Review: The One&Only, Royal Mirage, Dubai

Dubai is awash with luxury hotels. It is something the Emirate prides itself on and although I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Dubai, the range of opulent hotels and five star service is undeniably impressive. This was our first time staying with the One&Only luxury hotel group. In May, we booked six nights at The Royal Mirage hotel, located just next to The Palm (a huge, manmade island in the shape of a palm). After cancelling our big trip to Asia (the best holiday we never had) following my husband’s meningitis and heart surgery, this was our ‘hurray, he’s not dead’ holiday so we went all out and booked a suite at the hotel. 

HOTEL OVERVIEW

The One&Only, Royal Mirage opened way back in 1999 when Dubai was a very different city to the one it is today. The hotel is split into three different parts: Arabian Court (where we stayed), The Residence and The Palace. The beautifully decorated hotel emulates opulence from every corner: from the shiny, Arabic mosaics on the floor beneath your feet, the soothing water fountains as you wander the grounds and towering domes as you look above you. Then there are the hotel’s beautiful, manicured gardens, which are constantly tended to, and its welcoming staff.

THE ROOM

The upgrade was a wise decision. I can honestly say it was one of the best hotel rooms I have ever had the pleasure of staying it. The enormous room had a spacious hallway with a toilet (so we had two in the suite), a dining area, desk and large living room.

The bedroom was huge so plenty of space for our daughter’s cot and, like the rest of the suite, immaculately decorated with an enormous attention to detail.
It had a fabulous en suite…

And a roomy shower, big enough to sleep in, if so desired…

My FAVOURITE bit about the room though was this…a walk in wardrobe!

Our balcony was pretty awesome too.

The room was sheer indulgence with the most sumptuous interior design: silver velvet sofas, intricate lamps and beautiful ornaments. I was getting some inspiration for my own home as it was all right up my street.

Take a look at the awesomeness of the suite yourself in my video room tour.

SUITE FACILITIES

The room was not only bigger than an average flat in London but we also had our own butler, Eric. He was chatty, smiley, helpful and great with Mrs T.  We just didn’t really know what to give him to do – aside from booking restaurants and spa treatments but it was a nice touch and he was fun to chat to.

When you have a suite at the One&Only you also get use of the kabbanas on the beach and by the pool which are reserved for you – so no getting down there, German style, first thing in the morning to chuck some towels and magazines on sun beds. Sure, it’s a bit elitist but a fabulous treat.

The only downside was being a fair walk from the restaurants and the pool/beach.

FACILITIES

Beach
The hotel has a kilometre-long private beach looking out onto Palm Island bay. The sun beds are very comfy and the beach is long and wide and you are attended to regularly with water and fresh fruit from the friendly staff. The only downside was some noise from the ever-expanding Palm opposite as construction continues to take place. It was especially loud on one of the days at the beach (as shown in my video at the end of the post). Dubai certainly lacks the idillic views of tropical climes but it is a city, after all! 

Pools
There are three large pools in each different section of the hotel. The Residence pool is more for adults while The Palace and Arabian Court ones are family-friendly pools. The Palace has a poolside bar (which got my husband’s vote) but Arabian court was slightly smaller and quieter with a great restaurant (The Eauzone) nearby for lunch.

Health and Beauty
The One&Only also caters for those looking to indulge in some pampering with an impressive spa and Hammam in a beautiful Arabian style building. I booked a reflexology session while I was there but there is a full menu of various treatments. The Hammam operates separate hours for men and women and you need to book a time to visit. In the same building is the fitness centre which is a good size with Technogym cardio and resistance equipment.

Bars
For evening entertainment, there are five different bars and lounges including a club located in The Palace. We really enjoyed the Jetty Lounge. A very chic, chilled-out affair with white sofas, cocktails, sea views and a cool vibe.

CHILDREN’S FACILITIES

There are two children’s centres: one in The Palace and one at Arabian court which are open every day. It is complimentary and children aged from 4-11  can use it without parental supervision. I could take Mrs T (aged 2) there to join in the activities but I needed to stay with her. The centres offer a huge range of activities from 10am – 12.30pm, 2.30pm – 5pm and 6pm – 10pm with children usually joining their parents for meals.

ACTIVITIES

At the hotel alone, there is a putting green, table tennis and water sports which include: sailing, kayaking, Hobie Cats, windsurfing, water-skiing and fishing. It has three tennis courts and you can partake in french bowls (patanque), volleyball and basketball.

If you can tear yourself away from the hotel, it is only a ten minute drive away from the nearest golf course, the marina area and The Palm. The Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are around a 20 minute taxi ride away or could go for more adventurous excursions such as desert safaris and sand-skiing.

The hotel provides a shuttle bus to the Mall of the Emirates and you can make use of the complimentary boat ride to the One&Only Palm. Not wanting to pass on this opportunity, one evening we boarded the vessel and went for dinner at their sister hotel. Mrs T found it all very exciting and we had an excellent meal.

FOOD

For breakfast, in typical Dubai style, you can have anything from dim sum to roti and cereal. The egg station could sometimes take a while with a slight queue but on the whole it was very good. There are high chairs and you have the option sit inside and outside.

In all, the hotel has eight different restaurants. As we were only staying for six nights, we didn’t get to use them all although one, Celebrities, only allows children aged 8 and upwards. We booked the hotel half board which worked out well – when you are with a two year old you don’t generally want to trek out for food at night. On the whole, the restaurants were excellent and there was a good choice: from Indian to Arabic, Mediterranean and Asian. We tried the buffet one night too which was delicious with top quality food. Our favourite though was the Eauzone, a very cool beach restaurant serving ‘modern Asian food with a twist’. Even if you aren’t staying at the One&Only, I would recommend paying this restaurant a visit.

In the evening, in respect of local customs, the dress code in the restaurants is casual yet elegant. So no sleeveless T-shirts, shorts or plastic flip flops and trousers only (for men).

VERDICT

The One&Only Royal Mirage is an impressive place. It is a big hotel with your pick of facilities and activities but they appear to have perfected the art of giving good, individual service with many of the staff addressing us by our names. Aside from the view from the beach and the construction noise, we had a very relaxing time. And that was my only complaint with the hotel. The suite was a real treat and it was great to have our own lounge area in the evening to chill out or retire to the balcony for a night cap. When we next go to Dubai, this hotel would be top of my list and I am excited to try out some of its other hotels throughout the world.

EXTRA INFO

We visited the One&Only Royal Mirage in May 2015 and booked the trip through Kenwood Travel. We flew with Emirates from Heathrow to Dubai. I wouldn’t recommend visiting June – August as it gets very hot!

Check out my video review of the hotel to get a real feel of the trip and an honest assessment. Oh, and check out that noise.

How about pinning it for later…