Luxury hotels are ten a penny in Dubai and choosing which one to visit can be pretty overwhelming. The area around JBR is a fantastic place to stay during a trip to Dubai. It has a really relaxed vibe with heaps of restaurants and activities within a few minutes walk. There are several luxury hotels located along the water front so it can be quite hard to choose but for me the best Jumeirah Beach hotel has to be the Sofitel. Bright and contemporary with everything you would expect from a 5 star hotel with none of the usual snobbery.
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Design of the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach
As soon as you arrive at the Sofitel you’ll feel the weight of daily life slip off your shoulders. From the friendly doormen to the luxurious reception area the hotel is incredibly classy yet super welcoming. I loved the floral displays, the bright decor on plentiful squishy sofas.
We checked in at around midnight and reception was quite, check in was quick and we were soon ushered upstairs to our beautiful room.
The clean and modern design continues throughout all public areas of the hotel. The colour scheme is all fresh white and vibrant blue. It may not be gold plated but I think that just makes it feel more elegant.
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The Pool overlooking JBR
As with any hotels we stay at with Piper, the pool is by far the most important place for us. This one is absolutely stunning. Whilst it’s small it has the absolutely perfect backdrop of the Dubai big wheel. Swim up to the glass protected edge of the infinity pool and you’ll get a great view of surrounding JBR. For me this makes the Sofitel the best Jumeirah Beach hotel for views.
There’s a small swim up bar although the seating area in the water is currently closed due to distancing restrictions.
If you do fancy a drink or some snacks by the pool then it’s easy to order from one of the many pool staff. Just be warned, the birds can be pretty brutal. A few stole the remnants of our burger one day.
There were always plenty of fresh towels but rarely enough loungers, it is quite a small space for such a large hotel.
Piper absolutely loved that she could enjoy an evening dip and we loved enjoying a cold wine watching her perfect her underwater handstands.
If you fancy a dip in the sea you can grab a beach bag from the spa area which includes towels and bottled water and head straight down the steps from the pool.
Eating at the Jumeirah Beach Sofitel
There are loads of options for eating at the Sofitel Jumeirah beach. The food we tried was all delicious and plentiful.
The breakfast buffet, Sofitel Jumeirah Beach
Often one of the most important parts of a luxury hotel stay has to be the breakfast buffet. And the Sofitel does not disappoint. It has pretty much everything you could want to start your day plus some other treats you never even realised you craved in the morning.
Piper managed plenty of healthy salads, cereals and fruit but her absolutely favourite part was the chocolate fountain and pancake station. Being allowed chocolate and marshmallows for breakfast, totally living her best life!
I loved the fresh egg station, a couple of chefs cooking omelettes or eggs, exactly how you like. Plus the healthy juice station offering different benefits to help you start your day. Well that and a super strong coffee.
Obviously there’s no pork sausage or bacon. Surprisingly this fry up loving Brit family didn’t miss it at all!
Infini Lounge BBQ buffet
Each night the AOC International restaurant holds a theme buffet. These all looked brilliant and you can pay to upgrade to a drinks inclusive deal. We opted to eat at the Infini Lounge BBQ buffet one night. It’s around £40 per person and they offered us half price for Piper. Great value when you see how much food is available.
We started with fresh salads and breads then moved on to the freshly cooked stations. Manned by a team of skilled grillers they have a full spread of BBQ ready fish and meats just waiting to go on the fire. Just tell them what you want, how you like it cooked and fill up your plate with sides while you’re waiting.
I opted for lamb chops and they were expertly cooked. Nigel had steak and seafood which again was a real win.
For dessert there were many, many mini cakes and puddings to choose from. All beautifully presented and totally delicious.
Other restaurants at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach
If you fancy something smaller there is a very pretty cafe next to reception on the ground floor of the hotel. It has lovely french pastries, cakes and excellent coffee and tea.
You can also eat poolside which serves all the usual favourites, burgers, wings and sandwiches.
It is of course a lot cheaper to eat outside the hotel and there are heaps of options just across the road on the JBR Walk. You will be able to find whatever type of cuisine you’re craving.
The Rooms
Our room at the Jumeirah Beach Sofitel was beautiful. We had a huge, super comfy bed and sofa which could be made into a sofa bed for Piper.
The small balcony area had great views across to JBR and was the perfect place to enjoy a drink in the evening playing numerous games of UNO.
The bathroom was spotlessly clean with a huge freestanding tub and separate shower and toilet room. There were plenty of lovely, complimentary toiletries which were replenished daily.
Piper loved that she could open the shutters to peek in on the bedroom.
The rooms all have plenty of storage space, tea and coffee making facilities and large flat screen TVs.
Location of the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach
The reason I think this is the Sofitel is one of the best hotels in Jumeirah Beach is its location. Whilst it doesn’t enjoy a beach front location, I think this is a positive as you don’t have hoards of people walking past your sunlounger. But the beach is still just a short stroll across the road.
At the hotel you’re within walking distance to heaps of restaurants, shops, bars and entertainment.
If you want to head into downtown Dubai then it’s a fairly easy walk to the DMCC train station and then a quick 20 minutes into town. From the airport it took us less than half an hour in a taxi although this can go up to an hour when traffic is bad.
Is the Sofitel at JBR good value for money?
This is Dubai so wherever you stay is going to be expensive. The Sofitel is very much a luxury hotel so it definitely falls into the higher priced bracket. We paid around £1,500 for 6 nights for the three of us including breakfast. Rooms can go for almost £400 a night so this is one to book well in advance if you can.
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Drinking alcohol at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach.
The Jumeirah Beach Sofitel is licensed meaning you can drink alcohol in the property. We enjoyed several beers in the pool bar during one of our many days in the water. There are also a few other bars and you can order alcohol in all of the restaurants. As you would expect from a luxury hotel in Dubai, drinks are very expensive. Most of the bars run happy hours (or multiple hours) just look for the signs in the hotel for times.
The hotel is also home to a cocktail bar/nightclub. Kids are not allowed inside the bar when it is open in the evening but you are welcome to sit just outside and enjoy a drink.
I had the most amazing grapefruit cocktail whilst watching the lights bounce around on the Dubai big wheel. Just heaven.
There is a mini bar in each room with a couple of beers and small bottles of wine. These are mega expensive. We purchased our drinks at Dubai duty free on arrival and kept our mini bar stocked ourselves for way less than mini bar costs.
Good to know
With the many forms that need completing for travel these days and certificates that will need to be shown to board flights it was great to know that we could use one of the hotels computers and printers to make sure we had all the paperwork we needed.
Masks are required in all public areas of the hotel. You’ll need one to enter all the restaurants, spa and pool area. You can take it off when you’re eating, drinking or in the pool. This is currently the case for everywhere in Dubai, you’ll always need one even when you’re outside. Make sure to check out the Sofitel website for all their safety measures and the most up to date restrictions.
The only thing we struggled with at the hotel was the lifts. There’s six in total but we still had to wait a long time each morning, it’s clearly a busy hotel. If you have to be out at a certain time just add an extra ten minutes in your schedule just incase.
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Which do you think is the best hotel in Jumeirah Beach? Let me know in the comments below.
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