Your rating of this hotel:
7.0
from 10
Hotel ratings by criteria:
Rooms:
7.0
Service:
7.0
Cleanliness:
7.0
Food:
7.0
Amenities:
8.0
It was necessary to find a vacation in the UAE in mid-September urgently to be at home in October. We contacted the travel agency. The girls are great. Immediately option to Sharjah in RADISSON BLUE RESORT SHARJAH 5, Standard Sea View room. Immediately passed the documents for a visa ($ 150 for two). Flight Dubai Airlines (economy option - so we were told). Flight 4 hours from Donetsk (Ukraine) to Dubai. Meals on the plane are paid, so we stocked up on sandwiches a little. In general, after booking a tour, we searched the internet and decided that the option was good (I really liked the photos of the hotel’s infrastructure - 5 stars after all, plus the well-known RADISSON hotel chain). A trip with the tour operator Natalitours (Alfaturs in the UAE).
The only thing we learned from the reviews is that the hotel is located near the port and that the hotel is either going on or not being renovated (accordingly, who wrote that the rooms are shabby and who wrote that they are new), that the beach is dirty on the territory (oil stains from passing ships and garbage) Also we read about excursions (IMMEDIATELY MANY THANKS TO ALL VACATIONERS, TRAVEL AGENCIES for very useful information, reviews about holidays in the UAE posted online !!!!!!!!! ). Approximately, we outlined objects for ourselves to visit (although the plan was only preliminary) - the reviews about travels in the UAE influenced us on our own (meaning without excursions). Booked immediately on the site tickets to visit the Burj Khalifa (the highest building in Dubai) - 210 dirhams for two, of course, the same can be done upon arrival in the UAE - the price will be the same - the main thing is not to take tickets on the day of the visit (there is a price for one person increases to 400 dirhams).
By the way, the girls in the travel agency also provided us with useful information about excursions and prices, rules of conduct in the UAE. So, having collected the necessary information and suitcases, we went on vacation.
I want to point out right away. We are a young family and when planning our trips, the priority was on a minimum of expenses and a minimum of paid excursions (we got information from the reviews of vacationers on how to spend a vacation economically). The question was not that we could not afford excursions, but that at home, if you can safely use the metro and buses, then why take a taxi everywhere. By the way, this example is not good, since we constantly used a taxi, but more on that later. And yet, if you suddenly want to follow our example and go on excursions yourself - learn a FOREIGN language. Basic knowledge of English and the roads are open to you.
But if you want to relax calmly and not run around at breakneck speed yourself, feel free to take excursions. Quiet journeys, informative stories of the guide, a minimum of hassle and a sea of impressions (from the stories of tourists from our hotel). Everyone has the right to organize their own vacation. By the way, as we later calculated, our independent travels saved about half of our total expenses - this is about half the cost of the tour. With excursions from a travel agency, the rest would have cost the price of a ticket (costs include only transport, meals and entrance to excursions).
So departure. We had a voucher for 8 days, 7 nights. Departure was at 14.15, flight 4 hours plus 1 hour forward. That is, we are in Dubai at 19.30 local time. We stand in a half-hour queue at passport control, customs (there was no retinal check) and change part of the currency in the exchanger (for bail and for the first time).
First impressions: Arabs - men in capes with their heads covered, many Arabs and Hindus, hot climate. At the exit, we found a representative with a sign "Natalie Tours" and went to the bus (on the way we received an information envelope with schedules, prices for excursions, introductory information. We drove to the hotel for about 40 minutes. Partly due to traffic jams, partly due to the fact that the bus The way transports tourists to other hotels. By the way, there are traffic jams in the UAE (in particular in Dubai), the usual half hour on a free highway turns into 1.5 - 2 in “rush hour". The staff does not speak Russian (except for the girl Yulia at the reception, but she was on the day shift). Of course, it’s possible on the fingers, but it’s hard to explain that instead of a standard sevyu you are offered to a wild boar with facial expressions.
When we settled at the reception, there was a little chaos, either due to repairs or for some other reason, we did not receive our standard sevyu view (we were offered a business suite for one night, which is 5 times more expensive than our standard. ) As we did not explain in English, we did not asked and stayed with the suite. By the way, some guys instead of 2 rooms for the night settled in a suite, and others instead of the standard in a boar. We also received a letter from the hotel administration upon check-in with apologies due to the inconvenience that renovations were taking place (by the way, they drilled and knocked noticeably during the day, and the renovated rooms stank of paint). And one more thing - a ticket for 7 nights and 8 days had to be considered as 7 nights and 6 days, since on the day of arrival and departure there was nothing to do and visit. But the business suite impressed us a lot. About 150 m3, kitchen, large hall, bedroom, several toilets, a huge balcony overlooking the hotel grounds and the port. Repairs were done there a long time ago, of course, but the room itself ....!
The next day we were moved to a standard room - after renovation. (the repair included apparently a small design of the room, replacement of the carpet, the furniture is new but not everywhere, everything is the same in the bathroom, bath, bidet, large sink). On the wall is a medium-sized plasma. Lights, a small fridge full of various drinks (later we unloaded everything from it and used it for groceries from the supermarket), a safe, scales. There was no balcony. There was air conditioning. Probably the only negative is the smell of paint after repair. Therefore, we kept the window ajar with the air conditioner running, creating some kind of air circulation. When you are in the room, you don’t hear the smell, you get used to it, but it’s noticeable as soon as you enter the room (the room would need to be changed, but since we were on hikes almost all the time, we minimized our stay in the room, they didn’t want to change it, and who knows no matter what state the other number would be).
