. There is nothing else around you so if you want to go for lunch or dinner somewhere offsite, its about a 15-20 minute taxi ride. To charge $11 for a small waffle at the water park is outrageous. $10 for dippin dots. $80 for a lunch of frozen deep fried chicken nuggets and fries!!!!As for the water park, its wonderful but as many other reviewers have noted, its open to the public and the hotel guests get treated the same as the paying public. This means the doors open at the same time and if you don't don't get down there early, there are no sun beds to be had. The Atlantis should give its hotel guests either an early entry time or extended hours. This was definitely the biggest complaint I heard. That and how busy the water park was - 45 min to 1 hour lines for some of the rides. When you are paying top dollar to stay at this resort, you don't expect to have to wait that long.So the pros and cons in a nutshell:Pros:Friendliness of staffResort is beautifulWeatherCons:Water Park is too busyWay overpriced on everythingBeach is man made and the sand feels like crushed concreteMeal times are like cattle callsWe love Dubai and will go again but I won't stay at the Atlantis. I will however stay at the Atlantis in the Bahamas, as the experience there was all positive.


doc_id: 237058715566122436925602014337201454546
title: thank you never again
date: Apr 14 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We were in hotel in the end of March, it was our fifth visit in Dubai, we were there for 2 weeks with two small children. Previously we stayed in Jumeirah Beach Hotel.Very busy hotel with a lot of visitors from outside, so sometime you feel like on the train station. Service - is nice but you can find too many things not working properly - waiting 10 minutes at the swimming pool to get towels and place, cleaning room on very standart level- our balcony was never cleaned, chaos in restaurants esp. for breakfast.Food - the best breakfast menu which we ever had, advantage to take breakast till noon. Fantastic French restaurant, the rest of restaurants - averageBeach - you can feel that it is manmade, view not niceThe view from balcony - construction sideToo big hotel, not enough green aroundComparing with Jumeirah Beach hotel - much worse


doc_id: 188103878563756079457040306077215653606
title: Fabulous accomodations! Beautiful Hotel...
date: Apr 14 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I just came back from Dubai with my 13 year old son. We had no problem with checking in, about a 10 minute wait which after my explaining how tired we were, got us an upgrade to the Imperial Club. The staff was very helpful and the pool and water park were very clean! I would recommend it for a short stay. The traffic going to the end of the island can some times be long with all of the construction going on. A for sure must is going to the Souqs down by the creek. Great shopping for textiles, gold and spices. Really gives you a feel for the country!


doc_id: 48041924596905363639170138863382346382
title: Once in a lifetime
date: Apr 14 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We have just arrived back from Altantis. We were slightly concerned having read some of the previous reviews. We aren't a rich family and were primarily concerned about costs. This is our opinion only. I hope it assists your decision making or puts your mind at rest. It isn't in any particular order, just as we remember things.1- As a 'once in a lifetime' the Altantis is quite an experience. To be on an island 1 mile out to sea which you can watch being built on Youtube is a great tribute to mankind's ability - when put to good use. Although there isn't much to view on the Palm other than the Alantis the engineering feat is quite considerable.2- The hotel is huge- we were on the fourth floor and our room was number 300 plus. There are 18 floors ( at least)..... Maths isnt my chosen subject but there are clearly going to be lots of people there. Even with six lifts we had to queue some days to get into the lift. 3-The weather is hot - it was between 30 and 38 when we were there and did'nt seem to drop much of an evening. We ventured ashore on two evenings and the taxi showed the temp as 30 ( at ten at night). That said it was very windy on Easter Sunday to the extent that the sunbeds were being blown across the poolside and I know they had a few storms just before we arrived. 4- The Atlantis is very expensive. This is made worse by the poor exchange rate at the moment ( around 5 DHS per Pound): Some examples:Pint of beer 9. Glass of wine 12 . ( The Shore restaurant / bar next to the pool does a happy hour between 5pm and 8pm at half price. Food at the pool will cost about 15/20 for a basic snack per person through the day, ice cream 4 each.That said the rooms are refilled with water daily (1 and a half litre bottle) so you could in theory take that to the pool side. 5- Food in the restaurants is very expensive - we worked on a budget of 160 a day for food - between two adults and a child and just about managed. And that was really just for a snack during the day and an evening meal (free breakfast).If your rich then that's obviously not an issue - but for ourselves, we had to be careful ( it can add up very quickly). You can keep an eye on your bill on the TV in your room which helps. Oh - we did endulge one evening and bought one of the cheaper bottles of red wine @60.6- The water park is pretty good - not quite Disney Florida but good for a day out. Be careful though as we were there over easter and it was very crowded.My daughter fell out of her rubber ring on the rapids and ended up with gravel rash on her knees and foot as did my wife trying to rescue her. The guards are strategically placed but werent able to stop this happening. Food in the park is slightly cheaper as its also open to non hotel guests.7- The dolphins are worth a visit. I didn't have 'kissing a dolphin' on my top ten 'must doo's' before I die' but it was quite an experience - if you have kids its worth booking up before you leave home. The Lost Cambers is also worth a visit as there are some stunning sights. 8- The staff at the hotel were excellent, very friendly and really cannot do enough for you. We asked for extra coffee one evening as we had run out and room service were there within minutes- very apologetic. Rooms were cleaned every day.The room itself was a good size with two queen size beds. We did hear a couple complaining that they had been squashed into a similar room with their 4 kids? For us the room was fine but I would make sure you know what your getting.There is security and staff everywhere and all are very keen to help with anything.My one complaint would relate to the pool side service where the staff are very busy - we met with a bit of indifference when asking for some sunbeds ( as they all appeared occupied) or when asking for a menu ( as you have to be at your sunbed to order food). I think this is to stop you ordering kids portions ( which are just as big as adult ones but only one third the price).The sunbeds have canopies on them and towels are free.We didn't go to the beach other than for a walk ( the hotel has its own beach at the rear of the hotel facing the palm). The sand seemed hard but clean. The beach has plenty of space. The view is only spoilt by the Mono Rail which runs from Atlantis to the shore.9- Breakfast was included in our package and was served until 11am and 12 noon in the two available rooms (Saffron and Kaleidoscope). There is so much to choose from and it's all the highest quality. The fruit juice choice is quite something. Breakfast time is very busy but there always seemed to be plenty of staff to help - no sooner had you finished than your plate was removed - which only led to the temptation to go and fill another one.My daughter now expects cornflakes with chocolate milk / onion bhaji / noodles and marshmallows (dunked in the chocolate fountain) every day.10- There does seem to be a bit of who can wear the most expensive sunglasses / watch - carry the best handbag on show. This was largely lost on me but there are clearly some people there because its vogue. But with the most expensive rooms at 18k a night its to be expected. 11- Overall then I would rate Atlantis as very good. We were in Dubai in October 08 and stayed at The Hilton Jumeirah which if I'm honest was just as good but cheaper - the difference being the 'Disney ' factor.We also ate out on two nights to see what else was on offer.We visited the Souk Madinat near to the Burj Al Arab. This has some excellent traditional shops ideal for presents and some lovely restaurants next to the water side. Costs here were much more realistic - 15 for a main course - but still 6 for a beer.Alcohol is always going to be expensive in the UAE. We also visited the Mall of the Emirates which offers a wide range of excellent shops similar to the Metro Centre or The Trafford Centre etc... with the addition of a huge visible ski slope and signs asking you not to show affection to your partner, reminding that you were in the UAE. Food here is considerably cheaper - alcohol isnt available. We went to a Pizzaeria and the whole meal cost less than our 'one off' bottle of red wine from the Atlantis.Taxi costs were about 5 to 6 pounds each way from The Atlantis. Be mindful that the taxi drivers we experienced were very poor drivers - far to fast and close - lane hopping etc. All in all I think Dubai has loads more to offer. The Atlantis was definately worth the cost on this occassion for the experience - next time I would probably opt for cheaper on Jumeirah beach and spend the rest on trips out.


doc_id: 205122629975767085565555866176818169486
title: Excellent fantastic super
date: Apr 12 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
March/April 2009 had a fortnights family holiday staying at the Atlantis the Palm Dubai, before travelling took a look on trip adviser and was concerned!!!!!...... on reaching our desination my worries were put to bed the hotel itself is magnificant the staff FANTASTIC nothing to much trouble, friendly. Our room slept two adults (double bed) my 12yr daughter (double bed) and my 10yr son (single bed) was very clean, had all the mod cons our daughter chuffed as had ipod dock. So much detail in the decor of the room in connection with the sea. Bedding changed daily and soft not starchy, bed very comfortable, bidet and toilet in separate room of the bathroom, large powerfull walk in shower. Plenty of power points (uk sockets) Iron and ironing board, hairdryer, fridge (room for own drinks as well as mini bar drinks) plenty of bottles of water left daily FREE as well as dish of fresh fruit changed daily. Out and about very clean and if you pass a member of staff, smiley and ALLWAYS say &quot;hello&quot; first. Pool area excellent pool staff locate sunbeds lay out towels fetch food and drinks for you. Sunbeds excellent comfortable as have own shade umbrella/hood so excellent for kids used extra towels and made little dens for the kids. My kids where well chuffed with the zone area (amusements) word of warning give allowance nightly or you will be putting your hands in your pockets all hoiliday. Payed extra and joined the premium leasure club which entitled you to FREE child care in the kids club FREE entry in Aquaventure (only hotel residents from 10am - 11am). FREE soft drinks in lounge allday plus cheese, sushi nibbles plus sandwiches and afternoon tea happy hour from 6pm - 8pm when alcohol unlimited. The staff in the lounge were very abliging and nothing to much trouble. Laptops available to use in lounge along with magazines/papers . The security for residents area only was very strict. The aquarium was fantastic larger than life, lost chambers very informative, dolphin bay (interaction with dolphins extra charge) beach abit of a let down very scratchy on feet but stafff are working to erase this problem. The restaurants have fantastic decoration BUT food is exspensive but quality is fantastic. Recommend seafire (steak), saffron (buffet), Locatelli (italian), Kalidoscope (buffet). Taxis very cheap, Dubai /emirates malls very clean and large selection on label shops and a lot of uk shops one word of warning if intending on purchasing a costly item check out prices before leaving uk plus make sure wear comfy shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking. On conclusion we have decided as a family that we will definately be going back next year.


doc_id: 159842169267612740401639101224995303263
title: Overpriced isolated and worst service in Dubai
date: Apr 8 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Not wanting to take anything away from the grandeur of this hotel - which is undoubtedly spectacular and a feast for the eyes, but is tragically let down by the service which is the worst we experienced by far from all the hotels we visited in Dubai. It's overpriced throughout and the atmosphere is exclusive and cold. My advice would be to take a day trip to the Atlantis. You'll still get to see it all you won't have to be served by arrogant staff at an overpriced hotel that is cut off from the rest of the city's attractions.


doc_id: 162588606704919001444642534358525487032
title: Amazing Expensive Experience....
date: Apr 7 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Right from the time we arrived the experience was amazing and fantastic. The check in was quick and the luggage reached our room before we could (though was a bit concerned after reading the reviews here) . The room was pretty well made and almost perfect except for the toileteries which seemed very cheap stuff. The Aquaventure was a great experience and we went there twice during our stay. The breakfast at both the restaurants was fantastic but i feel Saffron had more variety. One thing we didnt like was that the public areas was alwyas teeming with crowds and didnt give that exclusive feel for such a grand property. The hotel staff were excellent and the entire property was well made and maintained. The restaurants were really expensive as well the bars. The location of the hotel at the tip of this wonderful island was pretty good and everything looked so out of this world that our stay for 5 days just got over before i realised it. I will definitely like to come back but as there are other good properties in Dubai... i would like to experience their hospitality before visiting again. Due to the large size of the hotel i felt the warmth of a 5 star experience was somewhere missing.But overall a wonderful experience ..one to remember for sometime to come.


doc_id: 155079845242269225919165682328883543729
title: Simply Amazing
date: Apr 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Hi,The wife and I stayed her for 4 nights in march. I can honestly say this place is truly amazing. The staff and service were brillant. This is a very very clean resort there are always people cleaning.We visited the 2 buffett restaurants on the resort and found the variety and quality of food was excellent. A little pricey for me though(150cdn for 2, without alcohol).The pools and water park were excellent, there is also a very large night club on the property that was very busy in the evening. Great atmosphere and music.I can go on and on..but trust me you will not be dissapointed


doc_id: 247065049735631823974731541299238719620
title: The WoW Factor!
date: Apr 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Having been to Dubai previously and stayed at the wonderful Jumeriah Beach hotel I didn't think I could be as thrilled about another hotel in Dubai - but I was wrong!The Atlantis Palm is a another &quot;one off&quot; in Dubai, its location at the top of the Palm is fantastic from a scenery point of view, but not that convenient if you want to visit the Creek in Old Dubai which almost an hour by taxi due to the heavy traffic.We stayed on the &quot;Club Floor&quot; (12th floor) which had its own breakfast/lounge area which had a fantastic view of Dubai, the Burj al Arab and Jumeriah Beach area. This lounge was nice to visit other times of the day where you could get a drink and sit quiet as the rest of the hotel was always busy with lots of people around. The acquarium was great and the Lost Chambers (free to guests) is a must. Also free to guests, is entrance to the adjacent water park and it doesn't matter how old you are this place is fun! I plonked myself in a &quot;rubber ring&quot; and drifted around the lazy river and the rapids for hours on end! Some of the water rides are a bit scary, but most of them are just good fun - but all of them are unusual, like drifting in your rubber ring along a transparent tunnel with fish and sharks swimming all around the transparent tunnel.There is lots of choice of Restaurants, most of them quite expensive, and the drinks are also fairly expensive - but a lot of this is due to the drop in the pound when exchanging money. The weather was quite pleasant at this time of year, averaging about 23-25 degrees.We did the desert trip (with Arabian Adventures) in four wheel drive vehicles which was great fun and recommended, provided you don't suffer from any sort of car sickness because the bumping around is serious stuff.All in all, a great 4 nights spent at the Atlantis Palm.


doc_id: 21357260245828100632502559253311487825
title: amazing
date: Mar 26 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
after reading some of the other reviews i was getting a bit worried about my choice of hotel for my 40th . arrived early in the morning which i thought might have been a problem but they could not have been more helpful my travel agent had already told them it was my birthday so our room was upgraded ( which was beautiful ) the hotel itself is immaculate not a thing out of place on there weekend which is a friday and Saturday you do get a lot of tourists coming to look at the amazing aquarium ,and lost chambers which was unbelievable but you can deal with that as they cant use the swimming pools or beach. the pools are excellent especially the zero entry pool which is fantastic for young children mine are 9+6. kids club 10 / 10 breakfast 10/10 dinner 10/10 as a resident you get unlimited access to the water park as well a saving of about  200 for a family of 4 water park .at night head for the chill out area on the beach with there own resident DJ and sax player you feel totally relaxed on the huge bean bags that are scattered on the grass and beach the whole place was amazing me and my family loved everything about it and was so glad we stayed there rather than the other boring 5*hotels


doc_id: 220765248475759217291884323512066095119
title: How we got Maximal Value out of this expensive but beautiful resort
date: Mar 25 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We were transited through Dubai from Canada to Asia. We decided to spent three days in Dubai to see what everyone was talking about. We spent a good deal of time researching the various reviews, and following the various forums...which were very helpful...Thank-you &quot;Latimer.&quot;After all this research, we decided that we really wanted to experience Atlantis. The problem in my mind was the value for the money we were spending. Considering that almost the same resort in the Bahamas is a 3 hour flight away from us, and is priced at nearly half the price as the Dubai Atlantis, we opted to maximize our time, and minimize the cost as much as possbile.As mentioned, we spent three nights in Dubai. However, we only spent one of those nights at Atlantis. You may think that shuttling between three hotels in three days is hassle, and it is, a bit. I think we lost about an hour of our time in Dubai because of this. However, the difference in price saved us about $1,600 USD, and our non-Atlantis hotel was very close to the airport which made for a convenient departure.We arrived in Dubai on Tuesday afternoon, checked into our hotel in Deira (I'll write another reveiw about that one), and then promptly starting checking out Dubai, including ski-dubai. The next morning, we had breakfast, checked-out of our first hotel, and checked into Atlantis by about 11:00. Again, after reading the reviews, we felt the imperial club would be the best value for the two adults and our two children aged 7 and 9. Considering a can of 7-up costs approximitely $8, and a cup of tea was closer to $10, I think was a good deal.Since we checked in early (they only had 78 rooms booked that day), we were shown the club lounge, and then promptly had something to eat. We then headed off to the waterpark for a fun-filled day. As the sun was setting, we went over to the Dolphin area followed by some relaxing time by the beach....these beaches are no carribean by any stretch of the imagination, but the little fish on the shoreline and the abundant shells kept our kids happy.We went back to the room, got ready, and then headed off to the lounge. We had missed afternoon tea, which I am told included sandwhiches. The afternoon snacks were plenty for us. They had a chef who made a wonderful smoked salmon appetizer. We are not big eaters...especially our kids, and this was more than enough for us to eat to consider this dinner. Later in the evening, we strolled down to the lounge to get some hot chocolate and some more snacks. The staff at the lounge were kind enough to deliver this to our room for us, which was a nice touch. They did the same thing in the morning when we requested a morning cup of tea....freshly brewed from loose tea leaves.After &quot;dinner&quot;, we went down to the lost chambers, and had a great time looking at the various exhibits here. A true highlight to our visit.The next morning we woke up early and had a choice of two restaurants, or the lounge for breakfast. Despite the great reviews about the restaurants, we decided to eat in the lounge. We ate on the balcony overlooking the waterpark and the ocean, an enjoyed a full buffet, included eggs, bacon, toast, pastries, pancakes, juices, coffee/tea, cheeses, etc. This was more than plenty for us.The staff at the lounge provided me with a laptop so that I could check and respond to e-mails. You get free WiFi with the imperial club, but need to request a password. It was much less hassle for the staff to just give me the computer for as long as I needed it.The waterpark opens at 10:00 am, so in the meantime, we went to the pool, which was quiet and quite relaxing. Close to 10:00 we headed off for our second round at the waterpark. We spent another couple of hours there, went back to the lounge for some lunch, packed and checked out by 3:00. We were told that the kids club was included with the lounge, and almost put the kids into it while we packed, but they were content just hanging out with us.We left Dubai early next morning from our hotel in Deira, enjoying our trip to Atlantis and Dubai. The resort itself is beautiful. The staff is curteous and helpful. The rooms are a good size, and very clean. The beds are comfortable. The lounge is well stocked, and worth every penny to considering the price of food and drinks elsewhere...you also get a higher floor for your room with better views of the palm. The aquarium is amazing and the lost chambers are fantastic. I would go back. When our kids truly appreciate fine food, we would consider a longer stay as to try out the various restaurants. Until then, I think one night is enought to get a lot out of the resort.


