Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

When you make it to 10 years of marriage you feel like want to celebrate it. My wife and I had set our sights on either Dubai, Seychelles or Maldives. We had initial discussions with both Kuoni and Destinology. Given the time we had ??? half term week only we opted for Dubai. From sales points of view Destinology was by far better than Kuoni... they ???seemed??? to offer a better deal with some promised upgrades and discounts. Unfortunately ???seemed??? is the right word because although I can???t vouch for what Kuoni would have done I know that Destinology came short once it got the holiday time. We were advised by Destinology to opt for an overnight flight. Kuoni recommended a day time flight... believe me, unless you have the first class flat bed option, don???t opt for the overnight flight; you won???t catch much sleep if any at all. Kuoni was right! The airline was Emirates so we had high hopes... unfortunately Emirates isn???t what it???s supposed to be anymore: long wait for service; few drinks;... Virgin are still miles ahead! Our flight left Birmingham Saturday evening around 8pm and arrived in Dubai Sunday morning around 8am. (8hr flight + 4 hrs time difference). No issues with the airport... it all feels a bit intimidating at first bit actually it???s quite smooth to get through passport control and luggage collection. There???s even a duty free shop on the way out; grab a few bottles here also. So now to the stay... and this is where the issues start. We had booked a private transfer from the airport to the Jumeirah Sabeel Saray hotel (which was on the Jumeirah Palm) and had upgraded it from a Lexus to a BMW. Guess which car was provided? Indeed the Lexus. When we arrived at the hotel we understood we were early would have to wait for our room. After a few hours we got a call from reception to say our room was ready. We had upgraded our room from an Arabian Gulf view to a Palm Jumeirah view. Guess which room type we were allocated? Indeed the Arabian Gulf view. I raised this with both the hotel reception and Destinology (via email as the office was shut!). It took a further 5.5hrs, 3 further visits to reception speaking to 3 different people (one of which was supposed to be a manager) before we eventually obtained the right room. During that time Destinology replied via email and claimed to have spoken to the hotel, but it was my doing and the chasing which got us to the right room. Given the fact how long we had to wait for our luggage to arrive when we moved into the first room we were allocated to, we decided to move our luggage ourselves this time as we wanted to unpack and get settled. At this time is was 6pm. We received a call from the manager that same night and he offered a bottle of wine at the table during one of the meals... nice promise, never materialised! The next morning. I usually have a decent breakfast; my wife usually doesn???t and has enough with a muesli yoghurt or some fruit which she has in the room whilst she gets ready. It was my intention to bring some bits up myself to the room. I???m perfectly happy to do that; don???t need anyone else to do it for me. But oh no, not possible at the Jumeirah Sabeel Saray. The waiter would bring it up to the room. However just for today (a one-off exception) not for the remainder of the stay. Is this supposed to be a 5* hotel which thrives on customer service? I went to my room. We waited 40mn for the food to arrive. We left for the beach. The food never arrived! So upon our return from the beach I once again raised this issue with the hotel and Destinology. I received another call in the room from another manager. At least he promised things that actually happened: he arranged for my wife???s breakfast to arrive every day in the room. He also assisted with a reservation at the Burj Al Arab where we had an amazing time. So whilst I managed to sort the breakfast issue out with the hotel all I got from Destinology was again another email to say they had spoken to the hotel and were waiting for a response. 2 days in and nothing but issues... wrong pick-up car, wrong room, wrong breakfast. All I hear from Destinology: ???We???ve spoke to hotel, we are awaiting response.??? Good thing I try and sort issues out myself... I???d still be waiting if it was for Destinology! Also, the last thing you want to do is constantly argue the case about what should have been done. We were there to celebrate 10 year anniversary. Oh yes... another promise from Destinology: ???There will be something done whilst you???re there to celebrate your wedding anniversary; make sure you have your wedding certificate with you to show as evidence.??? Yep we did have it with is... nothing offered: no meal, no drink... oh yes... some petals on the bed on the 2nd night. I don???t know why we???d need to show a wedding certificate for some rose petals? From day 3 onwards things kept ticking over. No further issues. I thought I???d raise these upon my return with Destinology. Were they interested... hell no! A few emails to express their disappointment but no action forthcoming. So let this be a warning... don???t believe all they say when they sell you the holiday. Communication between Destinonology and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is slow at best and non-existent during other times... you need to fight your own battles! For the remainder of the holiday we had some nicer days; mainly at the private beach in the daytime (sun goes down by 5pm???ish end October/early November). Loungers with beach towels provided as well a couple of spring water bottles. The waiters from Play Deck were amazing: a friendly chat and drinks brought to your sun lounger. We also had a couple of lunches at Play Desk and found the food to be good value for money in general. We???d then spend the evenings at various venues on the palm and mainland... we did Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifah and Dubai Marina. A recap for the hotel.... The room: The good: the bed is rather big, the mattress is rather nice and so are the pillows; the bathroom is rather big with a nice Turkish style marble bath; the view over the palm is nice. The bad: the room is rather dark; the TV channel choice rather limited. The ugly: some of the bathroom fittings needs fixing/changing (tap top came off and silicone along shower screen was mouldy). Guests above seemed to flick cigarette butts down below which ended up in front of our balcony... didn???t get cleaned up either! The hotel: it has a nice entrance which at night is lit up beautifully. The entrance/lobby is also pleasant in a Moorish style and the furniture pieces look opulent. The swimming pool was very busy and has seen better days especially around the wood surrounding the trees inside the pool. The private beach was nice but you need to be careful as the sand (man-made islands) seems mixture of building sand, stones and other building leftover materials... a few people ended up with cuts on their feet. As for Dubai... an amazing place, really loved it and we will surely go back (soon); just not with Destinology, nor with Emirates, nor at Jumeirah Sabeel Saray! All of them could have made a difference yet they choose not to or did slightly after several complaints... not what you expect when you???re out celebrating for a special occasion! Also; unless you really need to don???t stay on the Jumeirah Palm; save yourself 30mn there and back in taxi ride time! PS ??? I???ve given Destinology the chance to respond to my claims... they have declined to do anything bar a refund of ??29 for the incorrect pick-up car!They feel like all other issues were handled ok. When you spend 2 days of a 5-days stay raising issues with the travel company and/or the hotel you know something isn???t quite right. You can either keep going and have your whole holiday ruined or give up after 3 days because you want to spend some quality time with your partner... I choose the latter hoping to raise the issues upon my return. I will pursue the matter with ombudsman and my credit card issuer.

We had a fantastic holiday was expensive but enjoyed every minute. Only went for a week but it was spotless clean and well worth the extra money. I would definitely go back. Cannot fault the staff and it really felt like home. Did upgrade the room and it was fantastic. Bath was bigger than my bathroom at home. Hope to see you next year.

Everything about the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray was topnotch, and I'm not always easy to please! I would recommend staying in a Club Level Room, the added benefits far exceed the cost difference. Don't miss the spa, the best I've ever been to, period.