Let's immediately reorient at the exchange rate AED - this is the abbreviation of Dirham: 1 USD - 3.7 AED, 1 EUR - 4.7 AED, for citizens of Ukraine 1 AED - 2.23 UAH). The reviews warned that it is better to change the currency at the airport, because at the hotel reception they usually ask for a deposit. The size depends on the class of the hotel. In Radisson it's 300 AED, and in Atlantis it's about 300 USD (I don't remember exactly). In general, they wrote that in one hotel at the reception they gave instead of 300 AED - 100 USD, i. e. 370 AED in translation - they returned the deposit in dirhams and 300 and not 370. Everything was fine with us
About the hotel. We liked the service at the hotel. The staff is mostly Indians and Filipinos, the managers are Arabs. They asked for an ironing board in the first days - so they didn’t take it away from us until the end of the stay, to requests for how to bring a bathrobe, turn on the scales - they responded instantly. We could not open the safe at first (they closed it according to the instructions for 8 digits), but then they explained to us that we should enter no more than 4 and the instruction does not match? . The room was cleaned daily.
As if - it was meant to straighten the bed, put things in order a little - no one was going to vacuum, though the bathroom was also put in order. Tipping we left - a couple of dollars a few times. It's just that our cleaner, an Indian, was polite, asked when it was convenient for us to clean the room, smiled, always greeted. The room has a telephone. We called the front desk a couple of times. You can use it for international calls. But the hotel has wireless internet with a lot of hotspots and excellent speed, so every day we communicated with the house (yahoo, skype, etc. ). There is a laundry service but it was expensive to use it. Bar in the room as usual - for a fee. So. The hotel area is small. Inside on the floors of carpet. Beautiful. Cosy. From any floor you can see a huge hall with decorations, hanging lanterns, a small botanical garden and a pond with fish.
On the first floor there was a kind of dining room - a cafe with many tables next to the garden and fountains - I liked the impression that you were sitting in nature and not in the dining room. You can have lunch and dinner at this cafe. We took the package with breakfast only. Buffet. Everything is delicious and there seems to be a lot of everything (potatoes, omelettes, cuts, porridge, fruits, buns, juice, etc. ) but, honestly, everything is already boring on the 3rd day of your stay. Although they do not argue about appetites. There were a lot of people at breakfast and the servants did not even have time to sort the tables for new arrivals, they had to look for all the appliances themselves. If paid, then breakfast cost 78 dirhams, lunch and dinner at 126 dirhams per person. Even on the territory around the clock worked a small cafe, at the time of the Chinese restaurant. We planned to go to a Chinese restaurant but never got there. In the lobby you can order a taxi, rent a car, book a tour. The bowling alley was under renovation.
SPA center, a gym with an instructor (by the way, I never got into the gym. A number of requirements were put forward for visiting the gym, such as sportswear, which I didn’t have shoes and barefoot, unlike the same gym in a Turkish hotel, it was impossible to do it - a rocked Filipino instructor was constantly in the hall and kept order ). The hall is large with a bunch of exercise equipment and treadmills, but selyavi, another time. By the way, I sometimes like to go to the gym, do a little exercise on the simulators, a treadmill, but during our rest, our daily excursions, I definitely would not have had the time and energy for classes. On the inner territory overlooking the sea there are 3 pools, there are many sunbeds around, towels must be taken at the entrance to the beach, they are issued in exchange for cards (the so-called Club Cards).
It was just a bit annoying that many of our GOOD tourists took towels and covered the sunbeds with them for the whole day, occupied like, but when you want to sunbathe for half an hour near the pool, then NO - there are 5 people in the pool and 40 sunbeds are covered with towels. It was unpleasant and there were conflicts because of this. The water temperature was about 35 degrees, the air was 45 - 50. But the water of the bay was muddy, of course, without oil stains, as they wrote in the reviews (although it is possible - the beach was opposite the entrance to the port and leaks from plying barges could take place), but the bottom it was muddy, with garbage that we quickly discouraged the desire to swim in the Persian Gulf. Along the beach there was a green lawn with palm trees, where you could sit on a sunbed to hide from the hot sun. The beach was regularly cleaned by the staff as were the pools. True, the cafe did not work there.
Another tip - if you prefer a beach holiday to excursions and hikes, then feel free to take rooms in cabanas - you left the house and the pools are 2 steps away. For fans of extreme sports, it was possible to ride scooters, water bikes, etc. , respectively, for a fee. It was probably inconvenient that the pools were open until 21.30, so when we returned from excursions after ten in the evening, we often wanted to relax on the beach, but ...these are the rules. The well-known ANIMATION was absent there. Vacationers on the beach arranged various competitions in time, but we have never been to them and we have not seen the animators themselves. Unlike Turkey. For children, entertainment was also not observed (a nanny was provided for the kids for a fee - 45 dirhams per hour ) On the territory there were several shops with clothes, souvenirs, but of course everything is more expensive than in the city.
