Which Dubai Hotel Is Poshest of Them All: Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton?
It’s the Four Seasons Dubai (left) vs. the Ritz-Carlton Dubai (right). (Photos: Courtesy of hotels)
By Carrie Seim
There’s a posh hotel debut, and a luxe reinvention on Dubai’s opulent Gulf coast. Who wins?
Four Seasons Dubai at Jumeirah Beach
The lure: Launched in December as part of a trio of Four Seasons’ debuts in the region (including Bahrain in March and Casablanca later this year), the luxury brand’s first Dubai offering is already a sensation with well-heeled travelers and sparkling locals. The beachside resort offers 188 rooms and 49 suites of unstuffy luster and restrained sophistication.
(Photo: Handout)
The look: Designed by San Francisco-based firm BAMO, the hotel’s Andalusian architecture and Arabesque-meets-Regency interior details are a welcome reprieve from some of its more glitz-and-gilt neighbors. While its lofty ceilings, arched corridors, expansive gardens, and soaring 32-foot-high lobby rotunda (complete with silver-leaf dome and sweeping staircase) are unquestionably impressive, the ambience still passes as understated elegance in this City of Gold.
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The rooms: Sleeping spaces are decorated in a seaside palette of light blues and sunny golds, with art-adorned foyers and private balconies. Spacious closets, framed by grand white-lattice doors, come stocked with yoga mats. Marble-clad bathrooms, meanwhile, boast exclusive Etro toiletries and vast freestanding tubs against a backdrop of mosaic tile, artfully arranged in undulating waves.
(Photo: Handout)
The luxuries: Longing for a diamond-infused facial, a chocolate body dip or a gushing rainforest shower accompanied by crashing thunder and jungle sound effects? The resort’s Pearl Spa has you covered (in green caviar with a trace of gold, if that’s your thing). Then it’s time for a dip in one of two lagoon-style pools (where subtle Bedouin-style tribal music is piped in and refreshments are delivered to your lounger or private day villa at the push of a button), an indoor lap pool (for those hot summer months) or the waves of The Gulf (just steps away). When you’re ready to dry off, Ever En Vogue salon’s hair maestros will glam you up for a night on the town.
The delicacies: Shai Salon draws Dubai-siders for lunch and high tea, while the beachside Sea Fu restaurant serves a delicate but flavor-packed crustacean supper with an Asian-Mediterranean twist. (Think: dim sum with blue-prawn tartare and sea bass crudo adorned with szechuan pepper and lemon grass aromatics.) One of the hottest new dinner spots in Dubai is Nusret steakhouse (located on property but not affiliated with the hotel). But the real spot to hit is the super swank rooftop Mercury Lounge, where ringmaster Tony pours Mai Tais in baby bottles, serves martinis, with Barbie Dolls and sprinkles mojitos with Pop Rocks.
A dish from the new menu at Sea Flu. (Photo: Verko Photography)
The letdown: Nearby construction work makes the view from the beach less than dreamy at the moment, and prices are as arresting as the beautiful sea views. But that’s all par for the course in Dubai. With top-notch staff, a chic crowd and direct beach access, it’s a splurge that’s hard to resist.
The lowdown: Rooms from $336; fourseasons.com/dubaijb
Ritz-Carlton, Dubai (Jumeirah Beach)
(Photo: The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai)
The lure: When Ritz-Carlton opened this resort 17 years ago, it was a pioneer of Dubai’s luxury market, with only sand on the horizon for miles. Now, the Gulf-side property has unveiled an extensive three-year overhaul to radiant result, doubling its rooms and suites to 294 (including a 2,368-square-foot presidential suite, complete with its own private hammam), adding lavish gardens, and expanded pools, while retaining the allure that set the city’s standard.
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The look: The hotel embraces its prime beach location and six meandering pools with low-slung Mediterranean-style exteriors and lush landscaping, giving it the feel of an island resort rather than a desert retreat. Inside, a palatial lobby is decked out with a colonnade of arabesque marble arches, a soaring gold-leaf atrium, rich draperies and burbling fountains; a giant window offers dramatic sea views.
(Photo: Ritz-Carlton, Dubai)
The rooms: Splendor and luxury abound, but with plenty of modern luxuries (like televisions that sink sleekly into to bedside footboards). Even junior suites come with grand living areas, walk-in wardrobe sitting rooms and guest bathrooms. Lattice carved-wood mashrabiya screens frame private balconies with glistening Gulf views, and gold-threaded fabrics hem the room. The master bath is a showstopper, with a shower bigger than many Manhattan bedrooms, and a grand tub presiding before an installation of amber-colored, carved-marble squares.
The luxuries: Fashioned after a hammam, the spa’s soothing, intimate aura is ideal for a day of pampering. Diamond facial treatments are on offer, along with Thai, Balinese, and Shiatsu massages, detoxifying algae wraps and vitamin peels. The resort’s expansive water scene includes a swim-up bar, family-friendly children’s pools (complete with a waterslide and swim-under bridge) and one of the largest natural white-sand beaches in the city.
(Photo: The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai)
The delicacies: The Lobby Lounge offers a harp-accompanied afternoon tea and Caravan restaurant presents a global breakfast and lunch buffet (even camel’s milk is on hand), but the real draw is an al fresco dinner under the red tents of Amaseena. Here, the Syrian chef serves pan-Arab delights (you’ll dream about his exquisitely spiced lamb chops and secret-recipe chicken shawarma) along with Lebanese wine and shisha, as haunting songs float into the night sky from live musicians playing the oud and tabla. It’s no surprise that more than half of the diners are drawn from outside the hotel, many of whom have been feasting here for a dozen years.
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The letdown: The poolside cocktail lounge and Library Bar were both on the quiet side, without the buzz of some hot spots in town. But the stunning seaside grounds, sumptuous décor, and above-and-beyond staff make it an ideal escape for romance or family fun.
The lowdown: Deluxe rooms from $245; ritzcarlton.com/dubai
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