The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai

We spent four wonderful weeks at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai in July and August, and once again, from the very first moment, we had that very special feeling: we were coming home. We have been returning to this hotel for more than 20 years. Over all these years, we have enjoyed countless stays, met so many wonderful people and created so many beautiful memories here. And yet – or perhaps precisely because of this – every visit still feels special. Unfortunately, this stay did not get off to the easiest start, as our daughter arrived in Dubai with a broken arm. Swimming and many of the other things she had been looking forward to were suddenly not possible. This made it all the more touching to see how incredibly kind, caring and thoughtful the entire team was with her. Everyone went out of their way to make sure that she could still have a wonderful time despite her limitations. We are truly grateful for that. We stayed in an absolutely beautiful suite and felt completely at home from the very first day. Housekeeping, especially Subash, Vinod, The and Santa was, as we have come to expect over the years, excellent. Everything was always perfectly maintained, and we regularly returned to find thoughtful little surprises waiting for us. It is these personal touches that make such a long stay even more special. Of course, breakfast is no longer a new discovery for us, but it still impresses us every single time. The selection is fantastic, the quality is excellent and, above all, the service is incredibly attentive. You genuinely feel that every wish is taken care of – sometimes before you have even had the chance to ask. Thanks to Tawfik for the special wishes, Sanjay and Vibhuti or the best Omelette and James, Andy and William for the great service. During our four weeks, we naturally enjoyed all of the restaurants that were open at the time. Blue Jade has been part of our stays for many years, and once again it was wonderful to enjoy our favourite dishes. The food was, as always, absolutely delicious. Another very special highlight for us is Splendido, which we visited several times during our stay. The authentic Italian dishes, the beautiful atmosphere and, above all, the warm and personal service make every visit special. Even on an evening when our daughter became unwell and we unexpectedly had to move our dinner back to our suite, Lloyd and Magedl made sure that it was still a lovely evening for us, thank you for that. We also regularly stopped by the Lobby Lounge for a coffee or something small to eat. A very special thank you goes to the team there, especially to Elsa, Ashish Yudi and Ahmed, for an incredibly thoughtful and lovely surprise that we had not expected at all. You truly made our day. These are exactly the kind of moments that stay with you. The spacious pool and garden area remains absolutely beautiful. The extensive green grounds are something very special in Dubai. There is so much space and tranquillity, and in many places it really feels like being in a peaceful little oasis. We also visited the spa several times and thoroughly enjoyed our treatments with Yuni and Luh. The very well-equipped fitness centre was another place we used regularly. Whenever you have a question or need any assistance, someone is immediately there to help in a friendly and professional way. A particularly heartfelt thank you, however, must go to the Kids Club and its wonderful team Vioal, Naychee and Gian. It is difficult to put into words just how much they do for our daughter. She is practically standing at the door at 10 a.m. when it opens and would happily stay there until the evening. For her, the Kids Club has become like a second home. She knows the team, feels completely comfortable and safe with them, and they always come up with wonderful activities and little surprises for her. Especially during this stay, with her broken arm and all the limitations that came with it, this meant so much to her – and therefore to us as parents as well. We simply cannot say thank you enough. The Valet Parking team also deserves a very special mention. Working outside during the Dubai summer heat is certainly anything but easy. Nevertheless, the team around Waeem, Khurram, Deepak Raj and Gansa is always there with a smile, bringing the car around so that we do not have to spend unnecessary time in the heat, while still finding the time for a few friendly and personal words. This level of service should never be taken for granted. After four weeks, saying goodbye was difficult once again. What has made this hotel so special to us for more than two decades is not only the beautiful property, the rooms, the food or the excellent service. Above all, it is the people. We have known many of them for years, and some have become friends. That is ultimately what makes every return feel so much like coming home. A very special and heartfelt thank you goes to Ana, Robert and Kishore for their exceptional kindness, their wonderful service and all the thoughtful and lovely surprises throughout our stay. You always manage to make us feel truly special and cared for, and your personal touches mean so much to us. Thank you for making our time at The Ritz-Carlton even more memorable. ❤️ Of course, we will be back – our next stays are already booked. We are already looking forward to seeing all the wonderful people and friends again. And our daughter? She is already counting the days. Thankfully, we do not have much longer to wait. ❤️

