Last Friday, I decided to check out The Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa. Although the beach was flagged on that day, I still managed to go for a nice swim at two different times, with each lasting for around an hour. Yes, I’m a cancerian and we just love to be in the water 🙂
Facts About the Beach Area
For anyone who has never been to the beach in Dubai Marina (I honestly haven’t until this time!), you will notice that the loungers are located at a far distance from the water. I was told by a staff member that it is a government rule and that all of the beach clubs on that strip have a similar setup. It was a bit of a disappointment to me as I had previously gone to the Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa where the loungers are situated close to the sea shore. You can read that review here.
Resort Facilities
The resort has a wide number of facilities including:
- Tennis and squash courts
- Spa and state of the art gym
- Fitness studio and classes
- Junior Jungle Club for kids
- Private beach with various beach activities
- Water slides, outdoor Jacuzzi and pool bar
- Main pool and a kids pool
Where to have Lunch
There are many options for lunch at the Habtoor Grand.
- If you are alone or want to have a light lunch at the beach or pool area, then you could order a shawerma, burger or hot dog and other snacks from the “Al Manarah Beach Bar” or the pool bar.
- If you want to try the famous Dubai brunch with barbeque and all, then you could have a nice outdoor brunch at XL Beach Club. That will cost you 260 AED per person. The brunch timings are from 1 to 4 pm.
- If like me, you want to have a healthier meal at and sample one of the restaurants at the hotel…there are a number of cuisines to choose from. “Villa Romana”, “Al Basha”, “Fish Bazaar” and “Luciano’s” are some of the restaurants surrounding the beach and pool area at the resort.
Upon reading Pinay Flying High‘s tempting review on Luciano’s, I decided to go there for lunch and a break from the Dubai day in the sun! I’m glad that I did because the food was so delicious that I found myself looking for more tomato sauce on my plate when I finished eating 🙂
My Must-try Tip
After my second hour in the water, I felt like I needed to have an energizing drink to keep my body hydrated. While standing at the beach bar, my eyes couldn’t stop staring at the tall glasses the couple standing next to me had. When I asked the lady what it was, she explained that it’s an iced-coffee with ice-cream and that it’s really good. So, that was what I decided to order to quench my thirst. And another couple who saw the bar tender make my drink ordered it as well! It was the perfect ending for my long day at the beach. As the coffee wasn’t too sweet (vanilla ice-cream only was used to sweeten it), and it was so refreshing after a day out in the sun.
Pool and Beach Entrance Rates
On Week Days: Adults – 150 AED, Children – 100 AED
Children ages: 4 – 15 years old, below 3 are free of charge.
On Weekends: Adults – 250 AED, Children – 125 AED
Weekends are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Club Memberships are available and special membership rates apply.
Link
http://grandjumeirah.habtoorhotels.com/site/general/