doc_id: 15564432343263511843293242046221393033
title: Absolutely amazing!
date: Mar 21 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I took my husband to Dubai for his 40th Birthday as a surprise and chose the Atlantis to stay in. What a fantastic choice. The hotel is absolutely amazing, the service is exceptional the room was wonderful and the buffet breakfast is just out of this world. I can not praise the hotel enough. Wonderful pool, lovely views, great water park, fantastic club and the staff are so accommodating. It took me a long while to decide which hotel I was going to choose to stay at and I am absolutely thrilled with the decision that I made. My husband said that this was probably the best experience of his life other than having our children, I don't think you can possibly beat that. This was a fantastic time to go to Dubai the temperature was perfect and the pools were really quiet. If taking a trip to Dubai I would highly recommend the culinary flight at the Burg Al Arab this was an amazing experience (don't eat to many nuts in the sky bar at the beginning as each course of the meal was huge and we were struggling by the end). Take a trip over Dubai in a seaplane as this will take your breath away. The jeep safari to a beduin camp in the desert is definately one to try as this was thoroughly enjoyable. I would highly recommend Arabian adventures for your trips as their service was impeccable. Avoid arabia horizons like the plague as they are absolutely hopeless! I would say that you could not possibly beat this hotel in any way. I would recommend this hotel to any one for a trip of a lifetime.


doc_id: 338769917252368436235592292505587416898
title: Wonderful stunning hotel!!
date: Mar 20 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I returned yesterday from the Atlantis hotel in Dubai. For the first 2 days all i said was 'WOW', its amazing, clean, smart, plush and beautiful.It really is 5 star, the staff are all so friendly and politie and can not do enough for you, anything you want they will do.The rooms are lovely, so comfortable, the bed and the pillows were wonderful and the bathrooms beautiful and spottless, so clean and well designed.The food was amazing, some of the best food i have ever had, the breakfast which was included in the price was franckly outstanding, you could eat almost anything you liked. There was English, curry, chinese breakfast, sweet counter which even had a chocolate fountain and every jucie freashly squeezed you could think of. Although i did hear a man complain that there was no carrot jucie, the next day it was there, even though there was all different coloured apple juices, mango, orange, and the list goes on and on!!I really have no compalints, although it was very epensive in the hotel to eat, drink or buy anything. We payed 40 for 2 glasses of wine in one resturant, so be careful!!Oh dont forget to visit the water park which is part of the hotel, its brilliant fun and very scary water slides but worth it!!Overall wonderful luxery holiday and i cant wait to go back to this hotel soon, i am sad to be home now, i would reccomend it to anyone. I had read all the people moaning on here, i dont think i could moan about a thing.


doc_id: 39998973889441924381575560128947899059
title: A lovely relaxing place to stay
date: Mar 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
The hotel is beautiful, with a subtle sea theme. We found all the staff very helpful and they could not do enough for us. The rooms were big, 2 double beds and the bathroom even opened up into the bedroom,they were quiet and beds comfortableThere was always complimentary water but no special turn down service.The food was good, we booked all the restaurants before we arrived as we were travelling with another family and did not want hungry children. We tended to have a very late breakfast/brunch as this would last us through to the evening meal. The variety in both breakfast restaurants was brilliant. If we did have lunch it was a bit pricey but what we had was tastey. We did not eat in any of the fine dining restaurants but all that we ate in were lovely.There were a couple of birthdays in our group and the restaurants provided a lovely cake for each occassion and one in the room.The alcohol was silly money, we took some spirits with us so we could have a pre dinner drink. We took advantage of the happy hour at the Nasimi at 4 and enjoyed our drinks with a leisurely game of cards. The price of wine at dinner was very expensive and so we tended to drink beer or spirits. We didn't want alot to drink but the prices could not be justified. We experienced the dolphins, it was well run and informative and lovely as a one off. Aquadventure was great fun, it is best to get there early or all the rings get taken. the rides are great fun. The aquarium is well worth a trip and the people who work there are very knowledgeable. The pools were warm and we could always get a sun longer, the zero entry pool was our favourite with children. We did not use the beach much, the sand is very hard and crunchy! There are things to entertain the children: table tennis, basket ball, kite flying if they want todo something different.All in all it was a very relaxing week, with good food and good company.


doc_id: 291843375910034499940175369132722531579
title: Why all the bad press I thought it was fantastic!
date: Mar 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I had already booked this trip before looking at the reviews on Trip Advisor so when I read them I was a bit concerned to say the least. I have to say that now I have been I don't know why everyone is belly aching about the facilities at this hotel. I found the staff to be extremely friendly and efficient. Yes it's a 5 star hotel and yes it is expensive but no more so than any other quality hotel all over the world and I have stayed in most (including the Burj al Arab which was also fantastic). None of the complaints I have read in all the reviews I found to be accurate or true, every request made of staff and house-keeping was effectively carried out in record time. Room Service fantastic, delivered in less than 25 minutes. Bar Staff and Waiters extremely co-operative and attentive. We tried six of the main restaurant and loved them all, the best in our opinion was the Seafire Restaurant and special accolade needs to go to Anthony Ractliff the Operation Manager who was extremely attentive, pleasant and very informative. We spent over 15 minutes talking to him on the two occasions we were in the restaurant, well done Anthony and we will see you on our next visit to the truly amazing Atlantis Hotel.We upgraded to the Imperial Club which in our opinion was good value for money (very much like the Executive Club in the Jumeira Beach Hotel but better). You pay for what you get, confront and solve issues and problems with management when or if they happen or just go to Blackpool and enjoy the beach! International travel is about experiencing the journey and enjoying yourself.This is the first time I have ever put comments onto a website like this but I felt compelled to as I felt the hotel is being unfairly commented on.


doc_id: 164719827331386873420907012198649797386
title: Wonderful Hotel but meals expensive
date: Mar 17 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We have just visited this wonderful hotel. The location is superb as is the hotel. Splendid views back acrossDubai City.Large standard rooms, extremely clean with all facilities. Photos attached.There are about 8 restaurants on site. We ate in one of the cheaper restaurants the first night - the food was good but it was expensive, over 50 per person for just 2 courses. We decided to get a taxi into town to eat on other occasions as taxi travel is relatively reasonable.The Atlantis hotel has a wonderful water park with slides &amp; tubes. It is free for hotel guests just go down to the beach entrance for 9pm &amp; you will get a wristband and a golf car into the waterpark. Swimming with dolphins costs extra but you can go and look at the dolphin pols for free. The hotel has a vast aquarium in the basement foyer that also forms walls to a couple of rooms and 2 restaurants but is also accessed from the hotel and aqua park.The workers in the hotel were all foreign and all extremely pleasant &amp; helpful.We went for afternoon tea at the Burj al arab - certainly recommended - will file report shortly.The hotel provides free bus travel to 3 shopping malls. Just ask for a timetable from the concierge.We went to the mall of the emirates - the largest excellent but apparently some of the others are a bit cheaper.


doc_id: 47836308631385840659634668294497563466
title: Amazing place - pricey but nearly faultless!
date: Mar 16 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Slightly apprehensive after reading a few other comments but stay was perfect. - Rooms &amp; bathroom clean and wholesome- Well built hotel so no sound through walls- Friendly helpful staff- Expensive but as expected- Waterpark excellent- Swimming pools &amp; beach excellent- Aquarium brilliant


doc_id: 277556564621215208614952298368381701851
title: Never Again
date: Mar 13 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I am a frequent traveler to Dubai and when i heard about a new and exciting grand hotel is going to open, i thought ' why not '. My 'why not' changed to ' WHY OH WHY' as soon as i got there. The lobby was very nice and there were many staff at hand. But soon as i got to my room i was shocked by the blandness of the decor. It followed no theme, white walls and plain fittings. I went to sleep hoping that the rest of the hotel will make up for the rooms failure. I woke up and went for breakfast. The buffet was nice and there was alot of variety so i ate well. After breakfast i realised that the hotel was full of tourists who had come to see the aquarium. I quickly realised that, if your looking for a luxury hotel, this is not one. It is a tourist attraction and it shouldnt be classed as a five star resort. The plus sides of my visit were the water park, which was practically empty. And the Dolphin Interaction was worth every penny. But you dont have to stay here to enjoy these things. I did get to see a few celebrities as i was there for the grand opening but i imagine they are not going to be back too soon either.If you want true luxury Dubai style, I recommend the Madinat Jumierah, Dar al masyaf to be more precise.


doc_id: 49624492434168287730874041698255343734
title: Dubai is a ghost city and Atlantis a huge disappointment
date: Mar 13 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Dubai is unfortunately not what it used to be. Many areas are now half deserted. The service has also declined significantly everywhere but at the Atlantis it was a complete disaster. Impresonnal and uncaring. As soon as we arrived we discovered that they lost our suitcases and 3 hours later they still did not know where they put them! Four hours later they arrived . The place felt like a hotel factory or a large half empty airport. The fish and in particulaqr the dolphins were a real joy. Although we got the room on a pay 2 stay 3 offer, we still found that we overpaid.


doc_id: 338265206618436744655370701885455216289
title: Centrepiece of the Palm development
date: Mar 12 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
The Atlantis Palm is at the moment the centrepiece of the Palm development, where the residential properties in their identical sand colours make the whole area rather anonymous. It certainly attracts the crowds who want to see what all the fuss is about. The hotel is the brainchild of Sol Kerzner who already runs luxury hotels in Mauritius, South Africa, Bahamas (that also has an Atlantis), Maldives as well as the Sun City resort and casinos.Its a big resort hotel, but anyone who has visited Las Vegas has seen it all before where you have hotels pretending to be Paris, Venice, a medieval castle etc and if you think the Atlantis is large the MGM Grand is much bigger.The atrium with its glass sculpture provides a photo opportunity for guests and visitors, but you do wonder if this hotel will ever be complete without gaming tables. After all it was always rumoured that gambling would be allowed in the Palm area during the construction phase.I got a good deal for this hotel and paid less than many others would have paid during the first few months of the hotel opening. I spent a few nights in the Atlantis as a stopover from my main holiday in the Far East. As I already stayed in a 5 star hotel in Thailand, I could make a ready comparison between the two during my stay.We arrived at the hotel very early in the morning, in fact before 7:00 am and we did not expect to get a room as official check in time is not until 2:00 pm. Well even at such an early hour we were not the only ones checking in, there was actually a queue. Our first surprise was that they had a deluxe room ready for us with two beds to accommodate two adults and two children. To get a room before official check in time after a long flight from Thailand was a real boon for us and a big pat on the back for the Atlantis. At least we could grab a few hours of sleep instead of hanging around some lounge. In our previous stays in Dubai we have had to wait for a room to be available when we arrived in early morning.We opted for a deluxe room. I was not interested on any upgrade. Our room was a good size and the same size of our 5 star hotel in Thailand, with a large bathroom with for some reason the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom having a small sliding door which can leave you with a lack of privacy if you sharing the rooms with non family members.There was no welcome drink it may have been because we arrived very early as other guests who have stayed there have informed me that they did get a welcome drink. It was not a big deal for me, as on this trip I had several welcome drinks featuring strange concoctions so it was relief to have nothing. However the lack of a daily newspaper delivery for such a prestige hotel needs reviewing by the hotel management. I note that upgraded room get a newspaper. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that the hotel provides you with a free bottle of water everyday but no turn down service or chocolates in the evening which is almost standard now in 5 star hotels in Dubai and something we would expect as normal.We had buffet breakfast in both the Saffron and Kaleidoscope. For the latter we decided to eat outside in the garden, the range is similar but in the Kaleidoscope when they serve you tea, you have to make it yourself and they bring you the toast to the table (instead of making the toast yourself)and they have a conveyor belt featuring several type of desserts.The Saffron meanwhile has the famous chocolate fountain, although I encountered such a fountain some years ago in the Shangri La Kuala Lumpar and even back then it was too early in the morning to sample it although my kids enjoyed it. Saffron seems to be the more popular with guests having a range of international cuisine including Chinese, Japanese and Indian food as well as a juice bar. Some food needs better signposting in both the restaurants as too often I had to ask someone to identify a particular dish.There was a nice range of freshly squeezed juices, freshly cooked omelette's but the hash browns were a tad crunchy on a few occasions. Croissants were good and freshly baked and I could not resist the small pots of bread and butter pudding I (even though they seemed hidden away). I did not opt to have any of the curry dishes but I could understand that some guests may decide to have a late breakfast/early lunch with the range of food on offer.We knew that food in the various restaurants is expensive. Buffet breakfast was included in the price of our room, but my wife did sample some of the curry dishes as we contemplated eating in one of the buffet restaurants one evening. However having tasted some of the Chinese food, Chicken curry and Lamb curry over separate days her conclusion was that the food was too salty, not enough flavour and nothing special to justify a buffet dinner at almost 60 per head. For my part, one look of the Vegetable korma and all I can say the hotel would have to pay me to eat it and even then I would politely decline. Then again I was never a big fan of korma.A thing I noticed about the Saffron, that it was actually a good place for people watching especially as certain guests wandered around wearing dark glasses with a certain air about them so early in the morning as if they were some C list celebrity at ease with such opulent surroundings. (I also noted some of the same guests sitting in a pose in the hotel atrium and also outside the hotel near the taxi stand, the irony being the only famous person I did see was wandering around the hotel as ordinary as most of us.)The teething problems the hotel had during its soft opening period has been ironed out. The staff is friendly and helpful although we found our room tended to be made up much later in the afternoon. There is a regular hotel newsletter listing hotel activities, there is an evening shuttle bus to the Mall of the Emirates but only one way and there is another shuttle bus that takes you to the new Dubai Mall (a return service operated it seems by the mall and not the hotel). The shuttles arrive at the front of the hotel where the taxis wait. I was aware that there was a shuttle but when I emailed the hotel for confirmation before I set off for my holiday they denied such a service existed which seems strange and recommended that we take a cab or there chauffeured driven BMW at a very high hourly rate. Staying on The Palm means that a one way taxi ride costs about 5 to get out of the Palm area and to the nearest Mall.As for facilities the hotel has to offer, we tried the zero entry pool which is more kid friendly than the Royal pool. The zero entry pool has pool toys, basketball rings and by the side of the pool trampolines. The beach is man made in an artificial man made island. So do not have any expectation of a fine sandy beach. Instead its course sand, with some rough stones/coral and the sea is cold because you are further away from the actual coastline. I do not think the beach will get any better because of the nature of the Palm project. As we had spent our early legs of the trip on various beaches and hotel pools we opted to spend more time on the Aquaventure water park as we had free entry as hotel guests. We also visited the Lost Chambers, which is basically a small aquarium, although it was nice I would be loathed to pay full price for it.They had various special offers on. For example for spa treatment, hairdressing, I highlight the Royal shave with a free haircut for men. The shave costs approximately 55 (I chose to use my cheap disposable razor instead). There was a free introductory session to the kids club, my children were interested in trying it out but chose to spend time in the water park instead. Of course it goes without saying that the kids club charges has not gone down well with some parents. Internet access is very expensive and to think its only 3 AED an hour in some internet caf in Mina Bazaar.In fact the hotel charges are the main problem with the Atlantis. Many 5 star hotels are expensive regarding its extras, spas, restaurants but you get the feeling that maybe by not having an attached casino the management decided to raise revenue some other way. By being just more expensive and having charges for some things that are complimentary in other hotels and cutting out things like newspapers, chocolates on turn down etc. (In fact returning to the famous person I saw looking like you and me, he will have no problems writing the next series of Hustle.)Unfortunately when management set the prices for the Atlantis we were living in a world where we assumed bankers knew exactly how to run a bank rather than turning out to be incompetent chancers who caused worldwide havoc. The Atlantis seems almost out of touch in these thrifty times. It is no more than a very good hotel that is commonplace in the Las Vegas strip for a fraction of the price. Its no Raffles (Singapore) or Burj Al Arab that takes it out of the ordinary. I have no problem rating it a 4, I got value for money, enjoyed its facilities. I chose not to be extravagant in the hotel but in the long term, there will be other resort hotels with newer gimmicks in Dubai vying to be the next in thing, it is then the Atlantis will have to fight for custom and then its pricing structure will look to be a drag.