We went on holiday to the Ritz-Carlton and have only just been able to post this review, but it has taken a while to write as I was keen to share our experience. We booked the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dubai JBR earlier in the year for August 2026, prior to the war in the region, and we got a pretty good deal. After the war started, we were quite hesitant as to whether to continue our holiday or wait it out, and I'm so glad we waited and actually went on holiday and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton. What can I say! It was wonderful! There were 5 of us (2 adults and 3 children), but as my daughter is 16, she was classed as an adult, so we booked two rooms as I don't think 1 room could accommodate us and it gave us extra space to relax. On top of that, we usually book lounge access and we did again on this occasion. Before our holiday, we received notification that the lounge access was closed, which really disappointed us as we previously went to the JW Marriott and the lounge was closed and service was given in alternative locations, which was not the same. But I researched the alternatives provided and we were a bit hesitant, but hoping that it would not be a let-down. I contacted the hotel prior to arriving to ensure they had received our reservation and to ask them questions such as the availability of interconnecting rooms, and I got prompt responses that the reservation had been received and that they would try to accommodate the interconnecting rooms, but this would be based on availability. I think this is a standard answer from all places, but I wanted to add this so it would be recorded on their system. Also, we had a night flight and wanted to make them aware of our arriving early to see if we could get early check-in. Again, this was subject to availability. They did ask if we were celebrating an anniversary, which is so coincidental that we were celebrating our 20-year anniversary, and I let them know that I was, but more on this later. Upon arrival at the hotel at approx. 11.30am, we were greeted with very kind and caring porters at the hotel entrance and ushered into the hotel. The hotel did not appear busy compared to what we saw later in our holiday, and the front desk staff promptly checked us in and were aware of our requests regarding interconnecting rooms. The staff member whose name I unfortunately cannot remember informed us that they were trying to find 2 rooms which were interconnecting and were available, as we were staying for 12 nights, I appreciate it's not an easy task compared to someone who is staying for a night or 2. Eventually, the front desk staff informed us that one room would be available immediately and the second room would be available later, which was fine by us as it would allow us to crash out after a long night flight. They did tell us that the club lounge would be opened after 2 days, which was a nice surprise, but in the interim we could use the lounge facilities at the lobby lounge. We had booked half-board dine around, which was very nice, and the staff briefly explained what that meant and also that we could use room service for our dinner meal up to 11pm if we did not eat anywhere else, which we used on one occasion, and we later understood this facility was only available due to when we arrived, as I think it was just an extra perk due to the occupancy level when we arrived. We were located on the 3rd floor, which is essentially the main floor, which contains all front desk and other areas such as the lobby lounge and club lounge. We only needed to use the lift to the beach/pool, where the lifts were right next to our room, so we had easy access to get outside. On that first day, we got into our room by about 12pm lunchtime, so we decided to go to the lobby lounge for the first visit to grab something to eat. When we went to the lounge, we noticed it was very grand and had lots of seating and looked very posh. We were greeted by Silvester and we asked what was included for lunch at the lobby lounge as it was our first time, and explained it was part of club access, and he was very informative and explained there was a menu and we could order from there and order drinks. There were also cake slices and biscuits and we could ask for those for free, which was nice, which my daughter had on a couple of occasions. There was a bit of a misunderstanding on one occasion when we went to the lounge and wanted something small rather than a full meal, and we thought we would receive something smaller, but the portion was a lot bigger, so I think it would be good to explain how big some of the portions are just so things don't go to waste. In terms of amazing staff at the Lobby Lounge, we were also greeted by Elsa, who was very friendly and kind and immediately made great rapport with my youngest daughter, who would regularly approach her without any hesitation. On the first couple of days, we definitely noticed that it was less busy, as in the pool was less busy, it was possible to book restaurants on the day at the time we wanted, and we were seated at breakfast immediately when we arrived. But the hotel gradually became busier, and this was seen throughout the hotel where more people were seen, pool loungers were taken up, and we had to wait to be seated at breakfast. The most we waited for breakfast was about 10 mins, which isn't a huge amount of time, but when you come down at 10am it's busy due to the last hour, and trying to get everything you wanted would feel like a slight rush, especially if the egg station was busy or some greedy kids took all the pancakes or French bread. Rooms We had two rooms and each room was a nice size. One room had a twin bed and we had an extra bed put in there for my daughter, and it had sufficient walking space, a large desk with a comfy chair and small coffee table. There was also a large cabinet which housed the fridge and cupboard section for cups and wine glasses. There was a really nice LG TV which was on a bracket and could be swung around to allow viewing from any angle. Each room also had a balcony. The second room had a large queen bed which was really comfortable and a large sofa, comfy chair, coffee table, and a couple of chairs which were slotted under the desk. There was more walking space in the queen bed room. The interesting part of the room was the balcony, as there was a door leading to a small balcony area, and we were told the AC would turn off as soon as the doors were opened, and the amazing thing is even if we went outside with the door open, the heat did not enter the room. It was like a special alcove where the room would remain at ambient temperatures, which is quite remarkable. Unlike other hotels where as soon as balcony doors would open the room would heat up, I assume it was designed in this way as there wasn't direct sunlight hitting the room, so it was just about air movement, and if there was no wind the heat would travel into the room. Either way, we enjoyed it as it was nice to go