Sahara Centre

Ok. I had never heard of this hotel prior to staying this stay. It was an overnight stay that was necessitated by the storm that shut down Dubai Airport. My wife knew or the hotel because it is a feature in a reality tv ahow called Dubai Bling. In any event, the lobby of the hotel is spectacular, as was the view from the upgraded room we got. It overlooked the Creek. Also, the staff was very friendly and helpful...but that is a standard in a 5* hotel in Dubai or anywhere in the Middle East, for that matter. Why did I give it a 3* having said what i just did? Well, the rooms were old. They have an old style. They felt old and felt like they needed to be upgraded. Dont get me wrong, they were clean. The room we were given was spacious and had a lovely Creek view. But it did not have that consistent feeling that is young, vibrant and fresh that characterises Dubai. We also happened to have dinner in the Italian restaurant in the hotel. Frankly, the restaurant decor was awful. The chairs were coated in what was undoubtedly rich curtain-style thick fabric in a kind of 1970s bad taste. For as fresh and impressive as the lobby looked, the rest of the hotel had that rundown look. It's not a property I would stay in again, Dubai Bling or not. I suppose its depth of character is consistent with the fickleness of that reality show.

We have stayed at several Riu resorts over the past several years so we already know what to expect. I was shocked that we were unable to take food and drinks out of bar area. We flew for 16hours and arrived at 11p so the restaurants were closed, we stopped at the 24 reception bar to grab a sandwich and a drink to take to our room, we were stopped at the door and informed that we had to finish in the bar. There were no seats available because the area is small and everyone was pretty much hanging out because the entertainment was done for the evening. So we had to stand up to eat our burger and drink our beverages. Normally there is a alcohol dispenser located in the rooms at every Riu we have ever stayed at but not this one the mini bar was juice boxes, sodas and water that's refilled every other day. So after a day of excursions and touring Dubai, you really can not unwind in the bar because it's too small and crowded, and you can not unwind in your room because there's no dispensers in the room. No face/wash cloths in the rooms had to request. We stayed at another Riu last year and was informed that they were no longer going to offer them only hand towels and body towels. Overall we enjoyed our stay, but not happy with the new beverage rule. This makes your resort fall on the same lines as a regular/ mediocre resort.

I wss surprised by the size of the rooms i got the 3 bedrooms suites its huge i loved the view and the location staff are very friendly and welcoming