doc_id: 298011657740139868916428667929580908255
title: Never ever again to Atlantis
date: Mar 3 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
After reading many negative comments we decided to go ahead as we had booked in February for our November trip. We have been to Dubai before so know what to expect having stayed at Jumeriah beach hotel twice before over the very busy christmas period with no problems what so ever. What a shock we were in for. The hotel is stunning to look at but it ends there. The staff were mainly rude and very unhelpful and many couldn't understand your requests for drinks and meals so half the time you didn't get what you asked for. Food and drink was extremley expensive and there were 7 of us. Kids club, internet access, everthing was an extra costThe rooms were made up but the toiletries, water etc were never replaced despite many many requests. No newspapers, choclates on turn down absolutely NOTHING. We had 3 deluxe rooms and this applied to all not just one room. Water park was great but very busy due to non hotel guests. The beach was very poor with sharp coral as opposed to lovely golden sand. I could go on but I am sure you get my drift by now. We love Dubai but not the Atlantis. Jumeriah beach hotel every time. If you have not been to Dubai before you will have nothing to compare Atlantis too so you wont want to go again. Go elsewhere and enjoy


doc_id: 252146130960777586183180737405265754227
title: 1001 glitches
date: Mar 2 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Well, the title might sound a bit harsh and they actually didn't screw up on everything, but the overall impression after a 3 nights stay was very dissapointing!That Dubai is (too) expensive, is commonly known, but the value for what you pay in Atlantis is just miserable. But maybe you shouldn't compare to what you are used to of service and standards in western 5star hotels when staying there. The fact that they have only opened some months ago, might also play in their favour but still I will never stay there again when in Dubai. I could write a long list with unexcusable shortcomings in service and response to customer requests, but I rather state the good points. The food in all outlets, especially Rostang, Ossiano, Nobu and the Italian (forgot the name), were really topclass (not so much the service though). Maybe avoid the breakfastbuffet if you don't fancy hordes of unbehaved local kids running around and throwing with food...I guess that my Dubai partner that had to wait 70minutes for the valet to find his car after our lunch at Nobu won't return neither to Atlantis any soon. By the way, my luggage dissapeared when I checked out, I had to wait 45minutes for it to be found and almost missed my flight! No more comments...


doc_id: 16674301560124613940648906198425355364
title: Fantastic hotel but some tips on prices ....
date: Mar 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Atlantis &amp; Aquaventure do not disapoint.With a 12 year old and free entry into the waterpark for hotel guests 45 for non residents we spent 6 days riding around the lazy river. prices for food and drink are beyond a rip off bottle of water 7 kids meal in the room (this was the cheapest option) 15 for chicken nuggets and chips!! Kids club 20 per hr. So take these tips on board take freezer bags to breakfast and procure your lunch.Make friends with maids and ask for water to take out with you for the day.Dont get drinks and food from runners around the pool or park go directly to kiosks yourself.Dine by the pools or Nasmi. Take a taxi 6 to The Walk Dubai marina plenty of cheaper places to eat. Buy duty free on the way out and take it out with you, We are used to Dubai having been to Jumeriah Beach hotel before but the constant overpouring of money and not recieving the value takes the shine out of the whole holiday and creates stress you are going there to get away from. There is a FREE bus every half hour to Emirates Mall from 5.30 pm. Its a shame as we will be going back to Jumeriah Beach just because of the costs and lack of individual concern when you do have a issue.Bad food on room service and a request to see a bar manager after being charged 25 for one drink went unnoticed no one spoke or saw us. Costs nothing for good service we didnt recieve the value. Just beware take the tips and have a great time at the park,


doc_id: 330050469322017018394022337353814350892
title: Watch out!!!
date: Feb 28 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Went to Atlantis for a New Year with my wife and 4 children. The first problem start in the airport. I booked a mini van with Atlantis concierge to pick us up in the airport. Guess what, no mini van. Ok. we had to leave our luggage in the airport because it did not feet in the regular car and go to the hotel. Our luggage arrived a few hours later. I would not be a problem, but we were charged for 2 transfers instead of one. For minivan and for regular car, very nice. The staff in the hotel dose not speak much English, make shore that they understood you, because you my get a glass of vodka instead a glass of water. The new year party that we had to book was $900 per adult and $250 per child, that what we were told at the time of reservation. When I got the bill at the last day of our stay, the New Year charge was $6400. I spend about one hour speaking to a few hotel employees until they reduce the charge to $3450 . I paid the bill , which was not cheap for 8 days ( $25 000) and left the hotel. A few weeks later I received my American Express bill and I saw 2 charges from Atlantis Hotel. One for $25 000 that I paid and another one for $2400. I called Atlantis to find out what is it for, but could not get any answer. I called my American express and put a stop payment on this charge. American Express send a request to Atlantis and their answer was that this charge was for 29th of December, because they did not charge me for that day. I MADE A RESERVATION FROM THE 30TH OF DECEMBER ORIGINALLY AND I ARRIVED TO DUBAI ON THE 30TH OF DECEMBER. THE ARRIVAL STAMP IN MY PASSPORT IS 30TH OF DECEMBER!!! Can you imagine that? They are trying to get you every and any way they can!!! WATCH OUT!!!


doc_id: 142216723776497251015449806914108745605
title: So unsure - loved it but..........
date: Feb 28 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I have never deliberated so much over a review.....here goes...I had emailed the hotel 6 months in advance and prior to our arrival to let them know it was a special surprise holiday for my 'otherhalves' birthday. On arrival we were collected and transferred by Arabian Adventures in a luxurious Audi A8 (recommended). Check in was swift, professional and friendly, we were told we had a palm view (yipee!) and balcony. When we reached our room, though very happy with the size and the overall look and feel of the room, we overlooked the back (or front whichever way you look at it!) of the hotel and had a gulf-view, but with no balcony. I would normally be in seventh-heaven at such a glorious view of the sea, but I knew what the view was on the other-side and I felt that we were missing out. I quickly rang guest services and they informed me that they were full and we had been given a special room for my partners' birthday (we hadn't), I didn't want to sound ungrateful as I didn't know what they had in store for us, so I shut up and put up. They later sent a cake (gorgeous) but they could have sent it ANY room!!. Anyway enough about the view situation. Overall I felt that the room lacked the little things that make the Jumeirah/Burj/Hiltons special. I was surprised that they didn't supply beachbags for example, it sounds petty, but little things like that make it stand out from the crowd, the bathrobes were cheap cotton ones, not the luxurious thick toweling ones you expect at a place like this. We had no turn-down service etc...or extra water, some toiletteries weren't replaced - something you wouldn't normally bother about, but when you're paying the prices that they charge - you want/expect everything spot on. On the positive side, we loved the way the bathroom opened into the bedroom and the rooms were immaculate and had a nice feel to them. The hotel is HUGE, it took us the 3 days we were there to see most of it! We ate at Saffron for breakfast (beats the Jumeirah), Seafire (great steaks) and NOBU (MEGA Expensive...but nice). The pools are really nice and Nasimi is a truly chilled out sunset bar, with great music and a cool saxaphone player (the food was a bit average though, deep fried meze, deep fried chewy calamari). Azurebar, next to the main foyer is gorgeous, the barman is very talented and served our drinks to perfection. We visited the nightclub, which was a great experience. The staff were very attentive (I even had my sunglasses cleaned by the pool) and professional at all times. The waterpark is FANTASTIC, I have never been on a lazy river quite like it. It takes you to all different rivers, white water rafting, rapids, dams that burst, escalators up to speedy tunnel rides whilst you stay on your inflatable!!. It was a truly fun day. The food at the Aqua Adventure was RUBBISH with a capital R. We ordered burger and chips (very average - Burger King type) and I opted for the club sandwich, it was two pieces of soggy bread with some pastrami meat inside and four dirty pieces of lettuce. I have never seen anything quite like it and they quickly changed it for a chicken wrap..... that soon followed the club sandwich, it was disgusting the 'chicken' was a fatty, rubbery, chewy meaty thingy that was wrapped with ?? . The chef came out and was apologetic, I advised him to serve fresh food and people might come into the cafe/restaurant. He said they welcomed remarks from guest's but they had recieved no complaints before!! I really didn't think he was telling the truth. Overall, I loved our time here (even with the above moans). It could be truly magnificant place, but I feel that the Atlantis hasn't decided yet if to go full force Burj/Jumeirah luxury, or cut some costs and never quite reach there.


doc_id: 68606454364370002271802724375402644723
title: OK but won't be back
date: Feb 27 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I have travelled to Dubai for ages- and here is why Atlantis stands out among other hotels: it is located on the palm, it has aquapark for the kids older than 6, it has a nice design.However I missed the Eastern generous touch that is present in some other hotels in Dubai - it doesn't have the Eastern arab style, it does not have lots of free fruit and arab pastries in the rooms, the rooms are not as large, the kids under 6 have nothing to do and the spa is horrible. I was charged 300 dollars for a manicure and pedicure that did not last a day, and I only wanted my nails varnished, as my hands did not require a mani. The restaurants are far too overpriced. I am not mean, it is just that I have been to top restaurants in Dubai before and I know the prices. We went there for New Year, the restaurants were closed as early as 1.30 am, so we went to the bar which was still open at 2.30, only to be requested to leave shortly after 3 am as it was closing!!!


doc_id: 88420726053885884239618393506158358522
title: Amazing HotelWater Park and Imperial Club great but not worth the money.
date: Feb 25 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Having stayed at some of the top hotels I have deliberated over my review as everyone has their own expectations. Mine were high having never paid 500 per night for a room (excluding breakfast). In the event we paid 800 per night for three of us to enjoy 7 days in the Imperial Club.We debated paying the extra 100 per person for the Imperial Club. It is not value for money but you are paying for an improved service, a pleasant lounge, in a peaceful calm environment away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel. Included in the Imperial price is breakfast in the Lounge, Kaleidoscope or Saffron restaurants. Free internet access, newspapers (Gulf News in your room and two copies of a Daily Mail in the lounge) beverages and snacks all day. Afternoon tea from 3-5pm with cakes sandwiches crisp etc. Happy hour from 6-8pm included a selection of free alcoholic drinks, (now a sparkling Australian wine not champers as mentioned by previous reviewer.) and the most wonderful canaps. Kids club is included up to certain hours and access to the spa (Jacuzzi, sauna &amp; steam). Food and beverages are only available in the Lounge, so if you are in the Water park, beach or pool you have to return to the lounge.The Imperial Club rooms also have tea and coffee making facilities, a fruit bowl and bottles of water.  Im not sure if the regular rooms get this.Staff were keen to please and friendly, but with a lack of professionalism and service throughout the hotel is disappointing. This is the biggest complaint. Breakfast in the restaurants is a real pleasure with the largest selection of international cuisine I have seen including chocolate fountains. The hotel was at 85% capacity and serving around 3000 people in the two restaurants during 7  11am. In keenness to avoid queuing there is a disregard for guests walking around with their breakfast. Staff were literally running between tables and my daughter was physically pushed out of the way by one waitress. But they succeeded in keeping the queues down. If breakfast isnt included in the price you will pay around 28 per person per day.Making up of the rooms is very sporadic. There was a day when our room wasnt made up at all  and quite often there was no turn down service or it happened after we returned to our room at night. There are no fancy chocolates on the pillow or towelling animals.There is conflicting and a lack of information around the hotel. Too many to mention, but on arrival we endured 3 receptionists arguing and whispering over our room rate and where our room should be. The hotel activities list and shuttle bus timetables to the shopping Malls is still not readily available and has to be asked for. Staying on The Palm it is 8km from anything else, so a one way taxi ride costs a minimum of 8.Im glad we stayed at the Atlantis but in retrospect, I wish we had split our break between the Atlantis and the Jumeriah Beach Hotel. Having spoken to other people who stayed at both Atlantis and Jumeriah, it seems that the Jumeriah offers much better value with exceptional service. I also understand their equivalent to the Imperial Lounge offers a service at the Wild Waddi and at the pool areas so you dont need to return to the hotel. All this said we had a fantastic time. Would I recommend the hotel to a friend. Yes but with openess of the above critismn - it is an experience.


doc_id: 108397030350095802063252918261225367209
title: not all it is cracked up to be
date: Feb 24 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
whilst hotel is very breathtaking there are far too many rooms for facililites provided. I would not like to stay if it were to ever be full. It was also very expensive. Pools were only 4ft deep and beach is small with no proper waves because of location.


doc_id: 41251973640250275424780957630380260552
title: Excellent superb extraordinary...
date: Feb 22 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Excellent service, friendly staff, breakfast out of this world, great location, entertaining attractions,.... Usually I am quite critical when writing reviews on hotels (see e.g. my review on the Min A Salam in Dubai...). But for the Atlantis, I cannot find one negative aspect. We completely enjoyed our stay. This hotel really is a place where you feel welcomed. Staying somewhere in the resort not knowing where to go? You can be sure after max. 20 seconds an employee appears offering support. Everywhere people opening doors for you, greeting with a smile,...We never had such a rich breakfast buffet in any hotel we ever visited. Huge choice of bread, japanese and french food, all varieties of cereals, a chocolate well for the kids, ... -- just amazing. Our room was very nice. There was a sliding door between bathroom and bedroom allowing you to have great look to the sea when taking a bath. Aquaventure is good fun, especially &quot;Leap of faith&quot; is a great adrenaline kick even for a 30-something like me. Actually there is one thing to improve: Being lost somewhere in the water park, it would be great to have more signs showing the easiest way to the main attractions.I really hope Atlantis may keep this high level !


doc_id: 159387756693977754164129593882612709869
title: Great hotel but hideous prices
date: Feb 20 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Wow, what a fabulous location. The hotel is stunning and no expense has been spared on fixtures and fittings. The service is second to none and the staff are very friendly.The rooms are ok but not huge, I have stayed in better. Although there are hairdryers in the rooms, they cannot be plugged in anywhere near a mirror. The bathrooms are luxurious but small. Bath products are Floris which is a yummy brand. Towels are replaced twice a day.The Aquaventure water park is very good and my five year old daughter loved it. It has great thrill rides (which have a 1.2 metre height minimum) and a really good children's section. Life guards are visible everywhere and are approximately 10 feet apart, very re-assuring.We stayed in the Imperial Club. The rooms are exactly the same as deluxe rooms but you have access to the Imperial Club lounge and use of the kids clubs included in the price (didn't know about the kids club when we booked) The additional cost for the Imperial room is in my opinion not worth the extra. We used the Imperial Lounge daily and the nibbles and coffee were great but would have been much cheaper to have used the cafe even at 6.00 a cup (seriously !! so expensive) Also, we don't go on a family holiday to then put our daughter in a club.Restaurants are very expensive, especially for children. First night my daughter ate two slices of pizza which cost 18.00.Overall the hotel and resort are beautiful but do not upgrade to Imperial, it just isn't worth the extra 200 pounds per day.