When you check in, you will be given all the information about the infrastructure of the hotel, so you just need to read carefully. At the reception, take a map of Sharjah and a map of the Emirates. The hotel also provides free transport - buses to the shopping centers of Sharjah and Dubai. The hotel area is of course small and is located near the port. But the noise from transshipment operations in the port was not heard. The windows may not be very clean in the main hall, but this does not spoil the impression in any way. All in all a good 5 star hotel at a reasonable price for those who want to spend most of their time exploring the UAE and not in hotel rooms.
Transport. The hotel provides for its guests free of charge buses to Dubai - Deira City Center. The time is indicated: departure from the hotel - departure from Deira City Centa - 10.00 - 10.30, 13.00 - 13.30, 16.00 - 16.30, 21.00 - 21.30. We used this transport very often because a taxi to Dubai will be expensive (about 80 dirhams).
The main thing is to get to Dubai and there already on your own. By the way, initially we planned to at least get around Sharjah ourselves - after all, everything is nearby on the map - 15 minutes there, 20 minutes there. But after walking a couple of kilometers, it became clear that another 10 minutes on the street and there would be a sunstroke (in the sun at the end of September it was more than 50 degrees). If you want to travel on foot, then go on vacation in December when the temperature is 25 - 30 degrees - super for walking. True, the prices for staying in hotels will be 2 times more expensive. In general, it became clear that we will only move by transport. Taxis are relatively inexpensive - min landing - 10 dirhams and then on the meter. That is, trips within one emirate will not exceed 25-30 dirhams. The UAE also has a highly developed public transport system. Website https://www. rta. ae is the Dubai transport system where, having a basic knowledge of the language, you can learn information about the metro, buses, taxis (fares, traffic patterns, etc. ).
) By the way https://www. rta. ae/wpsv5/links/buses/FullBusNetwork_sm. pdf is a bus traffic map with stops and route maps. If you have a basic knowledge of English, then using public transport will be similar to home use for you (in Moscow, Kyiv, you also ride buses and the metro - and this is much cheaper than a taxi ). Take a taxi if you are reluctant to understand bus traffic patterns (by the way, in Sharjah we did this, because from our hotel it was possible to get everywhere by city buses), and if you need to get to places located nearby. Taxis are easy to catch on the street - it seems that taxi drivers specially ply around the city, and only you need a car - they stop right away, and if one is busy, then another follows him - there are a lot of taxis.
But then you need to go on Friday when many shops are closed, a day off and cars on the road a little otherwise by renting a car you risk spending 4-5 hours on the road due to traffic jams). We did not take the car because we did not issue an international driver's license in advance. Yes, besides this (they write on the internet) - there must also be local rights. Car rental from 50 -60 USD, depending on the class of car, fuel is cheap. It's also nice that there are air conditioners everywhere - in shops, cafes, taxis, buses, subway trailers, bus stops, even in the cabin of the Ferris wheel on which we rode and it was air-conditioned. On the subway, we bought a travel card - valid only for one day - 16 dirhams - they paid for travel both on the subway and on buses. We traveled in ordinary subway trailers - not with increased comfort. In buses, the front seats are for women with children and in the subway, the first trailers are for women only.
As for clothing, dress usually not defiantly, as does the majority of the population. (Filipinos, Indians who come to work, etc. ) Arabs and men and women, of course, wear veils, women cover their faces. Do not go in swimwear and beachwear.
As for the environment, the streets are dirty because of construction sites, garbage is scattered, everything is covered in dust and sand. Only certain territories are supported in the order. Smoking is allowed only in certain areas. Otherwise, a fine.
On Friday, many shops are closed, so this is the best day for excursions. And so calculate your schedule that in stores, in the markets there is a break from 13 to 16-17 hours (by the way, this also applies to hospitals). And most markets are open until 23:00.
We dined and dined in the city at fast foods - this is probably a more or less acceptable option for reasonable money. Chains Golden Fork, Burger King, Mc Donalds, etc. In our opinion, the advantages of eating not in a hotel, but in fast foods - there is no time reference, because
often our lunch turned into dinner plus 2 times cheaper - the first, the second in Gold Fork for two of us came out 120 dirhams.
On the first day (Thursday) we met with a guide from Alfa Tours. They explained to us how to behave in the UAE, clarified with transport, money exchange, etc. By the way, during the excursions we took passports and honey with us. insurance. Then the guide told us about the excursions, unobtrusively advised what to visit and what excursions can be combined. We decided to take only the Safari because it was problematic to get on it ourselves. After talking with the guide, we decided to walk around Sharjah and visit a number of places. But as stated above - it was very hot so we took a taxi and 5 minutes to the Blue Souk central market. There, the truth was still waiting, because in addition to the Moles, in many shops and in the market there was a break from 13 to 16-17 hours in the shops. We had a bite to eat in a cafe and went to the shops.
The market consists of 2 parallel rooms in which there are up to 600 small shops, retail shops. Selling unbranded items of good quality. You can also bargain, which is the meaning of going to the market. With good perseverance and pliability of the seller, you can bring down the price by half or even three times, although we later realized that the sellers still remain with a good profit. For example, in one store we bought a bag and the price was knocked down by hook or by crook by half. We rejoiced. Later in Sharjah, they saw the same bag in a stock store and at the same price (after the discount), i. e. you could come to the store and calmly buy the same bag for the same money and not waste your nerves. Although bargaining was still fun . There, on the market, you can buy a lot of souvenirs, gold, electronics, watches, etc. (although the electronics of certain cheap brands, and watches are not bad, but Rolex, Omega are not worth 100 USD).
