We arrived in Dubai airport, checked-out and then expected a driver from the hotel to pick us up. My wife and I, together with our baby, had to then ask someone at a kiosk for help, who was very kind to call the hotel, who unfortunately said the pick was not on their computer system. We then took a local taxi, whose advice not to take private or hotel taxis were very helpful as it saved us from overpaying for transport during our stay.

Upon hearing our ordeal, we were offered a Suite which consisted of two TVs and a separate living room with very comfortable sofas. The following day we requested a Superior room in case they forget and we get charged for the Suite! We didnt get the fruit basket till next day but it was merely a bowl, nothing like a hamper or even a basket. The fruits were good though! We requested a cot which we got upon request. The ensuite was clean but the shower in the bath didnt work properly. The towels and bedsheets were changed everyday and room cleaned as usual.

Room service was excellent, so was the breakfast, dinner and tea we occassionally ordered. We got a lot of pleasure out of get these services so didnt hesitate to give the staff tip everytime we needed something. We kept forgeting to buy washing liquid to clean our baby's bottles so we kept ordering it through room service which cost us lots of tips which also felt good.

The staff were very friendly, excellent throughout including the doormen at the entrance who always helped us get taxis and give advice where to go. The receptionists were superb. The best thing about the hotel was its close proximity to the Gold Souk, great Indian restaurants, Museum and currency exchange bureaus who offered very good rates for £! I am glad we took local taxis to visit places like Jumeirah which felt great. On our last day we hired a local taxi for the whole day to give us a tour of places we hadnt visited and it only cost us 350 dhirams which is only £50. You'd be lucky to reach central London from Heathrow with this amount by a black cab?!

Although we missed most breakfasts, the few that we did eat were very pleasant an experience and in gastronomy. The breakfast buffet here is better than most five star hotels in Spain except that it finishes at 10.30am so if you wake up late due to a late night out you have to take advantage of the all the great restaurants nearby which are very reasonably priced.

The only thing I wasnt happy with was the pricing of designer goods in department stores. They vary little in comparison to prices in London. But shopping is best experienced in diamond selling jewellers where you pay less than what one would for gold! Great to see harmony between people of so many races. Not happy at all seeing some British tourists behaving uncourteously with people, eg not giving tips and giving up a taxi for a family with a baby.