Le Royal Meridien, JBR, Dubai Staycation

Sometimes….the best things are actually on your doorstep! Le Royal Meridien has been around soooo long – as long as I can remember in Dubai (and I’m living here almost 20 years!). It could be classed now as an iconic JBR landmark, nestled in the hub of the Marina in a great central location with easy access to all the hot spots and overlooking the Arabian Gulf. And guess what, it’s just as good as ever – if not better as it literally ticks all the boxes as we found out from our recent stay there.

I’m even going to suggest that it’s a bit of a secret gem of a hotel resort for both a staycation and proper Dubai destination holiday.  It has a multitude of restaurants to choose from including the fantastic Geales, my fave Mexican – Maya Dubai, Rhodes Twenty 10 plus the main buffet restaurant – Brasserie 2.0 which in terms of hotel buffets – is light, airy, spacious, well laid out and really enjoyable with the most impeccable food and service of course – and a great pork section too.

Specifics to the hotel which I particularly love are the tonnes of grassy areas, greenery and lush landscaping around the resort.  It’s the perfect place to go for an early morning walk before breakfast or just to get your steps in (if it’s not too hot!).  Peacocks roam the grounds freely which is such a beautiful sight.  You never know where one is going to pop up – it really encapsulates the whole resort, like a lush patch of green paradise.

There are three towers of rooms and restaurants all within walking distance of each other with three pools, 250 metres of a sandy beach attached, a gym, spa, beauty salon, Barbour, fashion stores, tennis courts, cafe’s and an amazing kids club that I need to mention.

The kids club is one of the only ones I’ve personally come across that properly caters for older kids (between 8-11 years) as well as little ones also.  My son who’s 8 years old, didn’t want to leave it.  There are big fancy Apple Mac desktops, a proper Playstation and gaming area, cosy reading nooks, Lego stations, a jungle gym, dance area for Zumba classes and fun sessions plus more. The kids club is also very spacious and you have a sense of relief as a parent knowing that your kids are well looked after there with fantastic and dedicated staff.

The rooms are modern with a nice aesthetic and I feel the whole place has gotten a massive new vibe and overhaul.  Our room had a large king bed plus they put in an extra bed for one of the kids as it was just myself and my two kiddies (my husband was away).  It was a perfect size room for us, fresh and modern with a fantastic sea view overlooking Ain Dubai, the Arabian Gulf and the resort itself with the three pools so you could check which one looked less busy from the balcony!

We will definitely come back here again and choose it as a family staycation – I couldn’t fault it!