Atlantis The Palm

Having recovered from the frenzy that is the lobby at The Atlantis, one is led to bedrooms that resemble a worn out B&B. A shower that smelt of cats wee was only trumped by a toilet that smelt worse than those at my sons secondary school. Never again. You have been warned!

ridiculously expensive for a mediocre 5 star hotel which seemed to be populated everyday by multi tattooed English people with loud children. Certainly not for those who like 5 star to mean five star and be exclusive and luxurious and for the discerning traveller

Paid for 5 Star accomodation and the room and services were fit for a 3 Star Hotel. No Break-Fast nothing. The hotel was far away from the main city center; had to depend on the hotel for everything. No access to restaurents or shopping malls etc.

Check-in was a mess. we queued for over half an hour, with people pushing in and general chaos. When we were served, they insisted we had booked 3 rooms and not 2. When we got into some rooms, the twin room we booked had a double bed. We phoned several times to complain from the room, but were every time told to wait for a call back which never came. We went downstairs again and after another lengthy wait and some firmness the rooms were sorted out. No apology was ever given although eventually they agreed to give us a late checkout time the following day which at least was something. The rooms were fine, minibar outrageously expensive even for hotels like this, and 99 dirhams is charged for wireless internet connection. The waterpark was very clean and nicely designed, but totally confusing as to what we had to do in terms of lockers / carrying money and stuff etc. We enjoyed ourselves despite the fact that it was more like having a weekend in a busy shopping mall than in a hotel.

Very pricey but worth it for a one off if you can afford it. Impressive from all angles, search for deals as you can sometimes get offers from various websites. Would stay again when i can afford it.

This resort was great for relaxation including great pools and beaches. The biggest problem is that the hotel is on Palm Jumeirah, an isolated area that is not fully built up. If you want something outside of what Atlantis offers, you need to hire a cab and take a 20-30 minute ride which costs 50-100 Dhs ($15-$25) each way for a standard yellow taxi. The monorail system attached to this hotel is great for sightseeing, but we dubbed it the 'Monorail to Nowhere.' It travels through two closed stations (construction sites) and only allows you to exit at the third/final destination, which happens to be a parking garage with no walking access to the city. DEFINITELY UPGRADE to the larger room on a higher floor. The benefits greatly outweigh the cost, including lounge access and pre-paid breakfast at the incredible buffets. Breakfast at Kaleidoscope is overwhelmingly outstanding, but will run 310 Dhs ($85) for two people unless you book this deal. The breakfast ordered through room service is also outstanding. Food options here can be tricky. Hours at some of the restaurants are funny, with food service stopping around 8pm. The restaurants that stay open tend to be pricier and more eclectic. Plan a night out in downtown Dubai to mix up food options. The staff was absolutely incredible as well. We brought our daughter (four months old) and the staff was very accommodating, as well as genuinely friendly. The number of people checking up on you can get annoying after a while, but the managers will learn your names if spend enough time around the pools or restaurants, offering additional hospitality. This vacation will be pricey ($6,000 for two people, one week including airfare), but well worth it. If Atlantis offered an all-inclusive option, I would make this a regular destination.

The room was good, the bathroom opened up to the bedroom, nice comfortable bed. View from the room was fabulous. We paid extra to upgrade to the Imperial tower. This gave us breakfast, a good buffet choice. Also afternoon tea but can't comment on that as we did not have it. Appetizers and cocktails in the evenings which was like a meal in itself and fast flowing drinks. Only thing that was not good for us was that it was geared up for children and lots of them. Not great for a couple wanting a nice romantic evening. We found this to be the same for a meal in the French restaurant. The water park and the Chambers were great, the aquarium is fantastic. Staff members were very pleassant and helpful. Think this hotel is ideal if you have kids with you but I wouldn't stay again because it was not geared for adults only really.

The hotel is nice with good features - especially for those with families. Do note however that being at the end of the palm is a bit of a nuisance if you are planning to move about daily. Another gripe is that the overall finish and decor in the rooms is very standard and below what you would get at a hotel like Al Qasr. Overall, if you get the right price, it worth checking out, otherwise, stay closer to the main land.

Overall,it was a great experience... The cost was certainly on the very high side for service you can get in any 4-star US hotel.

Location is this resort's best and worst aspect. It's away from the city, on the crescent of the only currently-developed artificial palm island, so if you're looking to get far away from civilization it's perfect. However, that same distance from the city, and the fact that you have to cross the entire island to get to the mainland, results in longer-than-normal taxi and transport fares. Also keep in mind that this is clearly a resort and tourist families know it; if you require serenity and distance from people and especially children, you may want to look elsewhere. Grounds, amenities, service are all what you would expect from a 5-star resort. Beach is segmented between the resort and the adjoining waterpark, and the hotel segment is reserved for guests only; since the beach faces the city, views are awesome but water is not what most would expect in a "beach." Most will stick with the pools and their more temperature-controlled waters. Low-fare rooms are average for a 5-star, more in line with what you would see in some of the on-property Disney World resort hotels. The higher-fare rooms will offer better views or larger spaces, so consider which matters to you when booking. Plenty of quality sit-down dining options are available, and hotel guests get priority but advance reservations are almost always required. A waterpark is adjacent, free for hotel guests for duration of stay, and is of quite good quality; if you're here on family holiday it's a good entertainment option for the day. Getting transportation to/from the resort is quite easy, especially by taxi as it's a recognizable city landmark, but the distance from mainland means your fare will add up quickly. Also make sure to keep your room key or your waterpark wristband on your person if you leave the grounds; entry access is controlled by security and they will require proof of hotel stay to get your transport into the entrance roundabout. A monorail station between the hotel and waterpark connects to the mainland as well, but as of Sept 2012 terminated at a car park with all other stops being skipped, so aside from good views is mostly a waste of dirhams at the moment. This could improve as development improves on the rest of the island. Tours can be booked via a lobby desk or a desk near the restaurant district entrance, with most offering transfers to/from the hotel directly.