Raffles The Palm Dubai 5 stars

Stayed here for 6 nights mid March. Our first trip to Dubai, wanted top hotel with great food and facilities to relax in the sun. We’re not big fans of buffet evening meals, but chose this hotel in part because it offered dine around in the buffet, Italian or Japanese restaurants. Positives- all areas of the hotel are Instagram gorgeous, exuding quality as opposed to tacky bling. The hotel room and balcony are quite simply the best we’ve ever stayed in- absolutely massive, with great bathroom area and walk in wardrobe. I agree with others that the check in experience needs improved. Staff a bit brusque compared with other areas of the hotel and I’d expect a welcome drink when you’re waiting 15 minutes. We also shared a similar negative room allocation to others posting reviews. We had booked a premier ocean view balcony room, but were allocated a garden view room with terrace. We objected before seeing the room but were told this was an upgrade on what we’d chosen on account of its size. Yes, the room was massive, but they’re all massive! We actively dislike being on the ground floor, had no view of water and looked onto admittedly lovely shrubbery which darkened the room. To be fair, the girl on reception responded immediately to our protests and we were allocated what we had booked- a fabulous balcony ocean view room. Tip- ocean side much better/ quieter than palm facing view and has afternoon sun on balcony. Don’t be fobbed off with a substitute ground floor garden room - as many complain of. Strikes me that this would maybe be ideal for families. Pool and Beach- pool area fairly busy, with lots of kids, but never any problem getting a space/ beds and nothing felt too cramped. The pool itself is absolutely huge and a lovely temperature, again, never felt busy/ crowded. We preferred the beach, which was cooler, more spacious and virtually no children. Noting other reviews, we had no problems with staff at either the pool or beach. We were greeted with fresh towels, ice bucket with 4 cans of water, and occasional hot towels/ juice shots. Like everywhere else in the hotel, the quality of the loungers/ tables top notch and better than others we saw in nearby hotels. We notice reviews complaining about the amount of complimentary water at beach/ pool. We never used our allowance, but not sure if families had a similar allowance which would probably be insufficient. Staff- with a few exceptions, the staff are wonderful, particularly the concierge team, front door greeting team ( special mention to the marvellous Daniel) , the suited security guys ( always very congenial) and especially the fantastic room cleaning staff. Thank you to the girl who looked after our room and her supervisor Jen, who went out of her way to ensure everything was perfect. We found it fascinating learning about the lives/ experiences of staff and their motivations for leaving home to work here. We were reassured by positive comments about their working conditions and accommodation. We also learned loads from the taxi drivers, mostly from Pakistan. Dining- Really nice food in a setting with lovely ambience is incredibly important to us, and regretfully, this is the hotel’s Achilles heel. We really enjoyed breakfast in Le Jardin. It’s not quite breakfast at Gleneagles , where we’ve stayed a couple of times and simply oozes confident and relaxed class at a similar price point, but there’s an extensive buffet choice complimented by a small but quality a La carte. Omelettes beautifully cooked, some of the best shakshouka I’ve tasted. Coffee superb, staff marvellous , always checking if you need anything else. We had breakfast on the outdoor terrace- lovely, relaxed, great atmosphere. Absolutely no issues with breakfast. Evening meal/ half board dine around- not quite sure where to start here, particularly as we had 2 really poor experiences at evening meals. Firstly, it’s not a true dine around. There’s a 220 dinar/head credit to use in the Italian, reduced from 295 in 2024. This just about covers a main in the Italian, where the ambience is lovely but the food mediocre. Overcooked pasta, barely warm pizza. We swapped lunch here for pizza by the beach- much fresher and properly hot at a fantastic price. Matagi, the Japanese, is a lovely space, but frankly, as we say in Glasgow- “ all fur coat and nae knickers “. Here the option is a La carte without credit or an additional 125/head for a 3 course menu. Most of this was just fine, but my wagyu beef rice bowl was full of inedible gristle rather than melting marbling. We didn’t say anything until asked about the food. There were lots of comments about the provenance of the beef but no apologies or substitutions, mainly an observation- after finishing- that the salmon is a better choice ! We enjoy dine around half board and have had excellent, far superior experiences at a range of decent 4 star hotels where there are no extra costs. This resulted in us falling back on the buffet for evening meals. The actual food quality/ choice was good and well maintained, though again, not the best we’ve experienced. However as others have noted, in the evening the restaurant had all the charm of a canteen, with absolutely no atmosphere. This should not have been a problem as the outdoor terrace was beautiful and nicely atmospheric, with large groups celebrating Ramadan in colourful attire. However, on only one evening, arriving late from sightseeing, were we able to eat outside. The other 3 evenings we were expected to eat in the canteen as the terrace was full of large groups, which were mysteriously absent from breakfast. The penny finally dropped on our last night- the outdoor terrace was being reserved by diners from outside the hotel who were paying to use it as a restaurant. All the tables were organised/ pre booked by large parties- a mix of family groups and work outings, relegating small group family residents and couples to the status of second class/ indoor only dining. When challenged, the girl allocating tables apologised and admitted this was what was happening, something subsequently denied by the restaurant manager initially before he backtracked. We discussed this appalling attitude to residents with both the restaurant manager and deputy and to be fair, they apologised profusely, admitting this is just wrong, sending wine/chocolates to our room by way of compensation. I never write hotel reviews, but use opinions/ reviews from others to help inform choices, so it’s only fair to warn others of what was going on in the buffet. I just can’t understand why a hotel which goes to sometimes over the top efforts to please would compromise their offer so adversely. If there’s a response to this review, rather than reflect my positive comments, management should entirely overhaul their evening dining. Would I say again? Absolutely- the hotel, facilities and staff are fantastic, but I’d not book half board. I’d take advantage of the cheap taxis to eat at the many other hotel restaurants within a short distance.

