Continuing my brief synopsis of my trip....
transfers between Abu Dhabi and Al Maha and Al Maha and Dubai were arranged by Al Maha and transport was seamless both directions. Cars were clean, drivers professional and punctual. Have I said how wonderful the staff at Al Maha was? Because they were truly incredibly nice and honestly I wish every hotel in the world had staff like the Al Maha -- they are definitely some of the best hotel staff I have ever encountered.
Transfer to Dubai was wonderful. Conrad Dubai had upgraded me prior to arrival to king suite, but it wasn't ready when I arrived just after 3:00pm, so they upgraded me to a 1 bedroom suite which was HUGE (mind you, this took forever because they kept trying to convince me to wait in the bar until the king suite was ready, but I had plans and did not want to wait for at least an hour, most likely more, for the king suite to be ready). I had a walk-in closet, full living and dining areas, huge bathroom and powder room (which I never used) and a very spacious bedroom. There was no welcome amenity, but when I returned to my room on the first night there was a little tray of sweets of some sort and the second night stuffed dates. I didn't eat any of them, but they looked nice. While the property isn't the newest and shiniest, it is located just outside of the World Trade Centre subway station, which is somewhat central to most things to do (though nothing walkable). My room was nice, but a new mattress wouldn't have hurt as the bed was a bit lumpy. I probably wouldn't stay here again but wouldn't rule it out either. My favorite part of the stay was the executive lounge. The staff on the desk when entering were the nicest and most helpful people. I also enjoyed the afternoon tea 2 of the 3 days and had dinner there on my last night (when my flight out of Dubai was at 11:00pm). The afternoon tea was really nice, the dinner was okay, considering that it didn't technically cost me anything I was happy to have it available. Breakfast in the restaurant was underwhelming but sufficient. They could take a few lessons from the Conrad Abu Dhabi on how to provide a good breakfast
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Activities in Dubai, I felt, were somewhat limited. I went up the Burj Khalifa and considered it a huge waste of both time and money. The Dubai Mall was so big that it was overwhelming, but the water fountain show was gorgeous (I saw it twice). I purchased some clothes for my cousin's baby at Marks & Spencer (I the Dubai Mall) and that was it. But interesting to see. I did the XDubai, the world's largest urban zip line. It was AMAZING -- it went over part of the Dubai Marina; it was over way too fast, but it was super fun and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I did a speed boat tour of the palm, which was a lot of fun, but hot hot hot. The gold souk and spice souks were interesting, though I don't think I'd go back. I don't drink or party, which is why (I think) a lot of people go to Dubai, so maybe I was missing something, but I could not visit Dubai again and be perfectly okay. The subway was extremely efficient and the a/c was powerful; I'd recommend it to anyone over taxis because it takes about the same amount of time to get place to place and it's much less expensive. Probably my favorite meal of the trip (on a value and taste basis) was at a small restaurant in the gold souk, Mama's. A little hole-in-the-wall that served some of the best shawarma I've ever eaten and it cost US$1.60. Where can anyone get a meal for that? Nowhere that I can think of. It was so good that I'd probably venture back to the gold souk just to eat at Mama's.
I met a couple at the RC that had stayed at 3 Hilton properties in Dubai, one in Old Dubai, the Conrad and the brand new Hilton on the Palm. Their favorite was the new Hilton, but I think the location could be problematic for anyone that wants to see some of the sites, because it is somewhat removed from where most things are. However for anyone that is going to party and spend time on the beach it would be ideal. Not sure if I'd choose to stay on the Palm (if I ever went back), but there are those who wouldn't stay anywhere else, so it's a matter of personal preference.
The Conrad is a solid choice for Dubai, but with a plethora of hotels and more springing up, if someone were deciding where to stay I would look at what they want to do and then choose the location accordingly. I can't see myself staying in Dubai again, but would probably give consideration to the Conrad because of the location and executive lounge, should I ever need to spend a night or two there on a layover.