Although the park itself is within easy reach - but the entrance to that part of the park where the dolphinarium is - on the other side of the bay - in general, they took a taxi. We found out the prices (quite expensive - 550 dirhams, if in a group of 6 people, 2100 dirhams if individually). So we are in a taxi to the metro station. From Deira City Center to the Dubai Mall station, and there it turns out you still need to take a bus and get to the Mall itself, it seems to be near the metro, but you have to go through the autobahns, so it’s better and safer to take the bus. In Dubai Mall, they also looked for Burj Khalifa. We were late for 10 minutes, but although there are sessions on time, but apparently relatively, they presented our electronic tickets, refused the services of using binoculars (it seems like another 50 dirhams) and went through a metal detector and long corridors with beautiful decoration and music to the elevator. The elevator is unique, you don’t notice how you are going, more than a hundred floors are overcome in 30-40 seconds.
Upstairs is beautiful, impressive view of the city, everything is tiny, the contrast of the desert stretching around with buildings, buildings, autobahns. We took pictures, admired the scenery and went down to the Dubai Mall (at the top and at the exit from the Burj Khalifa you can buy a lot of souvenirs at fabulous prices, get a photo for memory against the backdrop of the tower - it seems 200 dirhams, etc. ) In the Mall we went to boutiques. Everything there is beautiful, large-scale, impressive. But we immediately decided that there was no point in watching Mola anymore, since we are not branded shopaholics, and you won’t see anything new there. We were tempted to visit the Aquarium and Terrarium (110 dirhams for two). Outlandish fish, reptiles, funny penguins and sharks are very close - interesting for both children and adults. Then we went, it seems, on the 2nd floor, we booked a table with a view of the singing fountains (we deducted it on the Internet and it turned out to be true that it is better to look at the fountains from afar and not from the platform near the bridge).
There 50 dirhams for two - tickets to take back and forth immediately - a bit cheaper. So we drove over PALMA, photographed the fabulous view of the Atlantis hotel. Here, by the way, you could also go to the Dolphinarium and the Aquapark (Dolphin Bay ATLANTIS, during our stay, a walk around the territory, the beach - 300 AED, photos with dolphins 325 AED, diving - 1400 AED), but we only looked inside the territory and the Aquarium - 110 dirhams for two. At the Monorail exit, we were offered a taxi, although maybe if we got to the autobahn we could catch an ordinary non-VIP taxi. And so we drove up to the Parus hotel on a Lexus - we took pictures there against the background and went to Jumeirah Beach Park (we spent 50 dirhams on a taxi, 35 dirhams would have come out on a regular taxi, and on a bus it would have been free with a travel card). Entrance to the park - 5 dirhams. But I really liked the beach - the water is warm, the bottom is sand, I don’t want to go out at all, the beach is fine sand (though not without garbage). I liked it very much, you can also have a bite here - good fast food.
With the sunset, swimming on the beach is prohibited, an Arab drives a jeep near the water and kicks everyone out. When leaving the park, we more or less figured out the transport and drove to Dubai Mall by bus, there by metro to the City Center, and after Carrefour by bus to the hotel. We usually returned at 21 - 22 hours.
On Sunday we had an excursion - Safari. We were taken to the Land Cruisere by an Arab from the hotel and an hour later we were on safari. After the souvenir shop (where you are stubbornly offered to buy a bunch of knick-knacks, clothes), we went to the real dunes. The wheels were lowered so as not to get bogged down and - Roller coaster . The jeeps soar to the top of the dunes and then drift down - it seems that no one turned over - but many were carried off the track. Adrenaline is high, but for those who are seasick, the safari is certainly not recommended. And after an hour of racing, making a couple of stops, admiring the sunset in the desert, we were brought to the camp.
Where we rode camels, took pictures with hawks. We were very well fed with local dishes - on the sand under the open sky - and at the end the girl showed us a belly dance. Here we still bought a booklet with a photo and a description of the safari for 50 dirhams. The same driver took us back to the hotel.
Monday morning we spent on the beach and then went to the Central Market, because on the first day we bought almost nothing. Having skimped thoroughly, we went to the Sharjah City Center, walked through the shops (fortunately they are open until 23-24 hours), had a bite to eat and took a taxi to the hotel.
On Tuesday we decided to visit the mosque in Abu Dhabi. We took a taxi to the bus station in Sharjah. Boarded the bus to Abu Dhabi - 2 tickets - 60 dirhams. And there they asked from the bus station and took a bus to the mosque (travel in the bus per person - 2 dirhams).
We entered the mosque from the backyard, so my wife and I managed to take a photo against the backdrop of the mosque, then it turned out that women are forbidden to be photographed uncovered, to the point that they were forced to delete the photos taken. In the mosque itself, Dres Kod - clothes covering arms and legs, women were given a veil. We walked around the area and took pictures. Very beautiful, a large area around, a park, they even have toilets - from 4 rooms, in the Arabic style, with fountains. At the entrance to the men's room, it was necessary to take off your shoes and there you can wash your feet afterwards. Unusual. From the Mosque we drove back to the bus station, also by bus (about 20 minutes on the road). True, there was no direct line and I had to make a transfer through one stop, but people suggested it. Near the bus station, we went to the Lulu supermarket, walked around there, had a bite to eat. We got on the bus back to Sharjah, got off near the City Center, took a walk and took a taxi to the hotel.