Without hesitation, we rebooked for our fourth visit to Raffles the Palm. In our experience, you won’t be disappointed by the exceptional quality and high standards of service at this magnificent hotel. We have consistently chosen the club rooms for their added benefits, which include access to the club lounge. However, we were disappointed to learn that the light lunch, previously included with the club room package, has now been removed. Many other reviewers have also expressed their disappointment regarding this change. Assuming we will utilise our half-board dine-around option for dinner, I inquired about our lunch alternatives. It appears that we would need to pay an additional AED 240 per person per day to enjoy the buffet lunch at Le Jardin. For our upcoming 9-day stay, this amounts to an extra AED 4,320 (approximately £910). This seems like an excessive charge, especially since we are already paying a premium for the club rooms and are only seeking a light lunch. Management often responds to feedback, indicating that they value guests' comments and strive to enhance their service offerings. We hope that they will reconsider and reinstate the light lunch, as this feedback reflects a genuine concern among guests and could be easily rectified to ensure client satisfaction and uphold the high catering standards we have come to expect. Despite this disappointing change, I highly recommend Raffles the Palm for its grandeur and exceptional service.

The hotel was excellent! The Raffles is a great place to stay. Great service and facilities all around. Service was particularly excellent in the piano bar. Nana was exceptional. Her attention to detail and her kind engagement was outstanding. She was engaging and I appreciated the sharing of stories. I enjoyed getting to know her. Daniel Muthui from Butler Service was outstanding as well! He was kind and professional. He was attentive and very engaging. I enjoyed getting to know him. The Raffles is a great place to stay. I look forward to returning.

From when you first arrive in the taxi until you are ready to leave everything is so perfect. The staff the rooms the food the pool and the cleanness was second to none. The staff are so nice and polite from the front desk right down to speaking with the house maids nothing you ask them is a trouble for them. Every part of the premises is so spotless. The food was very nice and a really good selection. Would really recommend this hotel and can’t wait until our next stay there.

My daughter, and I had afternoon tea. It was stunning! The sandwiches and sweets, were incredible. Special thanks to Aakash and Lin. Every bite was exquisite. The tea was made in such a beautiful way. We were made to feel very special. Thankyou.