Jumeirah Mina Al Salam

“Amazing first-time experience in Dubai ”

We have just completed a 5 night stay at Mina Al Salaam travelling with 2 small children aged 1 and 3. We couldn't fault our experience. We had booked a club room and arrived at the hotel around 10am. We were immediately escorted to the Amal Lounge for check in and were offered breakfast which w… more

We have just completed a 5 night stay at Mina Al Salaam travelling with 2 small children aged 1 and 3. We couldn't fault our experience. We had booked a club room and arrived at the hotel around 10am. We were immediately escorted to the Amal Lounge for check in and were offered breakfast which was delicious with amazing views from the lounge terrace accross to the Palm on the left and the Burj Al Arab on the right. We were then taken to our room which was ready for us with soft toys, a puzzle and children's toiletries all laid out for our convenience. We were on room 18 on the ground floor which had wonderful sunset views from the balcony. The room and balcony were larger than they looked in the photographs and we had plenty of space, even with a sofa bed set up and a cot. The bathroom was really spacious witha  big separate bathtub which was useful for the kids. The rooms were extremely well appointed and we had everything we could possibly need. The butler service on WhatsApp was extremely useful and out hostess Francesca was very responsive and helpful answering all our queries. The breakfast buffet at Hanaaya restaurant was great and we ate here for the rest of our stay rather than in the Amal Lounge because of the great selection. We made use of the afternoon tea and cocktail hour which are included when booking a club room and found it to be well worth it- the canapes at happy hour were delicious - a selection of 3-4 per person are served and they come from a different restaurant each night. In addition there is a small buffet are with things like olives, breadsticks, cheese, fruits and baklava. There is a little playroom in the club lounge with some toys which our kids really enjoyed. The entire team at the Amal Lounge made us feel so welcome and were really helpful in accommodating our children's needs even bringing a kid friendly canapé selection for them at cocktail hour. The beaches were clean with great service. You are quickly greeted when you arrive and taken to a free sunlounger. The staff always helped us with our pushchairs too which was so kind. The water was warm and clear, shallow and calm- just perfect for the kids to play in. There are some toys provided with children to ply with. We fed the kids luch here almost every day and the food never took more than 15 minutes to arrive. Food is expensive compared to the UK but the portion size and quality are good- as you would expect in a luxury hotel in Dubai. A kids meal is approximately 45-50 AED, a pint of draught beer 60 AED. The kids club and pool were wonderful and well staffed. The beach reception areas along the beachfront were stocked with suncream, factor 50 for kids, face mist and aftershave lotion - a lovely and thoughtful touch. The stretch of beach is long and as you walk along you enter the different hotel areas. You can use the beach or pool area of any hotel on the complex which was great and everything is easy to get to on an abra or buggy but we walked most of the time. The Kids club was only a 5 - 10 minute walk from the Mina Al Salaam and Souk Madinat just 5 minutes- so everything is walkable if it isn't too hot. As the different stretches of beach are part of the different hotels, the food and beverage menus vary slightly which we thought was good as it meant we could use different sections of the beach to get more variety for the kids and with the drinks the beers available on draughts can be different too.e.g Peroni at the Mina Al Salaam beach and Corona at Al Qasr. There are bottles of complimentary water provided in the pool and beach ares which was a real plus. The rides on the abras are free for hotel guests and this was relly lovely way to get from one part of the complex to another. The kids loved this. There are plenty of dining options and all looked amazing. We ate at one of the waterfront restaurants one evening and it was very good. Half board would have been a good option for us in hindsight as there are so many restaurants that you could use this in. For dinner, there are not many options if you are on a budget and you would get a better selection of mid-range/ quick bite type restaurants outside of the hotel complex. We did go to Souk Madinat one evening and it was fun to wonder around all the shops. There are more dining options here but we didn't get a chance to explore these. It was lively over the weekend with more live music from the restaurants in the afternoons on the waterfront and even though the hotel was busier, it never felt crowded or loud. I did notice live music most evenings in the hotel lobby. If, like us this is your first time in Dubai and are struggling to decide which area to stay in then this place is within easy reach of all the main sights but be aware that the traffic is horrendous and it can take a long time to get anywhere depending on the time you travel. Traffic is especially bad in the late afternoon/ early evening. We typically would go out in the evenings to visit another area like the Mall or Marina. It took about 45 minutes to the mall because of the traffic and about 30 mins to the Marina. We used ubers and they were approx 60- 80 AED. If you want to feel like you are staying in Dubai and be surrounded by skyscrapers and nightlife, I would reccomend staying in JBR/Marina area for a couple of nights and then coming to Mina Al Salaam for a more relaxing time. This is probably what we would do if we came again in the future to avoid having to travel too much and to feel like we had the Dubai hustle and bustle experience. If you aren't much interested in sight seeing and want to spend most of your time relaxing and dining in a beautiful setting, then this place is perfect.

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