In general, we really liked the rest, there were many vivid impressions and memories of the UAE. Special thanks to the girls of the Travel Agency "City" for the provided rest. We hope that our reviews will help someone during the trip. And what about the hotel, on the Internet you will find a lot of both positive and negative reviews, but as one girl said: “...you can cling to a lamppost ...“. The most important thing is why you eat on vacation, for high spirits or to grumble and condemn after. We wish you a good rest, positive emotions!!!!! ! Dima and Natasha
The only thing we learned from the reviews is that the hotel is located near the port and that the hotel is either going on or not being renovated (accordingly, who wrote that the rooms are shabby and who wrote that they are new), that the beach is dirty on the territory (oil stains from passing ships and garbage) Also we read about excursions (IMMEDIATELY MANY THANKS TO ALL VACATIONERS, TRAVEL AGENCIES for very useful information, reviews about holidays in the UAE posted online !!!!!!!!! ). Approximately, we outlined objects for ourselves to visit (although the plan was only preliminary) - the reviews about travels in the UAE influenced us on our own (meaning without excursions). Booked immediately on the site tickets to visit the Burj Khalifa (the highest building in Dubai) - 210 dirhams for two, of course, the same can be done upon arrival in the UAE - the price will be the same - the main thing is not to take tickets on the day of the visit (there is a price for one person increases to 400 dirhams).
By the way, the girls in the travel agency also provided us with useful information about excursions and prices, rules of conduct in the UAE. So, having collected the necessary information and suitcases, we went on vacation.
I want to point out right away. We are a young family and when planning our trips, the priority was on a minimum of expenses and a minimum of paid excursions (we got information from the reviews of vacationers on how to spend a vacation economically). The question was not that we could not afford excursions, but that at home, if you can safely use the metro and buses, then why take a taxi everywhere. By the way, this example is not good, since we constantly used a taxi, but more on that later. And yet, if you suddenly want to follow our example and go on excursions yourself - learn a FOREIGN language. Basic knowledge of English and the roads are open to you.
But if you want to relax calmly and not run around at breakneck speed yourself, feel free to take excursions. Quiet journeys, informative stories of the guide, a minimum of hassle and a sea of impressions (from the stories of tourists from our hotel). Everyone has the right to organize their own vacation. By the way, as we later calculated, our independent travels saved about half of our total expenses - this is about half the cost of the tour. With excursions from a travel agency, the rest would have cost the price of a ticket (costs include only transport, meals and entrance to excursions).
So departure. We had a voucher for 8 days, 7 nights. Departure was at 14.15, flight 4 hours plus 1 hour forward. That is, we are in Dubai at 19.30 local time. We stand in a half-hour queue at passport control, customs (there was no retinal check) and change part of the currency in the exchanger (for bail and for the first time).
First impressions: Arabs - men in capes with their heads covered, many Arabs and Hindus, hot climate. At the exit, we found a representative with a sign "Natalie Tours" and went to the bus (on the way we received an information envelope with schedules, prices for excursions, introductory information. We drove to the hotel for about 40 minutes. Partly due to traffic jams, partly due to the fact that the bus The way transports tourists to other hotels. By the way, there are traffic jams in the UAE (in particular in Dubai), the usual half hour on a free highway turns into 1.5 - 2 in “rush hour". The staff does not speak Russian (except for the girl Yulia at the reception, but she was on the day shift). Of course, it’s possible on the fingers, but it’s hard to explain that instead of a standard sevyu you are offered to a wild boar with facial expressions.
When we settled at the reception, there was a little chaos, either due to repairs or for some other reason, we did not receive our standard sevyu view (we were offered a business suite for one night, which is 5 times more expensive than our standard. ) As we did not explain in English, we did not asked and stayed with the suite. By the way, some guys instead of 2 rooms for the night settled in a suite, and others instead of the standard in a boar. We also received a letter from the hotel administration upon check-in with apologies due to the inconvenience that renovations were taking place (by the way, they drilled and knocked noticeably during the day, and the renovated rooms stank of paint). And one more thing - a ticket for 7 nights and 8 days had to be considered as 7 nights and 6 days, since on the day of arrival and departure there was nothing to do and visit. But the business suite impressed us a lot. About 150 m3, kitchen, large hall, bedroom, several toilets, a huge balcony overlooking the hotel grounds and the port. Repairs were done there a long time ago, of course, but the room itself ....!
The next day we were moved to a standard room - after renovation. (the repair included apparently a small design of the room, replacement of the carpet, the furniture is new but not everywhere, everything is the same in the bathroom, bath, bidet, large sink). On the wall is a medium-sized plasma. Lights, a small fridge full of various drinks (later we unloaded everything from it and used it for groceries from the supermarket), a safe, scales. There was no balcony. There was air conditioning. Probably the only negative is the smell of paint after repair. Therefore, we kept the window ajar with the air conditioner running, creating some kind of air circulation. When you are in the room, you don’t hear the smell, you get used to it, but it’s noticeable as soon as you enter the room (the room would need to be changed, but since we were on hikes almost all the time, we minimized our stay in the room, they didn’t want to change it, and who knows no matter what state the other number would be).