doc_id: 31709426882655507238262469221963899868
title: Magical on sea
date: Feb 17 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Well were do I start ...this trip is my only holiday for a year, I work 15 hour days 7 days a week av 332 days a year as I own my own guest house not quite the scale of the Atlantis (10 rooms) .To cut to the review any holiday that I have has to be special.This one was Very very specialI arrived on the 7th Jan 09 was shown a room overlooking sea which I was not keen on as overlooked the front entrance of hotel and I asked to be relocated which was not a problem I was given a room over looking the pool and palm.The room was fantastic two massive double beds and the bathroom was out of this world. The room did had a balcony with standing room only which was a shame (I guess there was the next price bracket up) we could still stand and watch the sun going down over the sea. The facilities and staff around the pools and restaurants were fantastic especially having when breakfast overlooking the pool,the sun on your face,wind in your hair and a full belly, heaven on earth. The lost chambers and water park was amazing even for a 41 year old with no kids. I went on quite a few of the big water rides and some how ended up going through rapids whilst sitting in a inflatable (not inflated enough) ring and nearly losing the back end of my swimming togs in a dark tunnel... hum that day my youth was rekindled and relieved that my dignity was still intact.oh I remember the other thing, the lockers for the water park are very expensive i do believe that all things have a price how ever I was quite gutted at the time and felt cheated as i think it worked out at 11. when going to a 5 star I do expect to pay 5 star prices for food etc but for a locker? humm.......If I could change some things (but who am I) I would set sammy the whale shark free (if that is now the best thing )The Aquariam was amazing on one hand BUT part of me stressed out thinking of how they transported the fish and then how many must have died in the process?.The aquariam was so full of fish that it did make me sad I got myself into a right two and eight (state) .I know Dubai is trying to be bigger and better but nature is so amazing. Made me question what I had bought into .I snapped out of it, as its the world in which we live in and sooo out of my control.Over the 3 days that I was there we experienced some great restaurants Rondo (best pizza) ,buffet restaurants where you can eat what ever you like with very eager chef whom will cook their dishes fresh and deliver to your table.From hammocks on the beach listening to chilled out music to sitting watching people smoking hubbly bubbly pipes whilst sitting on large cushions with a pint of orange juice that was one of my favorite moments.The next evening it was posh cocktails and the next eve the coffee lounge looking across the water fountains and the twinkling lights of Dubai in the distance, my dreams had all come true.Thank you for the vision and the pure escapism from reality the Atlantis delivered me a very special holiday with memories that I will cherish.I went onto a 7 day cruise around the emirates amazing, some real eye openers and wow oil rigs a plenty... I am now back to reality very far away from the magical place in the middle of the sea hoping to give my customers the 5 star treatment in St Leonards on sea (Hastings UK)


doc_id: 5539993816395596235946340822196830183
title: Expensive - but worth it.
date: Feb 17 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
To set the scene  first visit to Dubai but have stayed in other 4/5 * hotels elsewhere in the world. Probably not quite the Atlantis target audience as a 30 something couple with no children just looking for 4 days in the sun. We stayed in Imperial Club room. The reviews are starting to look a bit similar and this will probably not much different than the last couple. If you have done your homework you will know this is going to be expensive and need to budget accordingly.The IC rooms get you access to IC lounge where there are free soft drinks during the day and most alcohol is free 6  8 in the evenings. All things considered this was a nice luxury but I think at approx. 150 supplement may not be worth it. There are a number o nice bars and places to eat lunch/breakfast that you are missing out if you just stick to the free lounge. I would do the maths and see what makes sense for you. Also worth noting that you can eat breakfast at any of the restaurants  the main ones had larger choice so suggest a visit at least one morning.The place is amazing. On arrival there was one person in front of us at the IC reception so was moved over the normal booking in that had staff waiting. Checked in within minutes and shown to room with bags arriving minutes after. We noted that although we had patio windows no actual balcony so asked to move. This was done without any problems. I would suggest asking for a room in East tower, with seated balcony, overlooking The Palm (not sea ward) and if so inclined the bit that looks over the very large fish tank.We went really for the food and relaxing but went twice to the (included) water park that is the best I have ever been to. The first I have seen with escalators that you sit on to reach the slides. (My next visit to Tescos that has the same will never be the same again!) This is a good place to just chill out in if you get bored of the (very nice) hotel pool. We visited the main restaurants and would recommend Seafire and Ossiano (on Valentine night). We also ate in Nobu but have finally decided that Japanese food is just not for me. The bar (and food) and Nasimi is also worth a visit. My wife used the Spa that she highly recommended. The place is expensive but worth it for a few days of luxury. Would we return  yes, after a bit of saving up again.


doc_id: 193350836493487563282854322777773601695
title: Underwhelming and overpriced
date: Feb 17 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
My wife and I have been very much looking forward to staying at the Atlantis based on the pictures we had seen of the place. However, it proved to be a very underwhelming experience. The hotel is at best 4 star - but it unfortunately carries a 6 star price tag. The deluxe room was no more than a basic business hotel room, with paper thin walls (I knocked on the walls and they are basically veneer, not brick).Despite informing the hotel we were honeymooning, we were placed next to a family with noisy kids. Hotel food was very average and the Aquaventure is no where near what it looks like on the marketing materials (eg.there was only 1 shark in the tank!). However, what was most annoying about this place was the fact that everything was an extra charge - including AER120 to use the spa and sauna facilities (unless you had pre-booked an expensive massage). Staff were generally friendly but service standards patchy - on our first night, the turn down service seemed to ruffle up our beds and one of our pillows looked like it had been slept on even! The one highlight however was the Lost Chambers aquarium display - with the baby whale shark - that was very good. However, not enough to make up for many deficiencies elsewhere and we would not recommend this place at all. We however moved on to the Angsana Hotel and Suites, which by contrast is absolutely fantastic place to stay.


doc_id: 204013182388482167553977275081880525738
title: Perfect weekend...
date: Feb 16 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Spent a long weekend over Valentine's and had the best time. We were upgraded to a suite, which was huge and had every amenity you can imagine. The hotel is amazing...we have stayed all over the world, but this place is impressive. We could have spent a week there and never left the resort/water park. Kids, ages 12 and 6, loved it and hated leaving. Highly recommend booking the dolphin experience. Expensive but worth it.


doc_id: 230698955038242579995144492389011263987
title: This place is out of this world!
date: Feb 13 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Make no mistake...this hotel is wonderful! If you are a couple who likes the finer things in life with young children who just want to have fun all day, the Atlantis is perfect.We just returned from the Atlantis after spending three days celebrating my 40th birthday. My wife booked it as a surprise and chose the hotel because I'm just a big kid really! So, my main concern (once I found out we were going there) was that Atlantis might be aimed too squarely at the ankle biters....Not the case...The restaurants and bars are absolutely top class. My wife and I often dine in good restaurants in London and the ones in Atlantis easily match up on food quality and comfortably beat the London venues on visual drama and attentiveness. We dined at Nobu and Seafire (where my wife had a Wagyu steak!) and spent about the same as we would in London on superb food and sublime wines...in an incredible setting. The design and execution throughout this hotel is fantastic! You walk in to a lobby that takes your breath away with a 30-metre glass sculpture in the middle and fountains round the edge. Brilliant! The drama continues throughout the vast common areas in the hotel culminating in a huge water tank containing 15000 fish...including a whale shark and series of lost world chambers!Your quite pricey stay includes entry to the awesome water park next door and the dolphin bay, but you have to pay about 90 to swim with the dolphins.Our room was a little plain compared to the rest of the hotel, but it was really comfortable and clean. Only gripe would be that a balcony does not come as standard, so we had drink out duty free bought champers in the room! If you've got a spare 20k, you could always book a night at the bridge suite, which we got a guided tour of....simply stunning!In the evening, take a few happy hour drinks on the beach at Nasimi, where a DJ and Sax player serve up chilled out house while the sun sets...then later on...wander up to the Sanctuary club where the inside is dark and moody playing electro and the outside balcony area is blessed with wooden pergolas, white canvas blowing in the breeze, exotic dancers, funky house and great cocktails at 9 a throw. You could think you were in a top venue in Ibiza!Top Hotel...top staff...top kids entertainment...to quality bars and restaurants. Save up and do about 3-4 days...you won't regret it!


doc_id: 274425569554381937482151611177061667690
title: Excellent hotel for ANYONE in Dubai
date: Feb 7 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
First night, we arrived to Dubai Int't airport, picked up by Atlantis Transfer in a BMW X5, excellent service, and good driver. We arrived to Atlantis in 30 minutes, with no traffic at all.We received a complimentary upgrade to Terrace Suite. Gigantic Terrace facing the beach, and the Royal Tower Pool side. Excellent view to wake up to each morning. The Balcony was so big it was big enough to have a party of 30 people at least on it.During our 3 nights stay in Atlantis, we did Aquaventure, Lost Chambers, Dolphin Bay, Beach, Zero Entry Pool, The Zone, The Kids Club, ate at Seafire, Saffron, and Kaleidoscope, bought souvenirs in Legend, went out to Mall Of Emirates one morning ot reserve our private lesson for the kids at Ski Dubai, and checked out on the 4th day.In Atlantis, what we liked most about it was the friendliness of the staff, EVERY (I mean EVERY single staff) from Front desk, concierge, guest relations, bellmen, security, cleaning ladies, buggy drivers, the thousands of lifeguards, waiters and waitresses, the cashiers... SMILES. Everyone was so friendly to my kids, they always offer their help, never can do too much for us.The service in the Saffron, Kaleidoscope are commendable. Usually, in our experience, in Buffet restaurants in hotels, their staff are SO overworked, they try their best, but service is always so-so. However, this is not the case in Atlantis, Saffron's breakfast was great, always gave us a nice table, service was efficient with coffee, tea, or anything you needed. Aquaventure was wonderful to spend a half day in. Some I can see, would spend a whole day. It wasn't busy during our stay, so we had a great time. Towels are provided for hotel guests free of charge in the park, there are plenty of lounge chairs, plenty of tubes for guests to sit on to float down the rapids( exciting) or just the quiet side of the &quot;river&quot;. It goes around the whole park. Husband was brave enough to go on the Ziggurat, the Leap of Faith... 3 times. It was straight down, into the tunnel where the sharks are..... we had a great time just WATCHING people survive the &quot;leap of faith!&quot;.The hotel is a great family hotel because it's easy to navigate. The signage in the hotel is very clear, staff is great, they recognized us by the next afternoon that we didn't have to show room key anymore to access the room. Security is good, and overall I thought the whole hotel's food standards was very high. Saffron and Kaleidoscope and other small eateries' prices were reasonable, of course higher than your average price OUTSIDE a top notch hotel, but within hotel like Atlantis, I find their prices very reasonable.Lost Chambers- kids enjoyed it, and loved seeing the changes in the Aquarium each time we passed it to our room, and the scuba divers were interesting for my kids. Seafire- expensive, but was our budgeted one night of splurging for eating. It was wonderful. The staff were wonderful in their service, taking care of my kids, have kids menu, and anything that we didn't like or requested, they accomodated with the utmost professionalism, friendliness, and efficiency.Overall, we were VERY happy at Atlantis, wouldn't hesitate to return to stay in our next trip.From Atlantis to Mall of Emirates, took about 10-15 minutes by taxi. Very convenient. Each time we went to or left the Palm, it was always amazing to see all the housing, and construction that was going on.Beach at Atlantis, very nice, quiet waters, lots of buggies with drinks and snacks to serve you, towels were provided readily, lost of lounge chairs, hammocks were available nearby the Zero Entry Pool, trampoline for kids, massages, souvenirs shops, and buggies were readily to drive you anywhere around the resort.Taxi- queue- NEVER waited for taxi. Go out the main entrance, and we hopped on the taxi.Decided to pass on the BIG bus tour, seemed not a very interesting activity, just to eat dust..... (what my husband said)..... so we decided NOT to do it.If you are a guest of Atlantis, and you get your breakfast included, and Aquaventure is free of charge, and Lost Chambers was free of charge, and free towels at the beach and pools, you really don't spend much money exceptIf you are considering or hestitating ...whether the Atlantis should be your hotel choice in Dubai,... my advice, don't hesitate, it was our best decision, and a wonderful start to our first trip in Dubai.I like to thank the general manager, Mr. A. Zarzosa for his generosity and wonderful hospitality, and the wonderful reception host, Myles. Thank you !


doc_id: 189113824773154925344301677005883437187
title: Wonderful service
date: Feb 7 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We spent a few days there in October last year. We were part of a group of 150 people who had booked as part of a conference.Our room was spacious and clean. Just be careful when looking in the mini bar - the items have sensors on so when you touch them you are automatically charged for them.We had breakfast and lunch daily at the Saffron. I highly recommend them, the chefs were awesome, especially in the Chinese section. I had no idea what to order and asked them to surprise me with something. The meals were great. The other Asian section that provided more stir fries were also very good. Overall the chefs in the Saffron were more than willing to assist with meal choices and more than willing to make something non traditional. The fresh fruit was the best I have eaten outside of picking it myself at a farm.Overall the stay was great, the staff in the hotel were courteous, friendly and helpful.


doc_id: 248756980326809095830634435050147619527
title: Great family resort
date: Feb 7 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Arrived at the hotel at 6am, and had paid for the night before just so that we did not have to wait to check in. Unfortunately when we got there, it took 45mins to get us a room. This was very annoying considering we had paid an extra night just to avoid the hassle! After some time which felt like ages, we got our rooms. My parents were not satisfied with their room, it had a crib ( we did not travel with any baby), and they also said it smelled bad. My room was ok, nothing special. After complaining they moved us to another room, it was pretty the same for me, although no crib and smell for my parents room. The resort itself is great, the staff are very nice and helpful. They always greeted you, room service was really quick, and they always called to ask if the food and service was good. If you have kids, then i dont think they will EVER get bored, as they is so much to do and see. There is the Lost chambers- i think 65,000 species of fish, the dolphin bay, the aquaventure park with is HUGE and a lot of fun.I would definitely recommend this hotel for a family trip, in the weekends it was quite busy, and people are allowed to come and visit the hotel and go to the Aquaventure and their other attractions (although i think one pool is reserved to guests) so it can get quite busy at times. Since i was with my parents it was cool, but i think if i was looking for a romantic getaway i would not choose this hotel. Still i would go to the aquaventure, cause it is so much fun! Had a facial at the spa (The palm Deep cleaning facial) and it was AWESOME! Very relaxing and very well organised, i strongly recommend this facial!The breakfast room is HUGE, like serisously it felt like a cruise at times! And breakfast is until noon, which is awesome if you are not a morning person!In all i really liked the hotel, although donot expect a quiet hotel, and the rooms are just OK. I do not know about the suites with the aquarium but it sounds real cool.


