What's On checks in: Dubai staycation at Five Jumeirah Village
Five Jumeirah Village delivers sky-high delights…
Dubai residents are a well-travelled bunch. So, as restrictions have begun to ease across the city, it’s no surprise that some of us are keen to escape our homes and book a post-curfew staycation.
While precautionary measures and social distancing rules are in place, just how do Dubai’s hotels cater to guests?
We checked into Five Jumeirah Village at the weekend, and here’s what we found.
The check-in process
Clearly we weren’t the only ones who fancied a weekend staycation in Dubai. Even with room occupancy capped at 30 per cent, there’s a lively vibe from the minute you step inside Five Jumeirah Village. At 3pm on Friday, the lobby is filled with guests dressed in their brunch-going best.
With temperature checks at the door and deep cleaning of the rooms in progress, the check-in process, understandably, takes longer than average. We join a group of guests waiting for their room keys in the adjoining restaurant. About an hour later, we get a call to say that our room is ready. We’ve since heard that some wait times have been much longer than this, so perhaps we got lucky…
The cleaning team is still busy at work when we first arrive at our room, so we wait out on the terrace until they’re done. Once they’ve vacated the space, the villa is clean and tidy – although, there are quite a few wet patches on the floor.
The room
We’ve booked Five Jumeirah Village’s top-tier abode, the Four-Bed Sky Villa with Private Pool. Measuring a massive 522 square metres, the Insta-worthy villa features an expansive living and dining area, and four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.
The master suite’s bathroom is particularly show-stopping. It boasts twin vanities and a giant soaking tub flanked by windows on three sides, offering wraparound views of the Dubai skyline.
The sky villa’s standout feature, however, is the outdoor terrace. This party-ready patio is equipped with an elevated plunge pool, sun loungers, and jaw-plummeting scenes that stretch from Downtown Dubai to Jebel Ali Port.
If we were to find fault with the accommodation, it would be that it looks like a glamorous apartment, but acts like a hotel.
On the surface, the kitchen has all the creature comforts of home, with two full-sized fridges, a dishwasher, gas stove and butler’s pantry. There’s no microwave or pots for the stove, however, so unless you come prepared you won’t be doing any actual cooking. And the kitchen’s countless draws and cupboards are bare, save for a few glasses and teacups.
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We’ve been given a heads-up before our stay, so come equipped with chopping boards, plates and cutlery. (One of the joys of travelling with children is that you soon adapt to packing everything, bar the proverbial kitchen sink.)
Not that you need to lift a finger during your stay, really. Five’s on-site restaurant Soul Street has reopened for diners, and the in-room dining menu offers everything from Arabic breakfast platters to nourishing salads and late-night burgers. According to the menu, you can even hire a private bartender for Dhs100 an hour, should the mood strike.
On this visit, we keep things low-key, ordering delivery and spending most of our hours in the pool. When it’s time to leave, we have to drag our screaming toddler out the door. She’s become quite accustomed to life on the 52nd floor.
And really, we can’t say that we blame her…
Insider tips
- Request a sunset-view room to capitalise on those Dubai vistas, and ensure you get enough sunshine on your terrace.
- Arrive right on 3pm so you’re at the front of the queue for your room keys. Or, time your arrival for later in the day, once the rush has died down.
- Bring plates, cutlery etc if you plan on dining in. We now know that the gas has been disconnected in most of the kitchens, so leave those pots and pans at home.
Five Jumeirah Village, Dubai. Four-Bed Sky Villa with Pool, from Dhs1350. jumeirahvillage.fivehotelsandresorts.com
Images: Supplied