Let's immediately reorient at the exchange rate AED - this is the abbreviation of Dirham: 1 USD - 3.7 AED, 1 EUR - 4.7 AED, for citizens of Ukraine 1 AED - 2.23 UAH). The reviews warned that it is better to change the currency at the airport, because at the hotel reception they usually ask for a deposit. The size depends on the class of the hotel. In Radisson it's 300 AED, and in Atlantis it's about 300 USD (I don't remember exactly). In general, they wrote that in one hotel at the reception they gave instead of 300 AED - 100 USD, i. e. 370 AED in translation - they returned the deposit in dirhams and 300 and not 370. Everything was fine with us
About the hotel. We liked the service at the hotel. The staff is mostly Indians and Filipinos, the managers are Arabs. They asked for an ironing board in the first days - so they didn’t take it away from us until the end of the stay, to requests for how to bring a bathrobe, turn on the scales - they responded instantly. We could not open the safe at first (they closed it according to the instructions for 8 digits), but then they explained to us that we should enter no more than 4 and the instruction does not match? . The room was cleaned daily.
As if - it was meant to straighten the bed, put things in order a little - no one was going to vacuum, though the bathroom was also put in order. Tipping we left - a couple of dollars a few times. It's just that our cleaner, an Indian, was polite, asked when it was convenient for us to clean the room, smiled, always greeted. The room has a telephone. We called the front desk a couple of times. You can use it for international calls. But the hotel has wireless internet with a lot of hotspots and excellent speed, so every day we communicated with the house (yahoo, skype, etc. ). There is a laundry service but it was expensive to use it. Bar in the room as usual - for a fee. So. The hotel area is small. Inside on the floors of carpet. Beautiful. Cosy. From any floor you can see a huge hall with decorations, hanging lanterns, a small botanical garden and a pond with fish.
On the first floor there was a kind of dining room - a cafe with many tables next to the garden and fountains - I liked the impression that you were sitting in nature and not in the dining room. You can have lunch and dinner at this cafe. We took the package with breakfast only. Buffet. Everything is delicious and there seems to be a lot of everything (potatoes, omelettes, cuts, porridge, fruits, buns, juice, etc. ) but, honestly, everything is already boring on the 3rd day of your stay. Although they do not argue about appetites. There were a lot of people at breakfast and the servants did not even have time to sort the tables for new arrivals, they had to look for all the appliances themselves. If paid, then breakfast cost 78 dirhams, lunch and dinner at 126 dirhams per person. Even on the territory around the clock worked a small cafe, at the time of the Chinese restaurant. We planned to go to a Chinese restaurant but never got there. In the lobby you can order a taxi, rent a car, book a tour. The bowling alley was under renovation.
SPA center, a gym with an instructor (by the way, I never got into the gym. A number of requirements were put forward for visiting the gym, such as sportswear, which I didn’t have shoes and barefoot, unlike the same gym in a Turkish hotel, it was impossible to do it - a rocked Filipino instructor was constantly in the hall and kept order ). The hall is large with a bunch of exercise equipment and treadmills, but selyavi, another time. By the way, I sometimes like to go to the gym, do a little exercise on the simulators, a treadmill, but during our rest, our daily excursions, I definitely would not have had the time and energy for classes. On the inner territory overlooking the sea there are 3 pools, there are many sunbeds around, towels must be taken at the entrance to the beach, they are issued in exchange for cards (the so-called Club Cards).
It was just a bit annoying that many of our GOOD tourists took towels and covered the sunbeds with them for the whole day, occupied like, but when you want to sunbathe for half an hour near the pool, then NO - there are 5 people in the pool and 40 sunbeds are covered with towels. It was unpleasant and there were conflicts because of this. The water temperature was about 35 degrees, the air was 45 - 50. But the water of the bay was muddy, of course, without oil stains, as they wrote in the reviews (although it is possible - the beach was opposite the entrance to the port and leaks from plying barges could take place), but the bottom it was muddy, with garbage that we quickly discouraged the desire to swim in the Persian Gulf. Along the beach there was a green lawn with palm trees, where you could sit on a sunbed to hide from the hot sun. The beach was regularly cleaned by the staff as were the pools. True, the cafe did not work there.
Another tip - if you prefer a beach holiday to excursions and hikes, then feel free to take rooms in cabanas - you left the house and the pools are 2 steps away. For fans of extreme sports, it was possible to ride scooters, water bikes, etc. , respectively, for a fee. It was probably inconvenient that the pools were open until 21.30, so when we returned from excursions after ten in the evening, we often wanted to relax on the beach, but ...these are the rules. The well-known ANIMATION was absent there. Vacationers on the beach arranged various competitions in time, but we have never been to them and we have not seen the animators themselves. Unlike Turkey. For children, entertainment was also not observed (a nanny was provided for the kids for a fee - 45 dirhams per hour ) On the territory there were several shops with clothes, souvenirs, but of course everything is more expensive than in the city.
When you check in, you will be given all the information about the infrastructure of the hotel, so you just need to read carefully. At the reception, take a map of Sharjah and a map of the Emirates. The hotel also provides free transport - buses to the shopping centers of Sharjah and Dubai. The hotel area is of course small and is located near the port. But the noise from transshipment operations in the port was not heard. The windows may not be very clean in the main hall, but this does not spoil the impression in any way. All in all a good 5 star hotel at a reasonable price for those who want to spend most of their time exploring the UAE and not in hotel rooms.
Transport. The hotel provides for its guests free of charge buses to Dubai - Deira City Center. The time is indicated: departure from the hotel - departure from Deira City Centa - 10.00 - 10.30, 13.00 - 13.30, 16.00 - 16.30, 21.00 - 21.30. We used this transport very often because a taxi to Dubai will be expensive (about 80 dirhams).