doc_id: 285904570581648939849982636359776770041
title: think they have their act together now
date: Feb 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
So, arrived Dubai arrivals at 4.30 local worrying about the 6 diazepam I have in my bag (for back problems) as am sure I shall get locked up for being a drug dealer. Fears over, sail through immigration, next port taxi to Atlantis please. Thanks to TA reviews, exit left from the airport to be greeted by a fleet of beige and yellow cabs. Now, start calculating the exchange 1 = 5aed, 20aed straight on the meter for a night fare plus our journey which I guestimate to be 25 mins. Arrive Atlantis near on 25 minutes exactly thanks to Stirling Moss our cab driver and parted with 80aed including a round up to nearest 5aed, not bad, I make that less than twenty quid.Ok, so its now around the 5.40am mark and our bags are whisked away by a bellman and were shown to the Imperial Club VIP check in by another equally polite and attentive gentleman. For those of you pondering a visit to Atlantis, I know its far from a cheap local hotel but, if I could make one recommendation with regards to Imperial club. If you intend to spend a fair bit of time at the hotel and given the facilities I would suggest you probably will, consider the extra cost for Imperial club. Imperial Club guests, once parted of and extra 400 approx for an average stay will qualify for copious extras in the way of food and beverages. Given the cost of eating and drinking in hotels in Dubai, this proved to be money well spent as the Imperial lounge offered food from 7am (massive breakfasts) to sushi, cakes, pastries, cold meats, cheese, fruit, tea, coffee and alcohol right up to 11pm, all included in the Imperial upgrade cost.Now, having read the early TA post on Atlantis, I must admit to being tempted by staying off the island at say the Jumeirah beach hotel. Early Atlantis reviewers, even though they had been fortunate enough to have had the luxury of a massive discount on room rates, were scathing of the fact that the resort wasnt quite finished and service was far from attentive. Please note that the hotel had a soft opening to bring staff up to speed, no easy task when you have around 1500 rooms and a smilar amount employed encompassing around 39 nationalities.After a two hour nap, assessment of our room, (very comfortable) a shower and a massive breakfast at the imperial lounge, I was ready to explore.From the outset, climbing from our cab on arrival, the staff were, courteous, attentive, without being subservient and very accommodating. In fact I would suggest that given early reviews, perhaps Atlantis is overstaffed to appease the early negative reviews.In a nutshell, staff10/10, cleanliness of hotel10/10, general facilities (giant aquarium, water park) 10/10. The only criticism of my experience at Atlantis would be the dolphins, you dont get to swim with them but understand that this is due to change about mid 2009, the photos cost a fortune and its not a 90 minute experience as one is led to believe 7/10.Hope this helpsAvinaggAka Ken


doc_id: 387893742054812454594222127168837606
title: Nice to be pampered at the Atlantis Palm
date: Jan 28 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
My wife and i stayed at the Atlantis Palm for 4 nights in november 2008 just before the official opening.We had a luxury room with a large balcony with 2 sun loungers overlooking the pool and the sea.You can't fault everything that this hotel has to offer.The attention they give you is superb.The pool area was excellent with more than adequate numbers of sunbeds and the same also goes for the beach area and everywhere was kept spotlessly clean.We thoroughly enjoyed our short stay here and would love to visit again some time soon.The breakfast that was included was first class in every aspect and the restaurant was a delight.Evening meals were expensive as were all the drinks,however as this was a special occasion and we knew before hand that it was not going to be cheap we didn't mind.The adventure park is free to guests and you can spend a great day in there,although it can get very busy at times as non guests can pay to come in and use this facility.I would definitely recommend this hotel as a treat or special occasion as long as you are aware it can be very expensive.Taxis are cheap enough into Dubai City from the hotel and you could eat out there a lot cheaper if you wanted to.The monorail due for completion this year (2009) from the hotel will make access to other areas easier and more interesting.Dubai is a great place to visit and is both friendly and safe.This was our third visit to Dubai and we love it.I would recommend a day out on the open top bus which takes you to all the places of interest around Dubai,the ticket allows you to hop on and off the bus when you like.Also a trip along Dubai creek on a Dhow boat with an evening meal is a must.


doc_id: 94876276713652088920628955002863325297
title: The palms did not sway me.
date: Jan 27 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I have waited a bit to write this review so that I could be clear about things.The actual price of the trip, we found it on travelfinger.com - was good; but generally and we were warned, the place was expensive. Dont get me wrong the hotel is good, but I really think thats all it is. Its new, spotlessly clean with attentive helpful staff everywhere. The pools are very good too, maybe the best I have experienced; the infinity pool looking out over the city is terrific and the water park and aquarium is also up there. (Though lots of people could not help but tell me its better at the Jumeirah Park-you know the type!)Our room was fine, spacious with up to date mod cons, iplayer, plasma telly, and a nice balcony also with good views. Breakfast in The Saffron Restaurant which was included in the price, was wonderful, probably one of the nicest hotel breakfasts I have had.Okay, now the issue. This was my first time in Dubai and frankly I thought the whole place was too expensive for what it is. Overpriced, is what I would call it. In the hotel, a glass of champange was thirty quid, breakfast if not included, was around a hundred. General food prices in the restaurants were a couple of hundred for a meal for two. The dolphin park was around three hundred an hour. As for the booze, forget it, it,s crazy prices, stock up on the duty free.Another problem which nobody forewarned us about was the fact that non residents can run around the hotel all day long and I thought that was a bit of a take-on for those staying there.The beach is man made, as is the whole locality and thats another problem; it feels manufactured. There arent any of those little finds you enjoy discovering . Its almost bordering on Disney.A nice hotel yes, but I am so pleased we did not pay fortunes for it as did somegive me Vegas anyday!


doc_id: 13775021940179635576647954536413206710
title: outstanding hotel took my breath away
date: Jan 21 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Stayed at the Atlantis at the end of November as i heard there had been a few problems i was aware it might not have lived upto my expectations but that wasnt the case. As we arrived in Dubai and the taxi drove towards the hotel it was like a dream come true. The hotel staff were friendly and there wasnt a que to check in unlike other people may have had problems. The room was nice had a great view of the pool and the beach. We were able to have a shallow water interaction with the dolphins which was the best thing about our stay only wished we could have swam with them.The hotel prices for the food and drink is very expensive for what you get which was a bit of a let down for me as that was one of the things i was looking forward to otherwise the breakfast was the best meal of the day with a chocolate fountain which i loved!The water park was very busy on a weekend as anyone can go there so go early.


doc_id: 80237282584331572892052081842265874842
title: Best service level ever
date: Jan 19 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Very nice hotel and typical Las Vegas style looks. Rooms are however very, very disappointing for the very, very expensive price you pay for staying here. Restaurants and pools are fantastic and the water park is the best in the world. Hotel staff are available everywhere and the level of attentoin and service is the best and can't be beat. They really treat you very, very well everywhere reception, bell desk, security gards in the hallway, lobby, restaurant personel, life guards at the pool etc etc. We live in Thailand are are used to best service but we were still impressed with Atlantis and their attention to their guest. All prices are however too expensive and you get just a normal typical 3-4 star room. Our kids want to go back due to the waterpark - but this place is not really affordable.


doc_id: 54235112974539159776871044618380281366
title: Best Ever Holiday
date: Jan 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Just come back from a week at the Atlantis Palm and I have to say it was fabulous! We are a family of four (two girls aged 15 and 8) and we all thought it was WOW.Lots of things to comment on, especially after having read so many reviews that were poor before going. We found all the staff to be genuinely very friendly and helpful. Obviously got over the initial opeining woes as everything was very smooth and well organised. The occupancy was low when we were there, so we had lots of staff looking after our every whim, not so sure it would be the same once it gets to 75% occupancy and upwards, although there are 4000 staff employed in the complex!The facilities are stupendous. Everything is spotless and polished daily! Pools and outdoor facilities are fantastic. Beaches are man made with white sand that looks like they are brushed every night (they probably are!). Aquaventure (water park) is great if you are (or have) kids! Free to hotel guests. The Lost Chambers and the whole Aquarium thing is also amazing, again free for guests. Lots of nice touches in the hotel, kids club, kids games room, ice cream factory and other things that show great attention to detail.In terms of our room, we had a Deluxe double over looking the Aquarium. I would do the same again or go for a room over looking the pool, not the sea.The room was a good size with a great sized bathroom/showeroom. High standard of finish and facilities, with two very large double beds in it. Great Plasma, Ipod player, hairdryer etc etc.The only thing we could fault is of course the restaurant and bar prices. We had planned to eat in the hotel, but the prices were just to high. Luckily our deal had breakfast at Saffron included which was great as otherwise breakfast would have cost us 100 per day for all of us! The breakfast was great, sooo much choice, sooo much food. Can't recommend it highly enough. But get it included.We also ate twice in the Kaleidescope restaurant, which again was a buffet style but very nicely done, very high quality and lots of choice. Usually came in at about 130-150 with a bottle of wine for the four of us, which we could cope with.I would recommend you get off the Palm and try restaurants and shopping in Dubai. It is the Dubai Shopping Festival from mid Jan to mid Feb, so lots of sales and activities. Taxis are cheap and we found some great restaurants by asking the staff and taxi drivers. We found one particularly good Chinese called Hong Kong Cuisine near the Movenpick offices in Dubai City. Very traditional, no frills but great staff, GREAT food and good prices. Full works for the four of us usually about 50-60, although some new law has been passed which means that only restaurants in hotels can serve alcohol, so beware if you like a drink with your meals.Overall I would say it is the best hotel we have ever stayed in and we have stayed at some very nice hotels previously. Would definately go again and recommend it to anyone thinking of going to Dubai.


doc_id: 14747097308096899614746180082284123268
title: fabulous resort
date: Jan 18 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
The Atlantis delivered all it promised to be. It's big, it's brash, there's been no expense spared - exactly what you expect from a luxury Dubai hotel! The service was great. They certainly seemed to have ironed out any teething problems they may have had when it opened.Everything is expensive though. Coffee was 6 a cup and I daren't even think what we paid for a gin and tonic. We ate in the hotel 3 nights and for the other nights we took a taxi to the shopping malls, and ate there. There's lots of choice, so a very easy option.Taxis were cheap, (and it's the only thing that was) - about 6 to get to Emirates Mall.The aquarium at Atlantis is amazing, and never ceased to entertain us. The Goliath Groupers have to be seen to be believed.The Aquadventure waterpark is great for children and dads! I found the rides far too scary, and tended to relax with a book on my sunbed instead. Also, beware, ladies, I managed to burn holes in my bikini bottom, due to the impact on landing down some of those water slides.Another thing about the waterpark - the lockers are 10 each. I paid for two, but found we could get all our stuff into one. However, they would not refund the 10 for the locker I didn't use. This was such a rip-off, we still haven't got over it. Anyway, if you don't take valuables, you don't need a locker, you can leave your things on the sunbeds.Would like to return to Atlantis, just need to save up first.


doc_id: 58150023829012510812811693152815322913
title: Very grand but no heart
date: Jan 15 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
When we arrived in Dubai our transfer never turned up to collect us. Had to hunt round for someone to help us. there were other families which were staying at Atlantis who had also been abandoned. Evently got sortedwith a transfer. On arrival at the hotel we checked in had a deluxe room, which had 2 double beds in. We were traveling with our 2 children 8 and 11. room was big enough for all of us. and lovely bathroom. Our friends who were traveling with us same set up 2 adults 2 children. They were taken through to VIP area. We didn't find out till we saw them the next day the hotel didn't even have their booking and were kept hanging around for 2 hours. His room was evently sorted out. The hotel said they'd sort out a rate for him. Breakfast was a scrum down with massive queues. Everything you can think of though was there. Giant chocolate fountain! which my 8 year old took a look at!Lots of sun beds no truble getting one.Dolphin bay very good. lots of information we hadn't heard before on other dolphin experiences - good for a first time or with young children.Waterpark very good - gets very busy - we also had our bag disappear with our room cards and money in but it turned up at the end of the day in a different area. Kids went to the kids club only once its very very expensive! not Jumerea beach!Lunches at shore and wave restaurants were again very expensive and no service. there are lots of waiters and staff around but nobody seems to know what to do. This applies to all the hotel. Spa - my husband went to use the steam room - oh sir thats extra! 24. There seems to be alot of that too. oh thats extra for the power plate in the gym!Booked my treatment the first full day we had there. Thought it would be busy being New Year. Booked treatment. When I went for massage they didn't have it. Then they said they'd sort it out. Go and get changed etc. Then they said they couldn't again. Evently had a treatment. Next door to treatment room people talking really loadly running a bath. Left cold after treament too.Just not impressed at all.New years Eve fireworks were cancelled due to fighting in gazza.Which was fine. Buffet very good not much for kids though. My husband ate a bad lobster didn't realize it shouldn't smell of ammonia and was ill for the rest of the holiday.Our friend on check out had been over charged 3,500! didn't even get an apology.Sun was out though which is what we went for. Had good time with our friends and family, But not the Dubai we've been going to for the last 11 years.


doc_id: 280357669264305154170979359348999654715
title: An Honest Review
date: Jan 14 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I've been back from the Atlantis about a month now and must say that i highly reccomend it.We stayed in an Imperial Club room meaning that our drinks and snacks were free throughout the day until 10 o'clock. This is DEFINATELY worth it due to the fact that all of the other restaurants are sooo expensive. The food in the Lounge is lovely and there is a big varitey which changes from day today. We were also placed higher up in the hotel because we were in an Imperial Room and the views were amazing.The room had partition doors which looked into the bathroom with a sunken bath. The cleaner was absolutely fantastic making animals out of the towels like dogs, swans - each day was a new style. He also left Arabic treats and sweets everyday for us.The hotel was spotlessly clean and people were always on hand to help. The pool staff were a great laugh and did anything for you like get you a golf buggy to get to the other side of the hotel or fetching fresh drinks. The Pools were gorgeous too - one was an infinity pool looking onto the city and the other was the Zero entry pool which was also gorgeous. I had a massage by the pool which was great though a bit pricey though you cant expect much else from a hotel like this. If you are planning to eat in the hotel all of the holiday and try the different restaurants it will very VERY expensive. We went to Nobu which was a bit of a let down - one tiny glass of Veuve Cliquot Champage cost 30 which is absolutely extortionate and after eating in another celebrity restaraunt we decided we didnt want to pay the prices and ate out in the near by Malls or went to a restaraunt in the hotel called Saffron which was the best bit of the hotel!It was quite expensive but the food was amazing and it had such a variety - you could have Indain, Italian, French, Arabic, Chinese, Create your own Salad, pancakes, a chocolate fountain, a grill and so much more. One of the chefs even made me my own dish!If i went back i'd stick to eating out and in Saffron as the other restaurants were a waste of money. Before we went to the hotel we booked a restaurant for each of the nights we were there but ended up cancelling them when we experienced them and found out the price. The Lebanese restaurant was an experience and well worth it though it was very pricey too!!I would definately recommed this hotel as it is absolutely fantastic - the big aquarium is amazing and the water park just outsidde is so much fun - the rapids are great fun. The only thing i'd say is to be careful of how much you spend because you could easily go crazy here!I also swam with the dolphins which was really good fun!!


doc_id: 31756208219999180776548915908471025950
title: Big Mistake !!
date: Jan 11 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Stayed at Atlantis for 14 nights for Christmas and New Year, In an imperial club room. The Last 2 Christmas and New Year we have stayed at Jumeirah beach hotel, and we were far from prepared for the gulf in service quality we encountered. After 3 days we called Kuoni to hotel, they tried to move hotels for us but the manager wouldnt allow us any form of refund, but moved us to a 1900 a night suite due to our level of upset. Even in this room on 4 separate occasions the hot water didnt work and needed maintenance to come to the room Our original imperial room was very nice with decor to a high standard,but suffered from a lot of noise from adjoining door and corridor . Beach is very hard like walking on concrete with a sprinkling of sand on top. Contains sharp building rubble which increases as you go into the sea. I hurt my foot on one of these exiting water on 3rd day as water is too murky to see what your stepping on . This followed by an appalling lunch at the poolside restaurant and preceded by another cold breakfast earlier that day were the straws that broke the camels back. prompting our request to move hotels. Poor English is spoken by many of the staff, and poor anticipation of our needs by nearly all restaurant staff becomes tiresome. Plastic thermos flask teapots often with luke warm water inside. Breakfast buffet food was cold as lids are left constantly open. No pork products available you have &quot;turkey bacon&quot; and chicken or veal sausages. Porridge made to order only with long wait (but at least it was hot) On the last day in Kaleidoscope had breakfast signature bill put under my nose whilst i was eating with comment can you sign please,while she stood and waited for me to stop eating put down my cutlery and sign. Very annoying! Food at pool and water park very poor, a processed chicken burger at Aquaventure 11. The only upside is Tell them your not happy and they take it off your bill. Wagyu steak sandwich Nearly 30 at poolside. Atlantis cheeseburger with fries best of a bad lot at 14. Several guests we spoke to who also normally stay at Jumeriah beach were equally unimpressed. I have filled in hotel questionnaire from JD Power, although the hotel management are well aware of our utter dissatisfaction and we are in the process of writing a letter of complaint to our travel agent. It became clear very quickly its 5* facilities did not make it a 5* hotel.We will be returning to Jumeirah beach next Christmas and putting this year down as a big expensive mistake     .


