IS THERE LIFE IN DUBAI IN MAY?

Written: 10 june 2016
Travel time: 10 — 21 may 2016
Who does the author recommend the hotel to?: For a relaxing holiday; For business travel; For families with children; For recreation with friends, for young people
Your rating of this hotel:
10.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms: 10.0
Service: 10.0
Cleanliness: 10.0
Food: 10.0
Amenities: 10.0
Watch VIDEO in HD quality:

Part 1 - https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=PVki6obTnZI
Part 2 - https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Uj-RjorYas4
Part 3 - coming soon.

Rested from 10 to 21 May 2016. Transfer group (actually individual) a / p Dubai - Miramar Hotel = 2 hours (late in the evening without traffic jams). A multi-lane highway with a speed limit of 120 km / h, sometimes turning into a single lane and without lighting, through the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, through the desert and dunes, and then through the mountains and the city of Dibba and further along the coastline to the city of Al Aqa where the hotel is located. Only 150 km.

LOCATION OF THE HOTEL.

Miramar Hotel is located in the town of Al Aqah (Al-Aqa), 45 km north of the capital of the emirate Fujaira (Fujairah) - the city of Al-Fujaira (Fujairah).
There are only FOUR hotels in Al-Aqa on the first coastline - three of which are 5 * recently built and one is the Sandy Beach Motel - 3 *.

WHAT'S RIGHT?


Become facing the sea - to the right of the Miramar hotel (10 minutes at a leisurely pace through the wasteland along the seashore) is the Sandy Beach 3 * motel.
The small island of Snoopy is located 150 meters from the shore of the motel.
It is here that tourists from Dubai and other emirates are brought to the Sandy Beach Hotel with sightseeing tours of the Indian Ocean. 4-5 hours on the beach of the hotel - this is the main "trick" of this tour.

Diving and snorkeling near the island is one of the main attractions of Fujairah in general and the Sandy Beach Hotel in particular. Rich underwater world - there are sharks and turtles.
It is not possible to get to the hotel from the coast - a high stone breakwater and a mesh protect the hotel from strangers.
Approaching the hotel from the side of the road is also very difficult and even dangerous - there is no footpath. The only thing left is a taxi.
The entrance to the hotel is paid, but this is the only way to get to the hotel and to the island. Swimming to the island on your own is not difficult, but the rescuers near the island politely allowed us to snorkel for 5 minutes and asked to leave (a real story of a mother and son from Moscow).
Near the Sandy hotel there is a low rock with its own small dune.
On Friday - this is a place of pilgrimage for locals - to drive cars and motorcycles along the coast and the dune, swim and snorkel on the rocks (see video part 3).

On the territory of the Miramar hotel there is a Diving Club where you can rent fins, masks, etc. . A snorkeling kit costs AED 100 per day. The price list of the Club includes all possible water activities from 100 to 2800 dirhs. In a supermarket near the hotel, a snorkel kit without fins costs 40 AED. Plus fins - 90 dirhams.
I recommend everyone to take a mask with a snorkel, firstly, for snorkeling (more on that later), and secondly, for “monitoring” the purity of the sea.

WHAT'S LEFT?

To the left of the Miramar Hotel is a wasteland - a fishing spot for local fishermen. Every morning, fishermen pull their nets, and hotel spectators watch the process.


The catch can be different - both good (there is something to see) and not very good - when there is only one sprat in the net.
Next - three hotels (5 *) - the first is still under construction. The construction is "sluggish" and does not interfere with anyone - finishing work is underway. Behind it is the Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort 5 * hotel (the only high-rise hotel in Fujairah and its visiting card) and next to it the Fujairah Rotana Resort & SPA 5 * hotel.

The passage along the coast and the entrance from the side of the road to all these hotels is free.
And although every hotel on the seashore has 24-hour security, no one interferes with the “migration” of tourists.

Having examined all the hotels, the three of us agreed that the Miramar Hotel and the Le Meridien Hotel are the two most worthy hotels not only in Al-Aka, but in the entire emirate of Fujairah as a whole. My wife and daughter liked Miramar more, and I liked Le Meridien.

ABOUT THE HOTEL.

Hotel "Miramar" was built in 2005 and is a series of 3-storey villas, located in the form of one "horseshoe" facing the sea.
In the “heel” of the horseshoe there is a reception, a main restaurant, a lobby bar with a terrace, and the “branches” of the horseshoe are villas connected by a common corridor, which is very “relevant” in high heat. All rooms have balconies or terraces.