The main thing is to get to Dubai and there already on your own. By the way, initially we planned to at least get around Sharjah ourselves - after all, everything is nearby on the map - 15 minutes there, 20 minutes there. But after walking a couple of kilometers, it became clear that another 10 minutes on the street and there would be a sunstroke (in the sun at the end of September it was more than 50 degrees). If you want to travel on foot, then go on vacation in December when the temperature is 25 - 30 degrees - super for walking. True, the prices for staying in hotels will be 2 times more expensive. In general, it became clear that we will only move by transport. Taxis are relatively inexpensive - min landing - 10 dirhams and then on the meter. That is, trips within one emirate will not exceed 25-30 dirhams. The UAE also has a highly developed public transport system. Website https://www. rta. ae is the Dubai transport system where, having a basic knowledge of the language, you can learn information about the metro, buses, taxis (fares, traffic patterns, etc. ).
) By the way https://www. rta. ae/wpsv5/links/buses/FullBusNetwork_sm. pdf is a bus traffic map with stops and route maps. If you have a basic knowledge of English, then using public transport will be similar to home use for you (in Moscow, Kyiv, you also ride buses and the metro - and this is much cheaper than a taxi ). Take a taxi if you are reluctant to understand bus traffic patterns (by the way, in Sharjah we did this, because from our hotel it was possible to get everywhere by city buses), and if you need to get to places located nearby. Taxis are easy to catch on the street - it seems that taxi drivers specially ply around the city, and only you need a car - they stop right away, and if one is busy, then another follows him - there are a lot of taxis.
But then you need to go on Friday when many shops are closed, a day off and cars on the road a little otherwise by renting a car you risk spending 4-5 hours on the road due to traffic jams). We did not take the car because we did not issue an international driver's license in advance. Yes, besides this (they write on the internet) - there must also be local rights. Car rental from 50 -60 USD, depending on the class of car, fuel is cheap. It's also nice that there are air conditioners everywhere - in shops, cafes, taxis, buses, subway trailers, bus stops, even in the cabin of the Ferris wheel on which we rode and it was air-conditioned. On the subway, we bought a travel card - valid only for one day - 16 dirhams - they paid for travel both on the subway and on buses. We traveled in ordinary subway trailers - not with increased comfort. In buses, the front seats are for women with children and in the subway, the first trailers are for women only.
As for clothing, dress usually not defiantly, as does the majority of the population. (Filipinos, Indians who come to work, etc. ) Arabs and men and women, of course, wear veils, women cover their faces. Do not go in swimwear and beachwear.
As for the environment, the streets are dirty because of construction sites, garbage is scattered, everything is covered in dust and sand. Only certain territories are supported in the order. Smoking is allowed only in certain areas. Otherwise, a fine.
On Friday, many shops are closed, so this is the best day for excursions. And so calculate your schedule that in stores, in the markets there is a break from 13 to 16-17 hours (by the way, this also applies to hospitals). And most markets are open until 23:00.
We dined and dined in the city at fast foods - this is probably a more or less acceptable option for reasonable money. Chains Golden Fork, Burger King, Mc Donalds, etc. In our opinion, the advantages of eating not in a hotel, but in fast foods - there is no time reference, because
often our lunch turned into dinner plus 2 times cheaper - the first, the second in Gold Fork for two of us came out 120 dirhams.
On the first day (Thursday) we met with a guide from Alfa Tours. They explained to us how to behave in the UAE, clarified with transport, money exchange, etc. By the way, during the excursions we took passports and honey with us. insurance. Then the guide told us about the excursions, unobtrusively advised what to visit and what excursions can be combined. We decided to take only the Safari because it was problematic to get on it ourselves. After talking with the guide, we decided to walk around Sharjah and visit a number of places. But as stated above - it was very hot so we took a taxi and 5 minutes to the Blue Souk central market. There, the truth was still waiting, because in addition to the Moles, in many shops and in the market there was a break from 13 to 16-17 hours in the shops. We had a bite to eat in a cafe and went to the shops.
The market consists of 2 parallel rooms in which there are up to 600 small shops, retail shops. Selling unbranded items of good quality. You can also bargain, which is the meaning of going to the market. With good perseverance and pliability of the seller, you can bring down the price by half or even three times, although we later realized that the sellers still remain with a good profit. For example, in one store we bought a bag and the price was knocked down by hook or by crook by half. We rejoiced. Later in Sharjah, they saw the same bag in a stock store and at the same price (after the discount), i. e. you could come to the store and calmly buy the same bag for the same money and not waste your nerves. Although bargaining was still fun . There, on the market, you can buy a lot of souvenirs, gold, electronics, watches, etc. (although the electronics of certain cheap brands, and watches are not bad, but Rolex, Omega are not worth 100 USD).
Although the park itself is within easy reach - but the entrance to that part of the park where the dolphinarium is - on the other side of the bay - in general, they took a taxi. We found out the prices (quite expensive - 550 dirhams, if in a group of 6 people, 2100 dirhams if individually). So we are in a taxi to the metro station. From Deira City Center to the Dubai Mall station, and there it turns out you still need to take a bus and get to the Mall itself, it seems to be near the metro, but you have to go through the autobahns, so it’s better and safer to take the bus. In Dubai Mall, they also looked for Burj Khalifa. We were late for 10 minutes, but although there are sessions on time, but apparently relatively, they presented our electronic tickets, refused the services of using binoculars (it seems like another 50 dirhams) and went through a metal detector and long corridors with beautiful decoration and music to the elevator. The elevator is unique, you don’t notice how you are going, more than a hundred floors are overcome in 30-40 seconds.
