Post Category - EatEat - Post Category - Eating OutEating OutWhen news of the Four Seasons Resort’s imminent opening hit my inbox, I was more than excited to see if it would be the perfect getaway for a night or two – not least because the launch plans had been very hush hush. Oh the suspense! What was going on behind those billboards? I was eager to investigate…
On entering the Four Seasons, situated on Jumeirah Beach Road, I immediately felt the Mediterranean vibe. The interiors were light and airy with a beachy colour palette; champagne sand colours complementing sea blues and wave patterns. I even noticed that the staircases were made with murano hand blown glass – such a nice touch! I was promptly greeted by a charming young man who joined me on my tour of this new haven…
Right, let’s get down to business mamas. The hotel houses 237 rooms, featuring 7 categories of suites and 4 categories of rooms. The smallest room is 70 square meters (quite sizeable) and every room is valued by the view on offer, so make sure you choose carefully as the sea view and skyline view are both just as spectacular as each other.
The deluxe sea view room that I visited boasted a grand double bed and a sizeable balcony, with a breathtaking panorama of the beach. There’s a standalone luxurious tub, a walk in wet room (with rain showerhead), and deliciously lavish products from Etro in the bathroom. Each room is fitted with its own Nesspresso machine and tea and mini bar services to make sure you feel fully at home.
My tour guide then proceeded to show me the TV – ordering room service by TV isn’t a new thing, but I was rather delighted to see what food they had on offer particularly for the kids. That’s right, mamas, forget about lugging your packets of Ella Kitchens with you, this hotel really has thought of everything. You can order the usual kids meals for your older children of course, but I was particularly delighted to see that the kitchen caters for weaning babes with a selection of purees on offer. What about that!
On to the dining concepts available in this luxurious oasis… The main restaurant is called Suq (meaning “Market” in Arabic) and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s a range of different international cuisines in a market style type of atmosphere, with live cooking stations, a bakery and delicious food stalls. With an indoor seating area as well as an extensive outdoor terrace, diners can enjoy their meals with the views of the gardens and pools.
The beachfront restaurant, Sea Fu, promises the best seafood in Dubai. The dishes are cooked in either a Western or Asian style and you can enjoy your meal outside on the decking, with the sound of lapping waves and the romantic view of modern fire features at night. Don’t worry mamas; the hotel does have a babysitting service, so get your floaty beach dress on and a lick of lippy as this date night promises to be magical.
Next was Shai Salon, which as the name suggests is the hotel’s tea and coffee living room concept. This is the perfect place to relax in the afternoon with comfortable seating and a gorgeous birds eye sea view.
The hotel also houses two bars, namely the Hendricks bar and Mercury Lounge. Set out to look like a gentleman’s private club, Hendricks bar is the trendiest pre or post dinner hangout, where you can sit back and relax whilst your waiter attends to you with their gin cart.
The Mercury Lounge, located on the sixth floor, acts as a roof top bar with view of Burj Khalifa one side and the ocean the other. It has an urban chic vibe and even presents private majlises for a more intimate feel. The dome in the middle is a large glass sculpture and acts as a vodka bar for all to enjoy; couple this with a set from US DJ Opo Lopo, and you can rest assured that this is the ultimate venue for cocktail hour.
Now, let’s round up the facilities. The resort houses a family pool (with shallow end) and a quiet pool just for adults, both which come with a Call and Do Not Disturb button on each seat (sounds like my kind of service!). These are both bordered by day villas, some open and some closed with air-conditioning, which you can rent for the day. There are lifeguards on duty at the beach and the pool from 6am to sunset (always reassuring!).
The quiet pool has access to the Pearl Spa, which has its own indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi. The spa has 10 treatment rooms including a couples suite, perfect for those on honeymoon (or perhaps for those days that our husband books us a romantic treat – we can dream, right mamas?). There’s also a steam room, chill room, rain tunnel and much more, which you can enjoy alongside your choice from a menu of traditional healing rituals and cutting edge therapies relaxing away any trials or tribulations in your wet or dry suite. I am certainly going to come back to experience this one ladies – wow, it was impressive!
For the sporty amongst you, there is also a top end, fully equipped gym (with personal trainers available), two tennis courts (with equipment provided) and a route for runners if it takes your fancy. The kids club offers a plethora of activities from arts and crafts to cooking, movies to games. They have a water fountain outside too for splash days and the friendly staff will look after your kids free of charge from 9am to 5pm if they are over 4 years old. Sounds good to me!
There is also a grand ballroom for events and weddings and numerous conference rooms available to rent. Another highlight worth mentioning is the little Boutiques avenue. We all love a bit of shopping and the Capri shop in particular presents some of the most beautiful linens around. There are also Chopard and Levant stores, amongst others.
Lastly, I want to cast your mind to that multi story car park that you can see from Jumeirah Beach Road that everyone’s been talking about. Well, you heard it here first mamas. That is not actually a car park (they were sensible enough to put all our 4×4’s underground). It is in fact a restaurant village (not quite the eyesore that had us all perplexed) that should be fully open in January. The village will host four restaurants, including two concepts by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and two restaurants by the Zuma group. There will also be a club, namely Provocateur, all the way from the US, offering a small and exclusive lounge and featuring top international DJs – excited? We are!
Rounding it all up mamas… Four Seasons is the perfect retreat for a family getaway. It really has everything you need without compromising on the luxurious feel. There are huge outdoor spaces to enjoy and we also hear that the resort is offering introductory rates with 20% off the rack rate – so make sure you book ASAP mamas. Oh and don’t forget to tell the reservations staff the ages of your children, as we hear that the team not only provide cots and baby chairs but also welcome kits for your children. We love!
Four Seasons Resort, Jumeirah Road, Dubai
Tel: (+971)(0)42 707 777
www.fourseasons.com/dubaijb
