Al Shams Plaza Hotel, Dubai
[Al Shams Plaza Hotel, Dubai, UAE]
My family and I stayed at Al Shams Plaza Hotel Apartments in Dubai, UAE between 9-13 May 2006.
Hotel: Al Shams Plaza Hotel
Address: PO BOX 27961, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +971 4 3551200
Fax: +971 4 3524123
E-mail: al_shams@emirates.net.ae
Website: Al Shams Plaza Hotel
Booking
I made the reservation over the internet with LastMinute.com. It cost £388 for 4 nights, which comes to £97 per night.
This might sound pricey but being a family of 2 adults and 3 children (aged 3½, 2, and 9 months) we were attracted to the idea of staying in an apartment with a kitchen and facilities rather than just a hotel room.
Finding Al Shams Plaza Hotel
A few days before we travelled to Dubai I emailed the hotel to confirm the reservation.
The manager replied the next day confirming the reservation. She also emailed a map showing directions to the hotel.
[Email from Al Shams Plaza Hotel]
[Map showing location of Al Shams Plaza Hotel]
The map was really useful on the day as it would have been next to impossible to locate the hotel otherwise. I had driven in Dubai on a previous holiday so I knew the city in broad terms. The map made finding the hotel a lot easier.
If you are traveling to Al Shams Plaza Hotel by taxi, just tell the taxi driver that it is exactly opposite Golden Sands Hotel #5. He will know where that is.
Much of Dubai is a construction site, and the area around Al Shams Plaza is no exception! Although it seemed a bit grim when we arrived at 11pm, it is in reality perfectly safe.
[Outside Al Shams Plaza Hotel]
The entrance lobby with a large glass door and lots of polished wood was welcoming and pleasant. I checked in and moved my car to the basement car park. A bell boy helped us with our luggage of 7 suitcases!
The Al Shams Plaza apartment
Al Shams Plaza Hotel has 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments. We stayed in a 1-bedroom apartment on the 1st floor.
Entrance Hall
[Entrance hall in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
This is the entrance hall.
Toilet / shower room
The toilet / shower room was right near the front door.
[Toilet/shower room in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Toilet/shower room in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Toilet/shower room in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
Kitchen
[Kitchen in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Oven in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Oven in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Microwave oven in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Ice maker in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Fridge/freezer in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Fridge/freezer in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Kitchen sink in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
There was a reasonably-sized kitchen. It had an upright fridge/freezer, electric oven, sink, lots of built-in cupboards, extractor fans, kettle, toaster and microwave oven. There were no pots/pans or cutlery.
The kitchen was fairly clean, but not really clean enough for us to be inspired to do any cooking during our stay there.
We used the fridge to store milk and fruits for the kids, and the freezer to store some ice cream. The microwave was useful for heating the baby’s milk and the sink for wash-up milk bottles.
Lounge
[Lounge/dining area in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Lounge/dining area in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Lounge/dining area in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
The entrance hall leads to an open-pan lounge with a three-piece sofa, a coffee table, telephone, TV and glass dining table and 4 chairs.
They had put in an extra bed for the kids, which was nice.
Dressing area
[Dressing area in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
There was a little dressing area next to the lounge, leading on to the bedroom.
Bedroom
[Bedroom in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
[Bedroom in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
The bedroom had a comfortable queen-sized bed and fitted cupboards, desk lamps and telephone.
Main bathroom
[Bathroom in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
The main bathroom had a bathtub with shower, sink, toilet and bidet. We did notice a very stale smell coming from the main bathroom most of the time, so we prefered to use the toilet/shower room instead.
Balcony
[Balcony view in Al Shams Plaza apartment]
The balcony was accessed from both the bedroom and the lounge. You can see Golden Sands 5 across the road.
Cleanliness
The most disappointing thing about Al Shams Plaza Hotel was that apart from the kitchen and toilets, the entire apartment had carpeted floors.
This is totally inappropriate for accommodation in the UAE desert!
Even if you keep the windows closed all the time, the sand and dust still comes in. It is a very fine sand and no matter how many times you try to vacuum it up, it re-accumulates in the carpets.
My friends' apartments in the UAE do NOT have carpets! Their floors are tiled or laminate flooring which is easy to wipe clean.
Al Shams Plaza must have carpeted their floors to appeal to Western tourists, but the result is that our carpet was absolutely filthy. I had to keep washing the black off my kids’ feet before we went outside and before they went to bed !
Services
The staff were very pleasant and helpful. The reception staff recommended local restaurants and helped order a takeaway from a restaurant in Karama to be delivered to our apartment.
The apartment was cleaned daily by an army of south Indian workers, with a fresh supply of towels and soap. The apartments are centrally air-conditioned, so you do not have to deal with the noise from an air conditioning unit.
Al Shams Plaza does not provide a breakfast. This was not a problem as we had a kitchen to organise snacks, and we ate out most of the time.
There is a 24-hour supermarket right next door to the hotel. It is well-stocked with all manner of goods, including fruit, milk, juices, snacks, toiletries and even plastic cups and utensils.
The area around the hotel is very safe and we felt comfortable stepping out even in the middle of the night.
Summary
Al Shams Plaza Hotel is certainly well-positioned in Bur Dubai, near the junction between Mankhool Road and Kuwait Street. All the attractions and facilities of central Dubai are within a short distance.
The price was reasonable and the staff were courteous and efficient.
The apartment itself was spacious and comfortable but was badly let down by problems with the cleanliness - if it wasn't for the dirty carpet our stay here would have been perfect.
And finally...
... a word of caution - Be very careful when driving your car out of the car park! You will have no problem with a small car, but getting our Toyota Camry in and out of the basement car park without denting the bodywork was a real challenge...!
17 May 2006
