Regent Beach Resort

As I said, it is not that easy to find a decent acoomodation for a good price in Dubai. This hotel was a good compromise. Being a three star hotel, it didn’t offer the stereotypical luxury of Dubai. But it was comfortable enough to feel like a king and far better than the hostels I am used to when I travel. A real advantage is the location of the hotel. It is in fornt of Jumeira Public beach, one of only a few public beaches in Dubai. All facilities you need are close by, including a small shopping mall and a bus stop with frequent connections to the city center. The hotel has three restaurants, one lybian-arab, one indian (where also breakfast is served) and a shisha bar. The brekfast menu is good,with a selection of hot and cold food, coffee and juices. The pool is small, but looked clean (I didn’t use it as the beach was just a few meters away). A bar directly at the pool is no longer in use. The hotel was well frequented, with most guests being germans, english and russians.

Unique Quality: The Regent Beach resort belongs to the Ramee Group, an indian chain of hotels. Staff was friendly, especially at the reception where we got a free upgrade for our room. The room was really nice with comfortable beds, a nice, clean bathroom , TV and a balcony. Perhaps the shower curtain, which needed to be replaced, was the only thing to complain about in this room. Outside, I just didn’tlike to cross two restaurants (the lybian-arab one and the shisha bar) just to get to the building where the room was situated. You see, the things I’m complaining about are nothing, but the positive aspects are more than enough to recommend a stay at this place. If you want to add some swimming in ther persian gulf to your Dubai vacation and give your hotel stay an indian touch, that’s the place I would chose.

Directions: At Jumeirah Public Beach, close to Mercato Mall/Snippy's Supermarket

Nowadays, Dubai is split into two halves, "New" and "Old": The 5-star beach resorts are all located 30km outside of the city centre, and in the city there are many centrally-located, business-oriented hotels. Add Dubai's notoriously bad traffic jams, and this means that you are left with a choice: do you want to spend most of my time relaxing at the beach, or do you want to explore the sights & all the city has to offer?
There are only 2 (two) hotels in the city centre that actually have a beach: one is Dubai Marine (5-star, see separate hotel tip) and the other is the Regent Beach Resort (3-star). I haven't stayed at this hotel, but I've visited their restaurants a few times & have friends that have stayed there.

The hotel is "nothing special" but it is clean & comfortable and the main selling point is its LOCATION: right by the beach (public beach, not privately owned by the hotel) on Jumeirah Beach Road opposite the Jumeirah Mosque, within walking distance to numerous shops & cafes, and only a short taxi-ride away from the Creek & traditional souks (markets).

Unique Quality: Prices (80 rooms) are very reasonable for Dubai-standards, depending on the season of course. Single rooms start at 200 US$, Double rooms start at around 300 US$. This increases during large exhibitions (i.e. Gitex in November), so it's best to contact them directly and ask for their rates. The hotel also has its own small but sufficient health club, as well as a medium-sized outdoor swimming pool.
TIP: It's advisable to spend a little extra and request a large room, as the regular single rooms are tiny & rather cramped.

Their Arabic restaurant is called "Ali Baba" and serves some lovely traditional cuisine. I especially like visiting in the cooler winter months and enjoy dining "al-fresco" with a nice bubbling sheesha (water pipe) by my side... (NOTE: this hotel is NOT licensed, i.e. no alcohol is served on their premises.)

This is the ONLY reasonable beach hotel located close to the city centre, so if you don't want to waste time being stuck in Dubai's traffic I recommend booking here!

Directions: Near the Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa.
Location Map: http://www.ramee-group.com/Ramee/regent_beach/location.htm

We really liked our stay in this hotel - it is right by the Jumeirah Open Beach and it's quite nice... it's not one of the fancy hotels so it's a bit cheaper (still 220 US dollars a night). It is also only 20 minutes from the centre of Dubai, which helps...

During Ramadan time rooms come at half the price, and because it's so near to the beach, you can simplt just dash into your room if you feel like drinking some water or having a snack

Unique Quality: Comfortable and a bit tacky rooms, and a couple of restaurants... quite good and informal. There's a little swimming-pool, too, but it is really suitable only for kids.

Directions: right by jumeriah open beach