outside onto the balcony and relax and warm up and enter the room which wasn't too cold, providing the aircon was set to low. Pool There were 2 main pools we used. The big family one, which was very close to our room and had plenty of sunbeds, was right next to a baby pool. This pool was very large and had plenty of spaces to swim, mess around, and lots of people had floats which could be used. The staff were fantastic; whenever you came, one staff member would turn up and give you fresh towels and water in a cooling bag, which was so nice in the heat of the day. This pool had some toilets which were right next to the pool, and it appeared they were made specifically for the pool users. There wasn't blasting aircon when you went to the toilets, which was nice especially if coming out of the pool dripping wet, and staff would always clean up and dry wet areas in the toilet. The other pool we used was the water fountain, which had one large open area and then a meandering route to the waterfall. The waterfall feature was really fun and as a family we spent hours of fun with the waterfall. It was really good. There is also a slide which drops into another baby pool, but the kids did not use it much as the route to the top of the slide was so hot and for kids it was so hard to get up there, especially in bare feet up the stairs and right at the top. I'm not sure what you would do here apart from have some special flooring which does not absorb the heat. The toilets next to the pool with the water fountain were not obvious and it was next to the kids club, but was indoors and the aircon was freezing inside, so it was a massive chill when wet getting to the toilets. Special mention to the lifeguards at the water fountain; I can't remember the names, but on a couple of occasions we lost our water ball in the thick bushes on the sides, and they helped us look for them and found our ball. On one occasion we couldn't find it and they gave us an alternative to play with, but luckily we found our ball and gave the other ball back. Half-board dine around This feature was fantastic as you get to eat in over 100 venues which are part of the dine around, as they are all part of the Marriott group. The website isn't the best to navigate around and identify what was available and the menu for the restaurants there; it did come up with pool bars which were part of other hotels, which I assume you can eat at, but for dinner I don't think it would be suitable to eat there. The best value comes from the buffet restaurant, as the a la carte only provides a voucher for 150 per person for an adult and any kids would have to choose from the kids menu at the restaurant. In Dubai, 150 dirhams doesn't go very far. We only used it a couple of times and stuck with buffet, and the value was so good, especially Kitchen6 at JW Marriott, one of the best buffets we have been to. The concierge at the Ritz were so good as they helped us book our reservations whenever we needed it. Especially Lin, who was very kind, informative, and helpful with our requests. Breakfast Breakfast was a massive highlight of our stay. There was plenty of seating inside and outside, but it was all enclosed and had air con. There were plenty of options to choose from, such as fruits, an egg station, and a small Asian section. I think the one area of improvement would be to provide a larger selection of cereal; I think they only had 3 cereals which were not labelled, but I believe it was Coco Pops, cornflakes, and maybe Frosties. It would've been good to label them and provide more options. Also, there was a limit on the strawberries; some days it was available, other days it was not. But on occasions it was not, some people used to ask the waiters and miraculously a bowl would appear with strawberries, which is a bit inconsistent. The best thing was the egg station, where the staff were so efficient and helpful, and would remember who to ask next, as on occasions at other hotels people push in and it depends on the people being honest and not giving their orders so the chefs would remember the order people would come to ask for. Also, the chefs making the crepes and French toast were fantastic; the French toast was probably the best ever had, which were so sweet and tasty and lovely brioche bread which made them so tasty, and they would always replenish the platter even when you got greedy people taking 5 or 6 items at a time. Other facilities which should be advertised more are things like the tennis courts. There are 4 tennis courts and you can book, and the hotel provides the rackets and balls. This is really good fun and we spent a few sessions with my son, who loved it. We were given the facility to iron 4 items per day (I believe 2 items per room per day) and we gave these to the housekeeping, who were excellent and always brought back the clothes in pristine condition. The gym is well-equipped with cardio machines, free weights, and bookable fitness classes. (A spa is also available on-site, though we did not use it.) Housekeeping The housekeeping was fantastic and I really appreciate how they cleaned the mess in our room on a daily basis. Every time they cleaned it we would appreciate it as we would come back to an oasis into a pristine clean room. Special mention to Subash, who cleaned our room on a daily basis. Onsite restaurants • Splendido (Italian): A plush venue with a lovely atmosphere, though the menu felt a bit limited for our preferences. Being used to UK-style pizza, we weren't overly impressed by the options, and the presence of pork items narrowed our selection further. I had the lasagna, which was tasty and very filling, but overall the menu choice was restricted. • Tamoka (Latin American / South American): Located right on the beach, this restaurant has a vibrant, energetic vibe reminiscent of the promotional videos played throughout the hotel showing live music and dancing. Waitstaff were friendly and helpful, bringing out delicious complimentary bread, and my wife really enjoyed her meal. While it felt more geared toward adults than families, we still had a wonderful evening thanks to the great staff and setting. Location & Transportation Location-wise, the hotel is ideally situated right on the beach at the start of The Walk near McDonald's. However, traveling to Downtown Dubai—which we did regularly—is quite a trek. The return trip during peak traffic hours felt like it took ages, with taxi fares reaching up to AED 100 each way. While reasonable for a single trip, doing it repeatedly throughout a stay quickly adds up. Overall Verdict Despite minor operational rushes during peak dates, this was a fantastic holiday. We thoroughly loved the hotel, the setting, and the outstanding staff, and we would have no hesitation returning in the future.

Besuto looked after our table was very kind and very attentive

Besuto was very helpful and attentive

Thank you Chef Phan for the exceptional food and dining experience. Thanks to her choices and advice we had some of the best vietnamese food.