Upstairs is beautiful, impressive view of the city, everything is tiny, the contrast of the desert stretching around with buildings, buildings, autobahns. We took pictures, admired the scenery and went down to the Dubai Mall (at the top and at the exit from the Burj Khalifa you can buy a lot of souvenirs at fabulous prices, get a photo for memory against the backdrop of the tower - it seems 200 dirhams, etc. ) In the Mall we went to boutiques. Everything there is beautiful, large-scale, impressive. But we immediately decided that there was no point in watching Mola anymore, since we are not branded shopaholics, and you won’t see anything new there. We were tempted to visit the Aquarium and Terrarium (110 dirhams for two). Outlandish fish, reptiles, funny penguins and sharks are very close - interesting for both children and adults. Then we went, it seems, on the 2nd floor, we booked a table with a view of the singing fountains (we deducted it on the Internet and it turned out to be true that it is better to look at the fountains from afar and not from the platform near the bridge).
There 50 dirhams for two - tickets to take back and forth immediately - a bit cheaper. So we drove over PALMA, photographed the fabulous view of the Atlantis hotel. Here, by the way, you could also go to the Dolphinarium and the Aquapark (Dolphin Bay ATLANTIS, during our stay, a walk around the territory, the beach - 300 AED, photos with dolphins 325 AED, diving - 1400 AED), but we only looked inside the territory and the Aquarium - 110 dirhams for two. At the Monorail exit, we were offered a taxi, although maybe if we got to the autobahn we could catch an ordinary non-VIP taxi. And so we drove up to the Parus hotel on a Lexus - we took pictures there against the background and went to Jumeirah Beach Park (we spent 50 dirhams on a taxi, 35 dirhams would have come out on a regular taxi, and on a bus it would have been free with a travel card). Entrance to the park - 5 dirhams. But I really liked the beach - the water is warm, the bottom is sand, I don’t want to go out at all, the beach is fine sand (though not without garbage). I liked it very much, you can also have a bite here - good fast food.
With the sunset, swimming on the beach is prohibited, an Arab drives a jeep near the water and kicks everyone out. When leaving the park, we more or less figured out the transport and drove to Dubai Mall by bus, there by metro to the City Center, and after Carrefour by bus to the hotel. We usually returned at 21 - 22 hours.
On Sunday we had an excursion - Safari. We were taken to the Land Cruisere by an Arab from the hotel and an hour later we were on safari. After the souvenir shop (where you are stubbornly offered to buy a bunch of knick-knacks, clothes), we went to the real dunes. The wheels were lowered so as not to get bogged down and - Roller coaster . The jeeps soar to the top of the dunes and then drift down - it seems that no one turned over - but many were carried off the track. Adrenaline is high, but for those who are seasick, the safari is certainly not recommended. And after an hour of racing, making a couple of stops, admiring the sunset in the desert, we were brought to the camp.
Where we rode camels, took pictures with hawks. We were very well fed with local dishes - on the sand under the open sky - and at the end the girl showed us a belly dance. Here we still bought a booklet with a photo and a description of the safari for 50 dirhams. The same driver took us back to the hotel.
Monday morning we spent on the beach and then went to the Central Market, because on the first day we bought almost nothing. Having skimped thoroughly, we went to the Sharjah City Center, walked through the shops (fortunately they are open until 23-24 hours), had a bite to eat and took a taxi to the hotel.
On Tuesday we decided to visit the mosque in Abu Dhabi. We took a taxi to the bus station in Sharjah. Boarded the bus to Abu Dhabi - 2 tickets - 60 dirhams. And there they asked from the bus station and took a bus to the mosque (travel in the bus per person - 2 dirhams).
We entered the mosque from the backyard, so my wife and I managed to take a photo against the backdrop of the mosque, then it turned out that women are forbidden to be photographed uncovered, to the point that they were forced to delete the photos taken. In the mosque itself, Dres Kod - clothes covering arms and legs, women were given a veil. We walked around the area and took pictures. Very beautiful, a large area around, a park, they even have toilets - from 4 rooms, in the Arabic style, with fountains. At the entrance to the men's room, it was necessary to take off your shoes and there you can wash your feet afterwards. Unusual. From the Mosque we drove back to the bus station, also by bus (about 20 minutes on the road). True, there was no direct line and I had to make a transfer through one stop, but people suggested it. Near the bus station, we went to the Lulu supermarket, walked around there, had a bite to eat. We got on the bus back to Sharjah, got off near the City Center, took a walk and took a taxi to the hotel.
In general, we really liked the rest, there were many vivid impressions and memories of the UAE. Special thanks to the girls of the Travel Agency "City" for the provided rest. We hope that our reviews will help someone during the trip. And what about the hotel, on the Internet you will find a lot of both positive and negative reviews, but as one girl said: “...you can cling to a lamppost ...“. The most important thing is why you eat on vacation, for high spirits or to grumble and condemn after. We wish you a good rest, positive emotions!!!!! ! Dima and Natasha
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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