Review - Park Hyatt Dubai
The luxury brand of the Hyatt corporation opened its first Dubai outstation already in 2005. Situated at the quiet Dubai creek with a marina and a golf course this Dubai hotel is different from the downtown options - but is it a viable one? The city is becoming the hotel capital of the world with seemingly more hotels than residential buildings, so the choice is not easy. Let's see how the Park Hyatt fares.
Located by the Dubai Creek, the PH is closer to the DXB airport than to the new city center of Dubai.
Atmosphere
I loved the atmosphere throughout the compound. It's kind of a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern architecture and it always remained the expected Park Hyatt understated luxury vibe.
And the whole compound puts a lot of park in Park Hyatt.
We arrived very early in the morning and we were happy to start with a breakfast in the lounge before we could have our room. This was a nice experience compared to the normal buffet breakfast during the rest of our stay, but more on that later.
The Room
Our terrace (and yes, that is rain...in Dubai...we caught the two rain days of the year)
We stayed three nights in early 2017. It seems since our stay they renovated the rooms - comparing my photos from those on their website they seem to have lightened the rooms with more use of white in the furnishings. I guess I like the new style more than the darker theme we had in 2017, but can't say for sure until I have seen it with my own eyes. Just keep that in mind when reading this review.
The standard King Skyline room is size-wise more than enough for a few days. And it comes with a wonderful terrace (or balcony) with a view of the distant skyline of the new Dubai with the Burj al Khalifa.
In the, otherwise nice, bathroom we found black mold stains on the marble tiles. This in a five star (or actually any star) property is a no go. Especially in the size we have encountered in this shower, but see for yourself below.
The rest of the bathroom was fine, I liked the free standing bath tub and those wooden blinds covering a big opening to the bedroom.
Since we were on the ground floor we were free to step outside into the park, which was always kept neat and tidy.
Looking at our room from the outside park - the ground floor terrace in the center
Spa and Pool
Pool was large and nicely set amongst palm trees. Service was good, but not attentive enough - I remember having to go to the pool bar to ask for stuff far too often (if I want that I can go to a public pool).
Good coffee by the pool
The food and coffee have been very good, though. As has been the massage that I received in one of the beautiful massage rooms with outdoor shower. The overall quality of the spa area was really high and fulfilled my expectations of a five star hotel.
Resting place after the massage with a tea and some nuts
Dining
Hyatt completely overhauled the restaurants and bars in the Park Hyatt Dubai since we visited. The Thai restaurant was apparently left unchanged, which I can understand, since it was perfect for its purpose. The "Thai Kitchen" was really really good and authentic with friendly and efficient service.
For drinks we went to what is today called the Brasserie du Park (in 2017 it was still called The Terrace) every night. It's directly by the water and marina, which was perfect and had the vibe of a yacht club. The updated style, as seen on the website, speaks even more clearly a maritime design language. The there mentioned NOÉPE seems to be directly next to the brasserie and I can't remember it existing in 2017. It looks great though.
We have also been regulars of the Shisha Lounge to enjoy a Moroccan mint tea together with a water pipe.
Breakfast
The buffet breakfast on the other hand was not on par with my expectations. Too many people, service seemed to be overwhelmed by that and the whole atmosphere was more like a three star hotel with kids running around and food being replaced very slowly.
Summary
| Hotel | Park Hyatt Dubai |
|---|---|
| Brand | Park Hyatt |
| Good |
|
| Bad |
|
| CT Points | 92 |
I can recommend the Park Hyatt Dubai for a relaxed stay far away from the hustle and bustle. Due to its closeness to DXB airport it's ideal for an overnight stay when changing flights. Something that we like to do on the return flights from a longer vacation with Emirates. And for this purpose the Park Hyatt is also the best among the hotels near the airport, e.g. compared to the Le Meridien.
If you want to visit Dubai itself, I would recommend other hotels like the Palace Downtown next to the Burj Al Khalifa (stayed there recently, review will follow) or the Madinat Jumeirah by the beach (see review here). Also for point collectors of US-based chains there are more choices closer to main Dubai attractions.