The simplest number is called "superior" (S=35 m2), that is, by definition, it must be larger than the "standard" number.
It’s very nice (I just said that my wife’s anniversary) upon check-in we were given a free “upgrade” from the “mountain view” room to the “pool view” room on the ground floor - room 1103. At the reception almost every day there is a manager with knowledge Russian language.

DEPOSIT.

Upon arrival at the hotel, all tourists, except for those with All meals and above, are charged a deposit from the room for the entire stay of 100 dollars or 350 dirhams, which is returned upon departure in dirhams at the hotel rate.

Course at the hotel 1 $ = 3.55 dirh. , in a/p $1=3.65 dirh.
If you have a bank card, then this amount can also be “blocked” on it.

When checking into the room, we asked to remove the mini-bar from the refrigerator and therefore were exempted from paying the deposit.
Naturally, for the period of your stay, you can spend the deposit money on the purchase of all services at the hotel.

TERRITORY OF THE HOTEL.

The hotel area is very cozy and well thought out.
In the center of the territory there is an outdoor swimming pool with a bar and a restaurant.
Plus two more bars (lobby bar - in the lobby and at the beach bar). These bars offer hookah (shisha) from AED 53. Pipes for the hookah are given out new (in the package).

The oceanfront beach bar (Bahari Grill) is a very popular spot. The bar is equipped with huge air conditioners that create their own microclimate in the open area of ​ ​ the bar.
The cost of alcoholic cocktails is from $10 to $15. A glass of water - from $5, beer - from $10, tea / coffee + cake = $13, hamburger + beer = $19.
Places on the beach under a double shadow are in demand - from palm trees + umbrellas. By 9 o'clock there are no more free places on the beach.
The water in the pool becomes hot by lunchtime. With the dawn, every day the cleaning of the pool and the entire territory begins with the use of machines and people.

The hotel is kept immaculately clean. In this parameter, Miramar differs for the better from the Le Meridien hotel.
Our room 1103 is all new: furniture, bathroom fixtures. Very comfortable large beds, pillows - just class! The hotel does not have loud music even by the pool and the rooms overlooking the pool are also quiet.

There are many Russian speakers in the hotel. The attitude of the staff towards tourists is very cordial, for several. once a day they greet you (moning, aftenun, welcome, welcome back). For all 10 days of rest, we never had any questions about our room, cleaning, etc.

Air conditioning with individual control. Safe electronic free of charge. Ironing board and iron already in the room. Kettle, tea, coffee, 1 bot. (0.5 l) water per person free of charge in the room for one day.
LCD TV - 6 rus. channels.

Personal greeting on TV on the first day of arrival. In addition, according to the hotel program, you can get complete information about the hotel, about the prices of restaurants and services.
On Fridays, local Arabs come to the hotel, but there is no strong influx, and this is only a plus for all guests - the range of dishes in the restaurant increases (++) and more smoke in the bars from hookahs (+++)?

FREE SHUTTLE.

A free shuttle bus (shuttle) of the hotel twice a week (Monday and Thursday from 9 am to 6.30 pm) will take you to the Dubai Mall and once a week (on Sunday from 9.00 am to 2.30 pm) to the City Center Fujairah shopping center ( Fujairah, 48 km ), which respectively has a food hypermarket "Carrefour" ("Carrefour").

There is a pre-registration for the bus, but this can only be done in person at the hotel. The hotel does not accept advance bookings by email. There is only one bus and there may not be enough seats for everyone. I advise those who are not included in the lists to come at the time of the bus departure - refusals happen.
There is one more daily free shuttle for three hotels to the City Center Fujairah shopping center (10.45 - 15.15). Travel time is about an hour. There is no pre-registration and the Miramar hotel is the third, last in the chain, and there are only 25 places even with folding seats.
Miramar is the only Al Aqa hotel that provides a free shuttle to Dubai.

SEA OCEAN. BEACH. "ATTACK OIL".

The beach is sandy, no rocks. The sand is yellow and very hot during the day. The entrance to the sea is gentle. There is no great depth to the buoys. There are no pitfalls or slabs. There are no sea urchins. Sea with ebbs and flows (up to 1m).
The sea is warm, you can swim for hours. There were no big waves.
But it happens that the sea is "sick" ....Sick of jellyfish or not very clean.

