Совсем не пляжный отдых Not a beach holiday

We rested after the New Year holidays, out of six full days, four days were cloudy, cold and raining. As a result, it was impossible to stay in the room - terrible dampness and cold. Even things were all wet. There are no balconies in this hotel, and the windows do not open. the handles are removed, you have to call from the reception to open or close the window, which is very inconvenient.
I think the lack of balconies and opening windows is the main drawback of this hotel, because. remoteness is compensated by a free bus from the hotel. Getting back with him is not always convenient, you can take a taxi. Taxi prices are reasonable 20-35 dirhams per trip. (in rubles from 160 to 280 depending on the point of departure Nasser Square or Dubai Mall).
True, due to the remoteness of the hotel, there are still problems with excursions - representatives of the Aladdin travel agency generally do not want to take them on excursions, in particular on a sightseeing tour, from the hotel - only from the beach, and even very early. Arabian Knight is taken on an excursion, but they are not returned to the hotel, they are left at the Dubai Mall.

There is an agency at the hotel to pick up and return to the hotel, they don't mind, they just cheat terribly. TA representative Svetlana assured us - wait in the room, I will call when you are taken to the safari. We waited in a damp room for more than 2 hours until they came for us and there were no calls from Svetlana. The next day, Svetlana categorically refused her words, saying that we ourselves should have called her...
But the food at the hotel is very decent - fruits for breakfast in the range, pastries, cheese, porridge, etc. Everything is delicious and edible. The service and attendants are also at the level, the cleaning in the room is normal, they left tips for 5 dirhams, there was always a fresh bottle of water, tea and coffee bags. At the reception, they normally speak English, you can ask everything, because. the representative of the TEZ tour never showed up to meet the tourists, although we arrived immediately - 12 people, only at the reception they handed envelopes from the TEZ tour with prices for excursions.
I liked that the hotel has a sauna, you can warm up after cold and damp rooms. There is a microscopic pool and bleach shakes not childishly, but this is also a plus, because. in the presence of the sun, you can sunbathe near it, and the service at the pool is at the level and sunbeds with mattresses and towels are available. Unlike the beach, where you pay money for entry, and then you also pay for naked sunbeds without tables, and for an umbrella - a separate fee.
Al Mamzar beach itself is dirty and uncomfortable, but the park is super, a lot of greenery, equipped places for barbecues.
In general, perhaps due to the lack of good weather, the UAE did not seem like a place where you can go for a beach holiday. Shopping also did not strike the imagination - nothing cheap was found in the famous malls, although the shopping festival had already begun, prices were at the level of Moscow. We walked through fur coat shops, for good Italian fur coats from the latest collections they asked for an average of $ 5.000, hinting at a possible small bargain (Braschi, Pelicia, EGO). Chinese-made fur coats could be looked at for 2500.

I got the impression that one can go and see the country once, no more. Of course, the Arabs were amazed by their artificial islands, chic hotels Atlantis and Burj al Arab, and the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa, sheikhs' palaces and the general standard of living of the indigenous population, as well as the competent policy of the country's leadership in the name of its people.