My memorable weekend getaway at the 4-star Ramada Plaza Jumeirah Beach Residence hotel commenced with a warm “hello” by the front desk staff.
A queue was starting to build up when I arrived, but it didn’t take long for me get checked in. As I was waiting for my turn to be billeted, I noticed a lot of the guests were families from GCC countries. There were also a lot of Europeans and Russian-speaking guests. A British family was seen celebrating their son’s birthday.
Alper Can Bulcum, General Manager of Ramada Plaza JBR, later explained that guests from the GCC, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States indeed make up the majority of bookings at the hotel. “The main target markets of Ramada Plaza JBR are the CIS, GCC counties and Europe, particularly Germany, the UK and France,” he says.
As the crowd in the reception area got bigger, it became apparent that the lobby was relatively small, considering the massive size of this 45-floor hotel apartment. Thankfully, as I checked into my room and explored the rest of the property, it turned out that the lobby was perhaps an exception as far as size issues are concerned.
Upon entering my room, I was ushered into a spacious, elegant accommodation, accentuated by fashionable furnishings, earthy understated hues and a comfortable ambiance, which I think are just perfect for families or couples spending a holiday weekend in Dubai Marina.
I certainly liked the way they maximised the space and the mix of colours – a touch of browns, black and greys, which perfectly suits someone like me who’s not much into loud colour combinations.
I must also confess, I did borrow some of the minimalist, elegant interior furnishing ideas of the room, which I think would match the decors I had planned for a house I’m building in my hometown. But I digress.
Having been to many hotels in the UAE and other countries, I should say that my room for this stay ranks among those that I like best. While it was a studio hotel apartment, I still had plenty of space to move around. The full-sized kitchen was well-equipped, although given the excellent restaurants in the property and within the vicinity; I did not plan to do any cooking during my stay.
My room provided a lovely view of the Marina and the busy thoroughfares below. I did have a little problem opening the glass sliding doors in the balcony (I should have asked for assistance), but somehow, after a few futile attempts, it eventually yielded to my gentle persuasion.
The hotel rooms and the facilities are great for a four-star hotel. There are good restaurants and pubs, a swimming pool, a gym and an executive lounge. There are boutiques in the level plaza, including one jewellery shop where I was able to buy a few pieces at heavily discounted prices. However, I did find the lifts were a bit slow, which is a drawback when you’re constantly moving to different floors.
I tried the hotel’s gym and I’m sure guests who are health buffs would be happy to drop by for a quick workout. The gym has a fairly decent size and has all the equipment one needs for a good workout, including a sauna, which I also tried, although I wish they also had a steam room. One thing I felt lacking, though, was an in-house spa and massage centre. There are a number of spas in the area, but an in-house facility would have been much more convenient for guests.
Given that the property is just a short walk from the beach, I don’t think many guests – like me – had the pool in mind when they booked in this hotel. Nonetheless, although it wasn’t fancy, the swimming pool had quite few guests when I dropped by. As what a few folks were doing, the pool was a good place not just for a relaxing dip, but also for a good read. In a slight visual blight, one can see ongoing construction work at The Walk from the pool area, which is not quite a pleasant sight when you’re trying to relax.
I think what gives the hotel an edge over other hotels in the area is that it caters for families, with its expansive rooms and in-house and nearby amenities such as supermarkets, salons and a variety of restaurants. Bulcum, the hotel’s general manager, tells me these are the key advantages of the hotel. “Our biggest competitive edge is our wide variety of very spacious accommodation from superior rooms and deluxe studios to two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, loft suites and penthouse suites,” he says.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the hotel’s great F&B mix. There’s Fogueira, a Brazilian restaurant which offers a wide variety of authentic Brazilian dishes. I’ve never been to a Brazilian food joint before, so I have to say that my dinner experience was a great introduction to Brazilian cuisine. The star of night was the different kinds of grilled meat, which servers kept bringing to my plate until I had to cry “no mas!” I try to avoid meat as much as I can, but I guess simply have to look the other way when I visit this restaurant. (I’ll be doing a separate review of Fogueira Restaurant.)
Aside from the sumptuous dinner, the Samba dancers were the highlight of the night. A singing duo also performs Brazilian/Portuguese classics and a few Latin-infused pop numbers. It was definitely a treat as the Brazilian eatery was a lovely departure from the usual Asian, American, European and Middle Eastern fare in Dubai.
Later that night, we went to Sama Lounge to unwind and have small talk with friends, while gazing at the magnificent view from the 35th-floor terrace. In this lounge you can enjoy shisha and its menu consisting mainly of Arabic cuisine. The ambiance has an Arabic touch, with sofas that are low and comfy. Unfortunately, temperatures were still at uncomfortable levels when we visited, although to my surprise the place was still teeming with guests. I could only imagine how packed this joint would be during winter.
With some relatives and friends from another GCC country planning to visit me during winter, I have certainly shortlisted the hotel as a possible accommodation for my guests. The spacious rooms, the amenities, the beach, the easy access to the Metro and the Dubai Marina’s truly unique atmosphere are factors that are simply too good to ignore.
Furthermore, in terms of prices I think Ramada Plaza JBR is a very attractive choice compared to other hotels in the Dubai Marina area.
Overall, it was a very pleasing stay. The room was perfect for me. I had a great dinner at Fogueira Restaurant and dropped by at the Sama Lounge afterwards to enjoy the view. Furthermore, for someone who grew up enjoying the beach, having easy access to the coastline was icing on the cake.