doc_id: 115907252834104320467653023680307709773
title: Disappointing
date: Jan 10 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
As you can see from the title, we would not recommend this hotel for families with young children. Reasons for this being:1. For all the hype on number of restaurants, eating is very poor with all eateries at the water park serving all the same disappointing food. Restaurants within the hotel are definitely not geared towards guests with young children as there are no childrens menu plus when asked what they could do for kids, it was met with a look of puzzlement. I must admit in the Italian restaurant, I did have the smallest piece of swordfish ever!! Our saving grace during our weeks stay was the buffet restaurant which we ate at each morning and once at our last night.2. One day at the resident's pool, the courteous attendant arrived with 1 of the yellow life jackets for my 2 year old daughter. The next day this was a big problem to provide as it from the hotel's waterpark and not resident's pool!! I ended up having to wait for well over an hour as the attendants and team leader couldn't organise my request which was eventually agreed by a manager. That reminds me, I'm still waiting his response on why the jackets cannot be provided at resident's pool??3. Waterpark not well designed for young children such as separate shallow area near main water feature as there are continually larger children and adults running through. Only had 2 single yellow slides at feature and nothing more! Main part of lazy river definitely not suited for young ones given the ferosity of the rapids and waves, although did see one father and 2-3 year old daughter which was frightening and had to avoid knocking his inflatable ring over or they would of easily been swept away.4. Tried to organise dolphin adventure by this was pretty much all booked up month ahead of our stay with only 1 place available which is useless when minors need to be accompanied. Their solution was to go along to area and wait and hope for no shows!! To give some sort of balanced feedback, I would say:1. The spectacle of the hotel was stunning and the large aquarium is spectacular although would question keeping a small whale shark there!2. The ice cream shop in the mall was great although you couldn't charge to room.3. Large glass display in centre of reception was pretty stunning, but recalled each time a strange chemically burn smell so didn't want to hang around there.On the whole some experience although an expensive one, but would not hurry back.


doc_id: 240871615738980830758815323304406016219
title: 5*HOTEL 4/5*SERVICE 7*PRICES
date: Jan 7 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed at the atlantis from the 26th dec until 6th jan. myself my wife and my 2 girls aged10 and 12, as we drove onto the palm and saw the hotel it was wow,we arrived and were greeted by lobby staff bags out of car and into reception within minutes.the reception/lobby area was grand but i have seen better, we booked into the imperial club which had a seperate checking in area it was ok.i found out after there is a vip lounge to check but it was not open(arrived at 10am).we were ckecked in and in our rooms within 15 mins, the rooms were very clean but nothing special ,bathroom door opened into the bedroom ,26&quot;lcd all the rest was basic, the imperial was on the 12th floor ,i advise if you book the imperial club ask for the 12th floor other you will be in and out of the lift. my impression of the club was excellent well worth the 720 dirhams per day extra. staff,snacks,serviceand the cocktail hour between 6pm and 8pm where most acholic drinks we complimentary . soft drinks and snacks are comp all day,the hotel itself the lobby/aqaurium/shops were to busy for my liking from 10am till 11pm hundredes of visitors,the water park was excellent for all of us especially in the morning no queing got busy from midday onwards ,there were comp buggys to take you to and from every 5or6 mins, never used the beach but it looked very nice with bean bags and sun beds every where. the pools were great first couple of days we spent at the royal towers pool very quite and then we went to the zero pool kds loved it around the pool there was a trampoline basket ball net 2 pingpong tables all comp, the pol itself was vast with a basket ball net also at appr 4 pm the pool started to heat it was brill, the food in and around the pool was ok and expensive ,there are 3 tennis courts which were free to use but you had to hire the rackets(not a problem) but then you had to buy the balls (what a con). the restaurants ,we ate in most of them, seafire was the best for me the steaks were out of this world service was very good aswell 10/10 next Michel Rostang very good next Giorgio Locatelli,not very good at allservice was none exsitant had to ask all the time until i called the manager then it was the best ever ,next nobu everything fantastic,next Levantine we went here for breakfast god food service was ok (not 5*standards by a long way)the atmosphere was very hectic ,for breakfast aswell next the Saffron same atmsphere as the levantine but the service was a lot beter and the food was ten tims better, next lunchtime which we ate either at the water park useally water park food , or round by the pool we ate pool side bars not 5*at all. the kids club i refused to put my girls in there as it was 44 a session 2 two sessions a day (never known a hotel to charge for kids club)my over all expereince of the atlantis excellent staff nothing was a problem for them. very very very expensive (i have stayed in just as good for a lot less)i would not recommend this hotel under 4s apart from the pool as there was nothing for them . i think i have covered everything apart from saying a BIG BIG THANK YOU TO RIO AND WALTER in the imperial club


doc_id: 243374329018991005210187773131586186424
title: Great- Nanny of six children
date: Jan 6 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I am a Nanny of six children and this is how I found it for the children. Food- Excellent, some of the children are quite fussy that I look after and even in restaurants they didnt do chicken nuggets and chips they made them for them. Definately go to saffron for breakfast. Highchairs always came with in seconds of reaching the table apart from once out of 2 weeks. Also highchairs were very clean. Staff made a real effort with the children. Lifts- beware of the doors! they shut rather quickly, did manage to loose a child in one thank god it was the oldest and was sensible to wait at the bottom. The children were quite scared to get in them first if you were not stood by the door. Never had to wait long for a lift. Rooms- very clean, lots of space, linen changed everyday. Fresh bottle of water left each day aswell, fruit bowl full at arrival never got filled up though.Waterpark- A buggy would take you to water park, couple of mins drive. 10 mins walk but a easywalk all flat with pushchair, pushchair access is great all over hotel. Life guards are everywere, every few metres. Great fun for all children, could do with a baby pool. Has got one but water tips over it, not very ideal as scares young children. Lockers are at the entrance and cost 10 pounds. But as hotel guests enter at other end of park and have already paid alot for there holiday should be free. Also to trape 6 children across the park and back again is a pain. Towel use is free to hotel guests.Lost Chambers- great to look at fish! But once you have been round once, thats it really. Only one activity to do which is to put your hand in the water to feel a star fish. Could do with a activity room. Also a shop half way round, and staff around telling you about the fish. Shops- Very expensive! there is a gift shop with alantis written on everything even crocs! Cold stone ice cream shop, can only pay by cash cannot put in on your room! Fab place for the children tho, staff sing, dance and throw icecream to each other. Children love to watch.Swimming pools in hotel- clean, life guards all the way round and not to deep. Service is around to pool is excellent, towels are brought over straight away, sunbeds are always available and moved to where you want them to be. No umberellas though u have to make a tent to keep children in the shade. What to do for children in the hotel- around the pool is basketball, table tennis and trampoline. Tennis courts are easily booked, have to rent rackets and buy balls. No shade so best to book after 4. On the beach is football nets, sand pit for young children (No shade), table tennis and voleyball nets (mostly used by older boys and men). Kids club- very expensive! the girls wanted to go for a Hannah montana competition expecting a afternoon of fun and games and when they came out it had been a computer game! a little dissapointed! Do have movies and popcorn nights, also have rock climbing and computers, both girls and boys enjoyed. Club rush- again very expensive but has fully equiped computers and gaming consols. The boys loved club rush! Also there is a buisiness centre were internet access is free. The entertainers occasionally pop up then go! In the daily activity sheet it said limbo at 2pm we got there at 5 past and they had finished and then for the next 50 mins the children ran round the beach with a ball. Also no childrens Disco! or entertainment of a evening you have to make you own. Could do with a soft play area for young children and parents. Room service- Fast, but can wait for it to be collected again. Check in- As we had 5 rooms was a mix up at first but got sorted quickly as we wanted them in a row. House keeping- Fresh linen everyday, plenty of towels. Always hot water, large bathroom. Very helful, I smashed a bottle of purfume were there in mins with a hoover and a mop. Overal children did enjoy themselfs, bits of the hotel open to the the public and walking with 6 children was a nightmare in the day as its very busy. Security are good checking room keys cards but not if you forget them. The family do want to go back in febuary, Hope its been helpful. x


doc_id: 152373155132031620624276817420695365759
title: Bad value for money
date: Jan 3 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed for a week to celebrate new years eve with my family, and we will not come back. The building is like a fantastic sand castle and it is a good place for kids, but it is far away from a 5 star hotel.Rooms are clean and mostly quiet, but quite ordinary. You don't even get a newspaper. Internet worked only once in a while and was very slow. Restaurants are overprized, overcrowded and nothing special. We had to wait up to 45 mins to get a table for breakfast. They also try to screw you on almost every occation by adding extra items on your bill. On checkout they tried to overcharge us about USD 7500 in total (4 rooms) on all kinds of things we did not have, ranging from breakfasts (that was supposed to be included) to big dinners and drinks we did not have. We had payed USD 800 per perosn for a NYE gala dinner in advance. The hotel messed up with our tickets and after fighting with the management for 3 hours we got a table, There was hardly any food left. The fireworks was cancelled (that's what most people paid for) and the management offered no refund. To top it all of, they tried to charge us extra for that dinner. I could go on and on with disappointments. The bottom line is: Don't stay at this hotel, stay somewhere else and visit the Aquaventure for a day or two instead (good fun for everyone). This hotel would be a decent choice if you paid 1/4 of the price and expected charter tourist quality.


doc_id: 38218417657933261935474532188182226277
title: Best Holiday Ever!
date: Jan 2 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We are now back in the UK following a 10 night stay at the Atlantis over Christmas with our 2 kids ages 6 and 1. After reading a few of the reviews on Tripadvisor following the opening of the hotel we were a little concerned, but once we were there we found none of the things that people complained about to be true for our stay.The hotel is quite magnificent and the facilities are excellent and everything is so well maintained. The staff couldn't have been more attentive and friendly and every one of them went out of their way to make us feel at home.The hotel is huge and so reviewers comments about there being a lot of people around are true but we didn't feel it was too much and it certainly didn't have a negative impact on our stay. There was plenty of available chairs on the beach and around the pool and we never waited more than 5 mins for breakfast or for a taxi outside.I have read some of the recent reviews and have to disagree with them as this was not what I encountered at all. This is a theme hotel and very family orientated so maybe they wanted something more intimate and boutique like. Our stay at The Atlantis was one of the best experiences I have had, and I have travelled extensively and stayed at some of the best hotels in the world (Shangri-La - Bangkok, The Magellan Sutera - Borneo, Hotel de Paris - Monte Carlo, Mandarin - Hong Kong,) so I expect a lot and can compare it objectively.I would definately go again and would suggest that some of the more negative comments in the other reviews be taken with a pinch of salt.Daniel KingLondon


doc_id: 243708030239854660607078543474596198047
title: Mediocre Hotel
date: Jan 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Being a Dubai resident, we wanted to spend a week end in this new hotel in order to have a fair view of this new resort.We came back after the week end with only a mediocre idea of what the Media called a Palace. In fact simply no value for money.I will not call that an Hotel but a Public place with thousands of daily visitors running around and keeping the area so busy that the staff is simply not available for you. Security check points are everywhere and you have to show your room card at every check. The checking is terrible and even if you have paid thousands USD you have to queue like in a supermarket. By the way the check out is the same mess.The Standard rooms where we were are basic and far away from the price you pay. No misunderstanding, rooms are clean but nothing special at all.Beach is private hopefully but back side of the Hotel in the Palm with what I call dead water as there is almost no water circulation. Strange pieces of green stuff are floating around. We stay few minutes in the water and took a shower.Water Park is also mediocre. Better to go to the Jumeirah beach Hotel water Park !Restaurants are OK but again very expensive for what you get and service is again very poor.In short better to go to any of the other 5 Star hotels available in Jumeirah like Al Qsar, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Westin, Madinat, Meridien or Royal Mirage.


doc_id: 58572323591668042695699844021333166369
title: Unfortunately the Atlantis fails to deliver..........
date: Jan 1 2009
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
As a seasoned traveller to Dubai for the past 10 years and having got married there, stayed in The Jumeira Beach Hotel open its first opening and having stayed at possibly the best hotel in Dubai- The One and Only Royal Mirage for the past 7 years, i was expecting big things from the Atlantis.Regrettably it didnt deliver.....Dont get me wrong, its a 5 star hotel by any standards and if you have not been to Dubai before, you are likely to be impressed by the grand scale of things and the luxury. However, if you have stayed in Dubai before and are aware of the high levels of service and standards, then this will dissapoint. We decided to return to Dubai for Christmas this year and as much as we wanted to stay at the One and Only as we always do, we felt that perhaps we should try the Atlantis as it sounded amazing and the kids would love the aquariums.. It cost a fair bit more and only included breakfast, however it was bound to be a wow experience.Upon driving towards the hotel, it truly does look amazing, upon arrival however, the main entrance was a little dissapointing,quite chaotic and rather disorganised. The Lobby was vast, i was expecing the aquarium to be here, as ,in my opinion it would have provided a wow factor as you walked in.Check in was pretty smooth however and we were in our room within 10 minutes. The rooms are lovely and very spacious too, the doors opening from the bathroom onto the bedroom is a nice touch and the veiws are good too. The french balcony however, is a little unnerving if you have small children,so be aware.The Aquarium is housed in another main lobby area which can also be accessed by the general public, so at times is extremely busy. Late in the evening however or early morning, it is quieter and you do appreciate the enormity and wow factor of this feature.Breakfast was served in Kaleidascope- a restaurant in the West Wing (another restaurant Saffron is also available for this in the East Wing). Fantastic breakfast buffet, however the restaurant itself felt very touristy and less five star. The service was slow and carpeting on the floor was not the best idea.During our stay we ate at all the main restaurants within the hotel, Nobu was by far the best as you would expect. It was pricey, but no more so than any of its other branches. The biggest dissapointment was Ossiana, extremely overpriced, bland food and a rather patronising french manager. Locatelli was better priced and the food was good, however producing a large lego bucket at the table for the kids was a bad and unneccesary idea which was noisy, ended up on the floor and irritating for other guests. The asian restauarant by the pool was good, great food, excellent service and value for money.You are probably wondering what reason i have to complain about this hotel, i mean, its only a few minor things that seem to have gone wrong?...well actually here we go.... we were charged 95 for a small bag of laundry, mainly childrens, the kids club, which is normally complimentary in other hotels was 44 a day for 2 kids, dont get me wrong it is a fantastic kids club, but should be included in the price. The dolphin experience is 450 for a family of 4 for 1 hr. The staff are not trained properly and the the hotel is struggling to cope with the volume of guests to the point of desperation to please by top end managers who have expresed their regret of being there!. Some restaurants are ridiculously overpriced. On the whole it seems that we are being made to pay fro their costs in a big way. They spent 30 million on the opening night and im sure the celebrity guests were treated amazingly, however this should continue for the paying guests too all year round. It is not a value for money hotel by any means. We complained and spoke to the Vice President of the Atlantis hotels who was drafted in to deal with all the problems. They admit they have taken on more than they can chew and it shows.If you want a chaotic hotel with a disorganised feel yet a 5 star surrounding, then the Atlantis is perfect. It has the luxury feel, but its so busy and vast and you feel like a small fish in a very large packed aquarium, that the wow factor is forgotten and you just want to escape for air!If you want a relaxed, 5 star hotel with a personal touch, impeccable service, high standards, value for money,a stunnning setting and warm ambience then choose the One and Only Royal Mirage.


doc_id: 135224280633135087108933855426006014597
title: Overhyped and Overcharged
date: Dec 30 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I had friends from Bombay who I put up at this resort over the christmas weekend. They did come in with a lot of expectations due to the media hype. Earlier they have stayed at the Burj Al Arab Hotel. They were very disappointed with the rooms, the service and were charged for alcohol from the minibar which they did not consume.Now in an ordinary Hotel we'd overlook these mistakes but when you're paying $1,000 a night for the room, you have expectations. The same hotel room at $250-$300 would not have felt so awful.


doc_id: 245555632174111195830209640040585031723
title: Loved the Hotel but ...
date: Dec 29 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
The attantis Palm hotel is a brilliant excellent Hotel. It is more than a 5* Hotel. the people are helpful and can not do enough for you. The Food is excellent and very fresh. The hotel is amazing with lots to do. Very helpful staff. everyone is always smiling. BUT...what i did not like at all was the hotel is open to public. There were hundereds and hundreds of people walking through the hotel to use the hotel facilities..i.e Resturants, Water park etc... this was very annoying as you have paid lots of money to enjoy yourself and not to see the others every minute .... even though they had some areas as residents only areas.... it seemed every area to do something in is occupied by the outsiders!. The hotel gets busy from morning right untill after 10.00pm and there are always people whereever you go. i would rate the hotel and all the hotel facilities and servcies 5/5. even though it was very expensive and value for money would get 2.5/5. Because the hotel is not for residents only and you feel like you have paid all this money to share with outsiders who entre and use the facilities for FREE!if the hotel was reserved for residents of the hotel only then i would give it 10/10 even though it was a bit expensive!


