,url-https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tripexpert.com%2Fimages%2Fmarker-fade%402x.png(55.44685,25.168133)/55.36133486777544,25.180812668860487,11.949408058215893/1280x214@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidHJpcGV4cGVydHdlYiIsImEiOiJja2Fud3l2MDcwbXZ0MndyeGF3eGI3ZWhzIn0.zLqNa1RECyZZadF8zfQM5w)
Palace DowntownvsMelia Desert Palm member of Melia Collection
Both hotels are endorsed by professional travelers. Overall, Palace Downtown ranks slightly higher than Desert Palm Dubai. Palace Downtown comes in at 82 with endorsements from 7 reviews including Star Service, Concierge and Rough Guide.
Palace Downtown
Concierge
Rough Guide
Star Service
Travel + Leisure
The Telegraph
Condé Nast Traveler
Lonely Planet
Old Town Island, Downtown Dubai, Dubai 9770, United Arab Emirates
From $261/night
- Bar/Lounge
- Free Internet
- Room Service
- Free Breakfast
- Shuttle Bus
- Laundry Service
Concierge "Editor's Note: This property was the Sofitel The Palace The Old Town until fall 2008.
The "Old Town" is actually brand-new—a hotel, condo, and shopping complex built in Arabian..."
i
When to go: November through March, to avoid the desert heat.
Rough Guide "One of the flagship properties of the vast Downtown Dubai development, this opulent, Arabian-themed “city-resort” offers a surreal contrast to the nearby Burj Khalifa."
Star Service "As an integral part of the Downtown Burj Dubai development, this hotel serves as the home base for a mix of leisure and business guests who bask in the shadows of Burj Khalifa." Full review
Travel + Leisure "From the razzle-dazzle entrance lined with towering palm trees to the pretty petal-filled pool in the lobby, The Palace hotel has no shortage of Arabian splendor." Full review
The Telegraph8.0
"The Palace Downtown has more soul than many other Dubai hotels and the 242 spacious rooms and suites feature Middle-Eastern touches in the form of carved-wood panelling and rich fabrics." Full review
Condé Nast Traveler "It sounds like a gimmick, but the architectural contrast is pleasing, and many of this hotel’s 242 rooms have breathtaking views of Dubai’s latest monument to hyperbole." Full review
Lonely PlanetTop choice
"A successful blend of Old World class and Arabic aesthetics, the Palace appeals to those with refined tastes." Full review
Melia Desert Palm member of Melia Collection Travel + Leisure Rough Guide
Time Out
Fodor's Lonely Planet Condé Nast Traveler The Telegraph
Mr & Mrs Smith
Michelin Guide
Al Awir Rd, PO Box 119171, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
From $179/night
- Pet Friendly
- Bar/Lounge
- Free Internet
- Room Service
- Laundry Service
- Concierge
Travel + Leisure "Opt for the royal seal of approval at HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein’s sprawling property that opened in Spring 2009 with 24 modern rooms on a former polo estate." Full review
Rough Guide "On the edge of Dubai, around twenty minutes’ drive from the city centre, the Desert Palm is a pleasantly laid-back suburban bolthole."
Time Out "Designed by resort specialists Per AQUUM, the remote Desert Palm (45 minutes from the city centre) offers chic luxury in the midst of perfectly manicured polo fields." Full review
Fodor's "A boutique hotel surrounded by verdant polo fields brings exclusivity to the Dubai desert at a price point that doesn't require cashing in your Fortune 500 stocks."
Lonely Planet "Feel the stresses nibbling at your psyche evaporate the moment you step inside this luxe boutique retreat a short drive south of town and set on a private polo estate."
Condé Nast Traveler "One of the city’s rare small hotels, this enclave of 26 suites and villas sits on a 150-acre polo estate whose verdant lawns feel far, far away from the cranes of Dubai." Full review
The Telegraph8.0
"Celebrating everything horse-related, this is a hotel, riding school and polo venue rolled into one." Full review
Mr & Mrs Smith "Superlative service and seemingly endless facilities and activities await guests at Desert Palm Per Aquum Dubai hotel." Full review
i
Our flight is a full one and we’re squeezed in next to the quintessential package holiday family – exactly the sort of travellers our friends had told us would be heading there, and whom I was hoping to avoid.
Michelin Guide "It's an oasis, a sedate resort-style experience with clean-lined modern villas surrounded by gardens, hedges, trees — greener than your average desert experience" Full review