We were lucky - only the first two of the 10 days of our holiday, the sea was cool.
One full day there was an “attack of butterflies” - such small brown butterflies, small jellyfish, but darkness ...One day (after lunch) - white small jellyfish and there were not many of them, bathing was not disrupted.


But our predecessors (who were on the May holidays) were leaving very sad. The sea hurt all week.
In case of burns from jellyfish, contact the lifeguard - he has a special one. spray.

Well, about the purity of the sea. It's no secret that the hotel pipe goes far into the sea, but when the wind "blows in the wrong direction" ...
But there is a way out - the coastline is very long and it is not difficult to find a clean sea.

A couple of times I washed my feet from oil, but it is nowhere to be seen. On the beach, pieces of rags in oil are provided for this case.
There is concern about the purity of the sea and jellyfish. And I do not like it.

Therefore, every time before swimming, I put on a mask and did “monitoring” of the purity of the sea.
Conclusion: seize the moment when the sea does not get sick and enjoy the warm Indian Ocean.

SNORKLING.

Of course, not the Maldives, but ...
Turtles are everywhere: on the beach of the hotel near the buoys on the left (they eat algae on the ropes), as well as outside the beach - wherever there are stones. There are large specimens.
There are especially many fish and turtles on the right at the Le Meridien hotel on a stone ridge. Swimming is allowed only with a mask. Carefully enter the water - there are a lot of hedgehogs on the rocks.
You need to snorkel from morning to afternoon. Given the position of the sun, the water at this time is very clear.
And most importantly, when you go snorkeling, you don’t need to sunbathe on purpose.
In the water, the tan itself “sticks” to you. I do not remember that I was so "black" after the sea.

NUTRITION.

Breakfast at the highest level.
Soups (2 types) from legumes in pots with constant heating over a live fire and a painted clay plate - some kind of “ceremony” turns out!
Freshly squeezed juice - 3 types. Porridge. Bacon.
Cheese lump - 5-6 selected varieties. Cut off the piece you need. Fruit pieces. Yogurt, several types - very tasty. "Cook on eggs" like a bayonet at 7 am on the spot. Sweet table.
On Friday - slightly salted salmon and rolls additionally.

Coffee on tap - kettle on the table. Tea bags are probably my only comment.

I was pleasantly surprised by the very delicate attitude towards hotel guests in the restaurant - there are no offensive warnings about the prohibition of taking food out of the restaurant, about fines ...Is there an announcement that all food taken out of the restaurant is subject to additional payment?

And still surprised toothpicks with menthol?

WEATHER or IS THERE LIFE IN DUBAI IN MAY?

Yes, but only from dawn to 11 o'clock in the afternoon. The rest of the time - how lucky ...Morning starts at 30-32 degrees and then only upwards.
There were a couple of very comfortable days, when the temperature during the day did not exceed 35 degrees and a refreshing sea breeze blew.
On the rest of the days, it rose to 40-42 gr.

Moreover, the most interesting thing is that during the day the temperature was still at 36-38 degrees. , but after 5 p. m. , a terribly hot, dry and strong western and NE wind began to blow. Well, the western one is understandable - there is a desert, but the NE - where from?

This wind immediately "accelerated" the thermometer to the mark of 40-42.
Even the eyes became "hot".

According to statistics, in the month of May, Fujairah has the lowest air humidity - 30-50 percent. This is what saved us, I guess.
A general practitioner from Moscow said that she did not care about this heat, but a young couple from Minsk admitted that they were also very hot.

FINDINGS :

1. The Miramar Hotel is a real "five" - ​ ​ one of the best hotels in Al-Aqa and Fujairah in general. Compared to neighboring hotels in Al-Aqi, the hotel is located at a greater distance from the mountains, which provides a fairly good air movement on its territory. Le Meridien loses especially hard in this Miramar.
2.
Do not take a tour to a hotel with meals below ALL. Otherwise, it is better to abandon hotels in Al-Aqa altogether. There are two reasons: the lack of alternative food places nearby and very high prices for drinks and food in the hotel itself.

3. Rest in Fujairah is, first of all, a beach holiday surrounded by mountains and on the coast of the Indian Ocean, but the sea is “very capricious” and sometimes “sick”.
4. Carefully choose a month of rest according to your tolerance for heat (I recommend April).

Once again, the link to the video - https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Uj-RjorYas4
Translated automatically from Russian. View original