doc_id: 68766368925829560631708767334960436318
title: Overrated
date: Dec 28 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Family of four, stayed at the much-talked-about Atlantis for 2 nights in Dec, '08. In summary, the resort doesn't do justice to the unprecedented hype. Perhaps it was just a case of raised expectations, but Atlantis, while a wonderful resort with some unique aspects, is up against stiff competition in a place like Dubai and is far from being 'extraordinary'. Infact, we found it quite mediocre in some respects considering the price tag of US$630 / Stg.420 per night for an ordinary room. Our impressions :- The main lobby does have a 'wow' factor - the huge Morano-ish glass sculptor soaring to the ceiling catches your attention immediately as you enter the lobby. The main lobby is definitely one of the highlights of the property.- The other attraction is the mammoth aquarium rising at least a couple of stories from the ground and housing some spectacular sea creatures including a whale shark, sting ray etc.Definitely unique, although the aquarium at the newly opened Dubai Mall comes close.- The water park is free for residents and is excellent, although being asked to pay about Stg10 for a locker sounded like a joke considering we were guests and already paying quite a bit.Jumeirah Beach hotel in Dubai has had Water Wadi since 2000 and also comes close in comparison. We had stayed there 8 years ago and enjoyed the park much more as it was definitely 'unique' back then. - We did not try the dolphin park as it was extremely pricey. A better value in Dubai is the Dolphinarium at the Creek Park, which may not offer all the experiences but is great value at one tenth the cost.- The hotel has several restaurants, including a Nobu. We decided on Locatelli - excellent ambience, unfortunately ruined by poor service. After 2 reminders and waiting for full 20 minutes for someone to take our order, I finally had to get up and complain to the Maitre d' and the manager. We were showered with attention from that point on, but the evening was already ruined. Needless to say, all restaurants charge 5 star prices.- Lastly, I left a rather expensive cardigan in my room at check out. Entirely my fault I agree but one would expect a hotel of this stature to care for its guests belongings. I have left items in much smaller and insignificant hotels in the past - in New York, London and Dubai and on each occasion the hotels have either found and returned the items or offered compensation. Not Atlantis. My wife followed up for days after we had left, ultimately to receive a call from their head of security who went over the fine print about the guests' responsibilities and how the hotel bore none. We simply agreed. Atlantis was right. Hotels never take responsibility ....specially the unexceptional ones. Bottomline, stay at the Atlantis only if you want to be able to say &quot; I stayed at that hotel in Dubai which spent $20 million on its inaugural fireworks !&quot; Otherwise, you're better off spending a day at the water park which is available for a fee and strolling through the lobby and past the aquarium for a few pics. for free. You can find better lodging / boarding options in Dubai, at least until Atlantis resolves its teething problems.


doc_id: 299582818898721748095182748018876486058
title: Aqua Venture
date: Dec 28 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I did not stay at the Hotel as it was beyond my budget but my three sons (ages 10, 14, 16) and I spent from 11:00am - 6:00pm around the Aqua venture. The kids have fun day there and they liked it very much. We paid $80 per head to enter the place which I believe it is very expensive. Again you pay that amount regardless if you are using the facility or not. The towel rent is $8, the locker rent is $14 and food is really expensive. If you forgot your swimming shorts a cheap chinese one with the Atlantis logo would coast you more than $110. The service was excellent, they had South African life guards every few meters who are very attentive and they are extremely professional and you don't have to worry drowning even if you do not know how to swimm. Above all, the place is extremely beautiful well managed and expensive. You park the car in an outside parking and they take you by their shuttle bus which is clean and nice. If you do not want to pay any money you can go and see the shops, restaurant, shark tanks and enjoy a nice ice cream at the Black Stone ice cream for 20 dirhams.


doc_id: 21851057005616474184968217887233015420
title: Give it a try - we found it great!
date: Dec 27 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We (husband and I) stayed at The Atlantis for 3 days, 7th - 9th November. We travelled with Virgin to Dubai on a two-centre holiday. Mauritius being the second destination. Sorry for delay in posting review but computer broke and just had repaired!Never visited Dubai before so do not know how The Atlantis compares with other 5 star hotels, so can only go by what we found.Arrived about 9 am so did not expect to have a room straight away. Went to reception and were given wallets so that we could access The Atlantis guest areas whilst we waited for room. Our baggage was put into the storage area and went to hospitality area to get changed. In no time my husband informed me that a member of staff had found him and told him our room was available, so quick change and back to reception. Went through necessary formalities very quickly and went to storage area to collect luggage. Told bell boys we didn't mind taking our own luggage but one came out immediately and showed us to our room. We had only booked a deluxe room but what we had we were very impressed with, not ostentatious but plainly furnished. Think however we may have been upgraded because our room was on a higher level. Everything we had asked for kingsize bed, non-smoking room and with great views looking out to the sea, Jumeirah beach area and above the tank, with a good size balcony to sit out on. We were impressed with the large bathroom and shower cubicle but felt that as the bathroom was so large instead of just an ordinary bath tub the bathroom could have accommodated a slightly larger bath tub with a jaccuzzi at very little extra expense. We were left complimentary chocolates (huge box) and bottle of wine after our first night.Other tripadvisors have criticised the staff, but we found that all the staff we had dealings with were very helpful and efficient. Perhaps they had been re-trained since the hotel opened! we certainly did not encounter any problems.The food in the restaurants we visited was very good. The breakfast buffets were excellent with everything you could possibly want. We went to both the Saffron and Kaleidoscope. In the evening we ate in the Seafire steak restaurant, Ronda Locatelli Italian and the buffet at the Saffron. The steaks in the Seafire were excellent, the buffet excellent, but we were disappointed with the Italian, very small portions which meant we had no trouble eating three courses! The restaurants were expensive but you would be naive to think that they would be anything else.We visited Aquaventure for some part of every day we were there and think it is an excellent water park and we have visited many. We're not in our first throws of youth! and rode all the rides except the Leap of Faith which we could not pluck up courage to do!We went to the old part of Dubai by taxi and found no trouble at all picking up a taxi from outside the hotel.It is good that you can use all the guest facilities even after you have checked out and the hospitality room is excellent.We enjoyed ourselves very much at The Atlantis. We do intend visiting Dubai in the future when the monorail is in operation and would visit The Atlantis again if the price was right but will probably try another hotel on Jumeirah Beach just so we can compare.Hope this review helps in some way. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me.


doc_id: 10448232828706850474193866889729047766
title: Better than Atlantis in Bahamas except no casino
date: Dec 16 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I spent 10 nights here with my husband and two 15 year old son and daughter (twins, in case you were wondering) and we loved it even more than the Atlantis, Bahamas. There is so much more luxury than the other one bacause the other one is old. The restaurants were fantastic. We didn't try the expensive ones because we don't really like that sort but the less expensive ones where breakfast is included are great. The water park is phenominal - we lived there the whole time until dusk every day. The weather was so pleasant, not too hot. This is the time to come.


doc_id: 312383575920830851323618797795930989750
title: Destination in Itself
date: Dec 9 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Booked 3 nights for two rooms at a rate of 1650 dirhams. Rooms are good sized with big bathroom, separate tub and shower. Not high tech as modern hotels. Stayed in west wing overlooking zero entry pool. Food quite expensive, wasn't included in room rate and was Dhs 365 for 1 adult, 3 children. Kaleidoscope restaurant dinner was 700 dhs for the four of us, was nice though and many different types. Wireless and broadband expensive at Dhs 150/day and Dhs 30/hour. I chose not to use internet there. Room rate included 5 passes to Aquaventure Park and The Lost Chambers. We went everyday and the last day they let us go even though we had already checked out and we took our showers in the hospitality lounge with fresh towels and ammenities after we finished. Didn't do the dolphin discovery since we had already done that in Florida. My family and I have always wanted to go to Atlantis Bahamas but since they brought it to us, the visit was a must. We had so much fun at Aquaventure and this is the first hotel I let my teens explore alone since there was so much to do and so much staff around. It's a little isolated with no shopping around but they do have a shuttle to Mall of the Emirates. Plan your trip well and save up so you get the most out of your vacation if you choose Atlantis.


doc_id: 167996281851256796569483198637791214626
title: Atlantis lacks the "Wow" factor you get from other Dubai deluxe hotels
date: Dec 6 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
After reading some of the earlier reviews on the Atlantis, I was concerned before my arrival but the rooms, lifts and service are all fine. I attended a conference which also was well organised in a great setting. My biggest concern was the lack of small touches available in other Dubai hotels that were missing here. Once you get over being on the first hotel on the Palm, the magic ends! There were no cold towels or soft drinks served on arrival, there were no cold towels or other complimentary treats given out by the pool, there was not even a chocolate on my pillow with the evening turndown service. They never even ask for feedback at the end of your stay. On the positive side, the service I received with a room service meal was amongst the best I have ever received and I thoroughly enjoyed my spa experience.


doc_id: 150066929098759577678354173610491862189
title: Glad we didn't change our minds
date: Dec 2 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I have just arrived back after a week at the Atlantis with a friend. We booked quite a few months back and were a little concerned about the reports coming out during the Atlantis soft launch and were at one point considering changing our hotel, but after our experience there we are both very glad we didn't.Hopefully this will ally some fears from previous reports of experiences that have happened there.We took the red eye to Dubai and were not expecting to be able to check in until later in the day. However, after arriving at 8.30am our room was ready and we checked in about 5 mins. Although we were not shown to our rooms we had clear and concise directions in how to get to our room in the East Tower. I do not have a great sense of direction but we were able to find our room with ease. Luggage arrived 5 mins later and within an hour of arriving we were eating breakfast over looking the Royal swimming pool.We did have to call guest services on a couple of occasions and both issues resolved promptly and professionally.We have stayed at 3 other Dubai hotels in the past and whilst the Atlantis doesn't add up to the 5 star of the Al Qazar, what it does trump is 1. Activities and things to do and see 2. Amount of staff willing and able to help you. The staff here on every level were courteous, professional and knowledgeable. On one occasion I asked something out of the ordinary and was told 'nothing is impossible here'. This mentality seemed to echo from everybody we dealt with.Taxi's were in abundance which we managed to get within a couple of minutes, the only exception was the Saturday we tried to venture out and had to wait 1 hr, however, this has also happened previous years in Dubai due to the taxi shortage they experience.The room was lovely and spacious and we had no problems with day cleaning or the evening turn down service. A couple of times the lifts were busy but the maximum wait was a couple of minutes.After reading reports about restaurant bookings we pre-booked our restaurants a couple of weeks before our arrival. This was done by emailing the reservations desk directly at the hotel. Nobu was great and I would highly recommend but Locetti was disappointing, we were expecting something a little bit more Italian market but felt this was just a mid-range pizza pasta place. We were there when occupancy was quite low (we would have estimated somewhere in between 25-40% over the week), although it really feels the hotel feels like it had turned a corner and the staff a lot more confident in their ability to satisfy the customer and hopefully this is what is needed when they are running at higher occupancy.Some other takeaways.- The aquarium is totally amazing and superseded our expectations, we probably spent 1/2 hr a day there just watching the fish swimming around- For total relaxation, try the hammocks between the swimming pool and beach. It is so peaceful and away from the hustle and bustle of the pools- Saffron was by far the better place for breakfast, it seemed a lot more chilled and better managed. We couldn't find a toaster in Kaleidoscope but our waitress did help us out by getting some from the kitchen.


doc_id: 306988107349544032188401908250948214194
title: Great but a few teething problems
date: Nov 27 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We had 2 nights at the Atlantis, just before the main opening, so was a little dissapointed that the main pool area was out of bounds, and it was a little noisy as they were building up the stages for the launch. We also were asked to swap rooms on our second night, as they wanted our room blacony for fireworks. Great but as any of you know, swaping rooms is not easy when you are spread out everywhere. We at first were not going to swap, but the requests got increasingly urgent, so we did in the end. We were paying AED3000 a night (around 590 including evening meal) so didnt feel we got the service but they did offer us a free limo to the airport.Anyway they were the bits that drove us nuts, but put that to one side, and this is some hotel. We stayed on the 19th Floor with Club access and the breakfast on the 12th floor Club room balcony was stunning. The glass Aquarium at one end of the hotel, was something else, a two story sheet of glass with so much going on, you could just watch the fish for ages. As a guest you also had complimentary access to the aquarium with lots of areas, some huge fish, and some pools for the kids to touch the fish.The Aqua park was amazing, the lazy river just goes on and on, and can take some 45 minutes to get aroundm with flumes and rapids, They have double rings so you can go around two at a time.There is also the slides, I enjoyed the 'big dipper' style slide, but missed the one with the huge drop. There is a ride that ends in the shark tank, where you drift through a glass tunnel, with sharks around you. Wierd but amazing.Food was pretty good, the poolside bars sold hot and cold, and towels and beds were plenty, there are so many areas to find and tuck away and catch some sun.Finally we did the Dolphin experiance, which as a guest is good value - we had 12 in our group, and was split up into 3 lots of 4 each, so we had our own 'dolphin' and trainer for around 30 minutes. It was something else, and we really enjoyed it. They 'hard sell' for the Dolphin photos was dissapointing, and the price seemed to change. We were quoted 200 for a photo pack, but they show everything too fast, and we didnt want to be rushed. In the end we settled for 110 for a CD with all the pictures on, so we could print our own. Be prepared to haggle!Would we go back? Yes in fact we did to eat, and just to marvel at the sheer size of everything. Be prepared to spend a lot, but if you just take it as it comes, it really was fun, just marred by the chaos that resides around the admin/service side. Hopefully they will fix that as things settle down.


doc_id: 97046986837564457621147562781349014535
title: Wonderful Family Break!
date: Nov 27 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed here at half term in October. Myself, Husband,Daughter (13) Son (11). We had the most amazing time and found none of the previous problems experienced in the first couple of weeks. I was very worried to say the least and for me i wish i hadnt read the reviews because i wasnt that excited about going because of them. That changed as soon as we got there. Stayed for five days which was about right to relax in the resort. Yes it is a bit out of the way from the rest of Dubai but what a fantastic place to be in the world and experience a true 1st by staying in the first hotel to open on The Palm. The very last few fronds of the palm near the hotel are still a building site and so is the rest of Dubai. A tour guide told us that plans for building goes up to 2020 so dont go to Dubai in the next 20 years if this is something you dont like, but i think for some people that is one of the things that is so amazing about Dubai.All the restaurants we ate in were fantastic but expensive but as long as you know this then its not such a shock! Seafire was wonderful, my daughter had her first steak here and she loved it! Went here twice second time we went there were two or three american guys there helping out from their sister hotel in the Bahamas checking on how things were going. We did try to book in to Ossiano as my son was amazed by the aquarium as we all were, but as he is only 11 they said they would rather have over 18s only, fair enough.Saffron for breakfast was amazing, no queues at all and we went down between 9-9-30am.Loved the pools and sunbeds (plenty for everyone) great with canopy especially for the kids it was very hot at least 36 degrees. All pool staff friendly and helpful a couple even played with the children in the pool area with the balls etc.Aqua adventure was great loved all the rides, lazy river,rapids and the kids loved the torrent.Beach was lovely but just one complaint the sand is not very nice, could have been a lot softer.Booked two tours while we were there. The Jeep Safari was brilliant through the sand dunes the kids loved it! Also went on a city tour which was great to go and see the spice souk and gold souk etc.All in all we had a fantastic time spending time with our kids and feel very privileged to been able to take them to such a great place..


doc_id: 82273986478667390692701838380993246293
title: Fabulous family break....
date: Nov 26 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We left the Atlantis yesterday after a wonderful 2 night break on the way back to oz from Europe. My husband and i wonder if we stayed at the same hotel as other reviewers...as we had no problems what so ever. We booked 3 deluxe rooms, and were checked in in under 5 mins by wonderfuly smiling staff who all spoke perfect english. We had a full day in the water park - loved every minute. There are so many life guards ( all very helpful and friendly), and the dolphin experience was magical. I have the deepest respect for the team looking after the dolphins, as their safety and comfort ( the dolphins) was paramount at all times. The orientation lecture was informative and interesting.And the food - loved the buffet breakfast and dinners in the Kalidescope restaurant - both the quality and variety were amazing, as were the attentive staff. I just wish i had taken more photos....but the wow factor everywhere made you forget your camera, and just enjoy every moment.


doc_id: 103021625648369950277988217762372379852
title: Absolute Paradise
date: Nov 25 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I had a short break at this fantastic hotel, booked as a suprise gift for me for my birthday. Whow what a present it turned out to be. Before my partner and I set off, we had read some pretty negative reviews about this brand new hotel, but we went with an open mind, intent on making our own opinion of the Atlantis. All i can say is,, this place is out of this world. There wasn't one thing that we could fault. The staff are all extremely accomodating and went out of their way to ensure our stay was a good one. The hotel itself is like no other we've stayed in... attention to detail was second to none. Food was excellent and the attractions within the hotel were first class.We cannot wait to return there in the future. We had a fantastic weekend.


