Dubai Beach Club Review: Fairmont The Palm

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I wanted to squeeze in a beach club review before the month of Ramadan begins. Since I’ll be fasting and there is absolutely no way anyone can visit a Dubai beach in the summer without having anything to drink or eat! I also wanted to check out Fairmont The Palm‘s beach and pool club while they have their summer promotion rates going on.

Summer Promotion Rates

Validity of the promotion: Until the end of August

Adult day pass fee: 195 AED (without the food and beverage voucher) and 265 AED (inclusive of a 100 AED F&B voucher)

Kids (ages 5 to 13): 99 AED (without the F&B voucher) and 130 AED (inclusive of a 50 AED F&B voucher)

 

Pool and Beach Facts

  • The hotel has four pools; two adult-only pools and two family pools.
  • A resident DJ plays by the pool bar on Friday evenings from 5 to 10 pm.

I was informed by the hotel’s Operations Director – Frederic Bellone that the beach was partially closed due to construction work “to expand the private beach area and to make the bottom of the ocean more gradient.”

Mr. Bellone also mentioned that the expansion work should be completed within a few days. So you can still head down to the beach club and enjoy their summer promotion. I would suggest that you ask about the construction work when calling to book your day pass. As booking in advance is required for the Fairmont’s beach club.

 

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Is free Wi-Fi Available at the Beach?

Unlike Madinat Jumeirah properties, Wi-Fi is only available for in-house guests and club members. Outside guests need to pay 100 AED for a day’s use of the hotel’s Wi-Fi.

Pros

  • Relaxed and laid-back ambiance with chill-out Arabian fusion tracks playing in the pool area.
  • The adult-only pool is a good spot for contemplation and meditation. With a couple of fountains pouring water into the pool, the sound creates a calming effect that can be used for meditation. The pool is also surrounded by palm trees, so looking up to the sky does feel like you’re on vacation. Especially when combined with a beautiful bird flying by the water and the fountain’s peaceful water sounds.
  • A complimentary bottle of still water is provided for all pool and beach guests.
  • Complimentary locker access. Inside the locker is a coat hanger, a bath towel, a small towel, and a plastic bag for storing your wet swim suit.
  • The beach and pool day pass also includes access to the spa’s modern and state of the art gym, steam room and sauna.
  • The facilities are super-clean and well-maintained to high standards.

 

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Cons

  • I wasn’t informed about the partial closing of the beach when I called to book the day pass and ask about the beach/pool access. I only found out about it when I got to the hotel. This meant that I had to lounge by the pool for a few hours until the construction work was over at the beach and I could go into the water. But that wasn’t a problem, as I could always use some meditation at the pool’s relaxing fountains 🙂
  • The staff at the beach area seemed to be in a rush to close down the sun umbrellas and fold back the lounger cushions when it wasn’t time for sunset yet. Maybe it’s a routine practice and part of their job description, but it gave me the feeling that they were rushing to end their work day chores as soon as they could! The beach area wasn’t busy anyway, and so it didn’t seem like they would have a lot of wrapping up to do at the end of the day.
  • The food quality at the pool bar could use some enhancement. More so since the Fairmont on Sheikh Zayed Road is associated with great brunch and food options. I will be talking more about the food in a while.
  • The front section of the ocean’s ground has rocks and is not smooth for walking. I believe that the management should consider making the ground surface smooth for walking. Especially for kids.

 

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What to Eat and Drink?

To quench my thirst, I ordered an orange ginger tea cooler. Which was basically orange juice with a hint of ginger. It was a refreshing drink for a hot summer day.

 

Orange Ginger Tea Cooler
Orange Ginger Tea Cooler

 

For lunch, I had a chicken breast burger on wheat bread. I was delighted to see a healthy option for a sandwich on the menu. But I was disappointed as the chicken was a bit tough and didn’t look like it was cooked up to good quality levels. The taste of the food was average, and could use some improvement.

 

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A few hours after lunch, it was time for my coffee break. And for that, I ordered a banana soy latte at the beach. It’s a blend of bananas, soy milk and a shot of espresso. The first time my drink was prepared, it had a lot of ice blended in it. And so the taste of the latte was somewhat non-existent from the excess of ice that was used. But when I asked for less ice to be used in preparing my latte, it tasted much better and was such a revitalizing and cooling summer drink.

 

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Will I go back?

I would love to go back to the Fairmont’s beach club for three reasons:

  1. To take advantage of the summer promotion rate while it lasts.
  2. To check out the pool atmosphere on a Friday evening when the resident DJ is playing. I went on a Saturday and so I missed it. (Please take note that this will continue after Ramadan only).
  3. To see if I can meet a potential husband at the pool or beach (note: most guys at this beach club are very fit with buffed-up masculine bodies and wash board abs) 😀

 

Link:

http://www.fairmont.com/palm-dubai/

 

I will leave you with some random images from my day at the Fairmont The Palm’s beach club. You can also check my Facebook page for more images and other cool posts.

 

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