doc_id: 261824038080398059163968466028932042989
title: Atlantis made our visit to Dubai a great one!!
date: Nov 25 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Stayed there during the grand opening of the hotel and all i can say was a big WOW!!!we ended the night of our vacation with fireworks, not a simple one but the best i had ever seen. We were not at the party as those were for the invited guests only but we got the chance to see it live on the TV in our room. Some areas during that day was closed to inhouse guest but they had managed to provide alternatives to us, instead of using the Royal Pool, we were then moved to the Zero Entry pool. Beach access is open as well for us. Staffs are very polite and helpful, towels were readily available. We were able to eat on the restaurants that we had booked, NOBU has always been at its best. AQUAVENTURE was fantastic, great unique rides! Lost chambers was amazing, love so much the different marine species in there! Guest Services were very prompt on our request, i wonder how they made it that quick when they have more than a thousand rooms that night occupied. We checked out the following day and requested for luggage assistance and was done promptly. We paid so much as we were staying their for a week, but it was worth it, not tired of shopping in the Avenues!!. And just a couple of minutes ago, my mom called our travel agent to book our family by march next year to celebrate my twin brother's birthday, and i can't wait to go back!!


doc_id: 288398017154890043697767093089712644417
title: Play ground for the rich and famous
date: Nov 25 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
The hotel was amazing from when you first step into the lobby with the elaborate glass sculpture, the staff were very helpful and could not do enough for you, carrying bags, opening doors. I admit that the rooms and house keeping were a little dissapointing but the hotel, staff and facilities are fantastic. The lost chambers and water park really set this hotel apart from the rest in Dubai. I did not try the restaurants at the hotel as the prices were very high and there are so many other great places to eat that are reasonable but did venture into the night club, The Sanctury whcih was lovely with great music.It is certainly a hotel that I would recomend but would not stay there again as once is enough to experience its magic.


doc_id: 214947835706328842507233900750233815111
title: What an amazing hotel!
date: Nov 25 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
Had 2 days at this hotel whilst staying with friends in Sharjah and what an amazing place it is. We have stayed in some top hotels and top rooms but our suite - a Regency suite, in this hotel has to be the best we have ever seen. Yes, we queued at reception for a while and no, our room wasn't ready but we only had a half hour delay. We did pay full price for our suite which was a bit annoying since half the beach and the main pool at the front were off limits due to the big opening party the following week, and because of the teething problems, a discount would have been nice. But, we ate in the Kaleidoscope Restaurant in the evening. fabulous buffet style, ideal for the children, and had breakfast in our suite the following morning and all of the food was top class. The water park is great fun, but I imagine it will get very crowded when the Metro opens and it is the weekend or holiday time over there. There are lifeguards everywhere and we felt very safe leaving the children to wander.Tips: if you book a suite with a window on to the aquarium, it is possible to be seen from the other side of the aquarium. When choosing your rubber ring in the water park, make sure it's a good one, not half deflated. I didn't know this and bruised my bum quite badly, and when they say keep your bum up they mean it!!


doc_id: 243423455234709423469961599105795473065
title: A great holiday
date: Nov 23 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
What a difference from the reviews I had read. We stayed over the UK half term in October and yes the Hotel was full and there were lots of locals coming to have a look, but there was plenty of space for us all.Having read previous reviews I made bookings for the restaurants prior to arriving at the Hotel, very quick and easy via the internet, and even though we arrived late due to problems with the computers at Dubai airport, had no problem getting something to eat at 2300.We stayed in an Imperial Club Room and so had use of their lounge but usually had breakfast in Kaleidoscope of Saffron. Only time there we saw queues was about 1030 - 1100 and we guessed this was when people came and had Brunch as a way of keeping costs down. Our teenage son loved Club Rush and would have a meal in aquadventure during the day and then some snacks in the Club Lounge before disappearing there for the night. Only thing I think they could change is the charge for water in Club Rush, you have to pay AUD15 a night to get in and I feel water could be complimentary in here.We knew that we were part of the 'soft opening' so were prepared for glitches, but anything we came up against was resolved quickly, politely and efficiently.We enjoyed it so much that we are already looking to come back!!


doc_id: 63833190409992427955096156407279785346
title: Great - but expensive.
date: Nov 21 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed in an Atlantis room for 4 nights from 6th November. This was not our first choice of hotel and were apprehensive after reading the reviews.The hotel is HUGE and I would say its got the wow factor.Check in was very quick and Myles who checked us in was very efficient and helpful. The room was very nice and bathroom was lovely. Only difference from Atlantis room to Deluxe is the full balcony, as opposed to a French one, so perhaps not really worth the price difference.The Lost Chambers is fantastic and the Aquaventure is really good, although I dont think any better than Wild Wadi. There are many visitors around the hotel at all times, not just guests and it always seems very busy. We ate in the Seafire restaurant on the first night and had booked well in advance. It was very nice, but steaks not as amazing as I would have thought, considering how expensive it was. We ate breakfast in Saffron each morning and we didnt have to queue and you really could get almost anything you wanted to eat. Service was great.On our third night we ate in Nobu and this was the nicest meal of our whole holiday, better value than Seafire and our waiter (who came from Nobu in Las Vegas) was so helpful and provided excellent service. The food was fantastic.On our final day we had lunch by the pool, service was good but at 30 for 2 burgers and 7 Ups, very expensive. We had room service on final night and this was delivered in 15 mins and service very good.The sea is clear, but the beach is not really very nice in comparison to Jumeirah.I would recommend this hotel for families and although I wouldn't go back, I'm really glad I've been.


doc_id: 5083119889191778277267030694725298499
title: Dont worry
date: Nov 20 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed at Atlantis for 4 nights from 13th November. As others we were concerned because of the previous trip advisor reviews.We need not have worried as none of the main complaints affected us.We found no queues anywhere,our rooms were cleaned on time to perfection, the staff were all extremely helpful,the facilities fantastic even though the Royal pool was closed due to Kylies visit. We do understand what people have said about the staff perhaps being inexperienced but they were never rude and if anything perhaps just lacked confidence.We asked for a room overlooking the ocean but on hindsight the view over the Palm is more dramatic and interesting.Ossiano very expensive but worth it for a treat, Seafire best steak ever, Levatine good food fanastic terrace. We had a fantatsic weekend and would love to return sometime.


doc_id: 3406281111114556951275464913526051104
title: We didn't have any problems - great holiday!
date: Nov 19 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We stayed at the Atlantis early in November and had a great time! Admittedly we had never been to Dubai before, but have travelled a lot. The staff could not have been more helpful, from the moment we stepped out of our taxi - we were checked in immediately, given a room upgrade and taken to our room where the bellboy pointed out all the features - all this at 11am.! Room was great - lovely bathroom, shower etc.The whole place is very clean and the fish are just amazing - it took ages to get anywhere as we had to keep stopping to look at the fish! Enjoyed the Lost Chambers - had to go back a second time to take pictures; we went to Aquaventure, it was quite busy but there were no queues, and there were so many staff around who were all friendly and helpful. The sunbeds were very comfy and pool staff eager to help. The beach was a bit disappointing, needs a bit more sand. It was a shame that halfway through our stay the Royal Pool area was closed in order to get it ready for the Official Opening - but the zero entry pool was great too and still not crowded.Breakfast buffets were brilliant (chocolate fountain for breakfast!) and we did not have to queue at all - again staff very courteous and helpful. Restaurants are expensive, but very good quality - we booked from the UK, but I think we could have got into some without reservations as they did not all seem full. The Cold Stone Ice Creamery is fantastic - wish they would open some in the UK! It was very pleasant to sit on the Levantine Terrace for a drink in the evening.Just a couple of niggles - the daily newsletter mentioned the regular bus to the Mall of the Emirates - but the staff all told us different times and locations - we ended up in a taxi!! Also on our last day we found a brochure of lots of local trips that you could book through the hotel (though organised by a different company) - if we had been given a copy when we arrived we would have been able to see more of Dubai.We had read many reviews here before going and wondered what we were letting ourselves in for - yes it is huge and like a Disney Castle, but that is the point of it! And staff have obviously had a lot more training since the early reviews - but if you go on holiday and look at the negatives all the time, you will never enjoy anything!


doc_id: 312380341495331421036704085975000430278
title: Overhyped Overpriced
date: Nov 19 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
I stayed at Atlantis for one night to celebrate my wifes birthday. I guess based on the Ad campaign we had high expectations but there are certain minimum levels of service one expects from a Hotel that charges $650 a night. Firstly, this hotel is too big and too impersonal to be termed 'exclusive'. We were given a room facing the construction site for the opening party setup. The constant noise made the room's balcony useless. The room itself was quite spacious with a lovely bathroom.The main attractions are where the Hotel comes up short.Lost chambers was highly disappointing ( I feel for the people who would have actually paid for it). Aquaventure was nice but too lax about visitor safety. It is irritating trying to get a confirmed reservation at the celebrity chef restaurants especially when one realises that they are not full. We were told Nobu was fully booked but we had heard that Hotel reservations tries to be difficult so we just showed up when we felt like it and were seated immediately. None of the other retaurants were even half full. The worst part of my experience was the check out. There was an extra 20% charge that had no mention on my booking printout for which I asked for an explanation. I couldn't believe how rude the receptionist was. I felt like Oliver Twist asking for more Soup. Definitely not my moneys worth.


doc_id: 160534325618142820603204698339834343257
title: faulty towers
date: Nov 18 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
what a let down, after reading some reveiws i booked , to be honest i wished i hadnt, not a 5 star experiance, front desk staff polite but useless, taxi from the main entrance a nightmare ques go on and on, to be honest save your cash and head for the mina a salam a much better hotel.


doc_id: 290394597809441394698456142365710779980
title: Never Again!
date: Nov 18 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
My husband and I visited the Atlantis for 5 nights 6th -11th November 08. Very disappointed with whole experience. We have travelled to Dubai many times over the last 7 years and have always had wonderful experiences with many hotels including Al Qasr, Jumeriah Beach, Royal Meridian, etc When we arrived at the Atlantis at about midnight on the Thursday(start of weekend in Dubai) the hotel was packed with local people looking around and the reception was very busy. Nobody greeted us when we were dropped off and we had to struggle with our suitcases. We then waited at reception for about 15 mins, where we were given our room keys and a hotel map we then had to find our own room never had to do that before. The allocated room was a twin bedded room when we had booked a king. We phoned reception but they did not understand the problem so we had to go all the way back to reception and complain. We were told that the hotel was full and no king bedded rooms available my husband being able to speak arabic started shouting and eventually there gave us a king bedded room. The reception staff are very bad and not well trained. The hotel is not what I would describe as 5 star, I know the hotel is only new and maybe they are having teething problems but when you are paying upwards of 500 per night you expect a better service. The breakfast the next morning was mayhem everyone waiting for tables lots of noise not very good, but the food selection and quality was good. The main restaurants were always busy and you need to make a reservation and I thought they were overpriced. The water park is good and if you have children I am sure they will enjoy it. My advise is stay at another hotel and then buy a day pass for the water park and spend the day there. You can go into the hotel and look at the aquariums etc. This hotel is run like an american hotel and if you like good service and a bit of luxury don't stay at the Atlantis, if you like lots of people, noise and tack well maybe its for you. Lets hope it gets better!


doc_id: 184181512404121250631507692000098452347
title: Unique resort
date: Nov 15 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
worried after reading some early bad reveiws but were delighted to have stayed at the atlantis.everything went very smoothly having booked a bargain package through Virgin over the net.Wonderful unique hotel, well worth the five stars, a bit on the 'disney style'.Everything was top class, with the Saffron buffett being the best we have ever had. (better than cruise food)Service throughout the resort was excellentmake the most of the water park (because its free)yes it was exspensive but there again all hotels in Dubai are.well worth going for the experience and dont be put off by some of the 'Dubai snobs' nit picking comments of some previous reviewers.not only me couldn't turn down the air con then and i would agree with the beach not being the best


doc_id: 50471746770994015815391763336487072223
title: Trouble-free visit
date: Nov 14 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
As others have said, we were really worried by earlier reviews, but needn't have been. Yes, it's OTT, it's huge, the decor is incredible and it's full of people - there are after all 1500 rooms - but at no time did we ever feel overwhelmed by crowds. We took taxis everywhere - didn't wait for more than 2 minutes. The Royal Pool was closed (we had been forewarned by our travel agent because the Grand Opening is coming up next week). The zero entry pool is delightful and so safe and we had our pick of dozens of sunbeds. Breakfast in Saffron - what a choice of items - all kinds of cuisines catered for. We did not have dinner in any of the hotel restaurants - hubby is vegetarian, and naturally Seafire, Nobu etc all lean towards meat and fish. We ate out in Dubai. Having been warned about problems with bills, we paid everything - coffees, drinks, ice cream at ColdStone Creamery (fabulous) in cash. The only thing which really surprised us was, at check-in the receptionist took a credit card charge for 3000 dirhams (approx 500) and told us that would offset any charges during our visit and that any balance would be re-credited to our credit card. Have never had this in any other hotel. Having paid all extras in cash (our hotel bill for bed and breakfast was prepaid) we made absolutely sure that we got the 3000 dirham charge refunded. To sum up, we found the staff to be unfailingly polite and helpful, and thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the Atlantis Palm.


doc_id: 75021854011387655098579537882293086775
title: Not in the same league as the Jumeirah chain
date: Nov 13 2008
hotel: are_dubai_atlantis_the_palm
review:
We had 8 nights at the Atlantis and found the following:-Bad points* Beach is terrible and left blisters on my 3 year old toes* Queues for taxis at peak hour, (30mins one night)* Building works and drilling on the lobby roof all day* No personal touches like, chocolate on pillow at turndown, no iced water at the pool, no fruit kebabs and such things which are all normal in the Jumeirah beach, Mina a'salam, and Al Qusar.* Massive hotel, too big too busy.* Ugly views, the palm is unattractive and they are still building and working all day long, even when building works are finished, i cant see it being any better, you will then be looking out at houses and high rise apartment blocks, and its only a stones throw from the Atlantis' beach!* Whale shark was far too big for his tank!* No more than pre packed sandwhiches by the zero entry pool. No hot drinks and plastic glasses.Good points* No wait for checking in and we were shown to our rooms by a very friendly and helpful bellboy.* Beautiful room, lovely decor, only had a juliet balcony which you could just about put your foot on, no chairs on balconies.* floris toiletries, well stocked mini bars and complimentary teas, coffee, and hot chocolates.* Good maid service and turn down service, which only come in if the light is turned on for them to do so, forgot a few times to switch it over and the room wasnt done, no instructions to do this, we managed to work this out after a few days!!* Pool areas are lovely and never seem busy, too many beds, which were unused. Very clean and lots of heplful staff around to tuck big fluffy towels onto the beds.* Waterpark was fantastic, we spent alot of time in here, being taken in directly by a little golf buggy. Although we had to walk miles back along the beach as the buggys dont pick up???? Waterpark was better and cleaner than the wild wadi.* Fish tanks are amazing and it was a treat every morning looking in on the whale shark (who i did feel sorry for), the many smaller sharks and many many different fish, and the divers who cleaned the tank and entertained the kids more than the fish. Stunning. Went to the lost Chambers as it was free but wasnt that impressed, the Blue Planet in Chester is much better!* Room service was fantastic, beautiful food, well presented and very quick, and the wine was cheaper than anywhere else.Restaurants:-Kaleidoscope - Modern decor, had breakfast on the first morning queued for 30mins and then it felt like a busy Disney hotel, everyone rushing to eat as much as they could in the quickest time, didnt go back.Saffron - No queues at Saffron, only it was miles away from our rooms in the East tower, our rooms being in the West tower, but worth the walk, as it was just by the big fish tank and the decor was more traditional and more laid back and didnt seem as busy. We took breakfast here every morning and the food was very good and varied and the nice egg chef made me eggs benedict every morning on request.We had an evening meal in Saffron and it has to be the best buffet style restaurant we have ever eaten in and quite reasonably priced.Seafire - Beautiful steaks, well presented and served. Expensive, but only the same as any other good restaurant in Dubai. We went back to where we know most nights, Shimmers and the Al Muhna both at the Mina a'Salam.We enjoyed our holiday and the kids loved it (they didnt like the kids club and it costs a fortune, dont bother with it), the weather was fantastic, and we loved our time spent around Dubai, but we wouldnt go back to Atlantis, it is not in the same league as the above mentioned hotels. We have tried it, it wasnt as bad as we were expecting after the reviews and hopefully they may get it together. But it hasnt got the X-factor!


