“There you go sir!” says Jackie, my private butler who hands over two boxes of dates and chocolates after learning 15 minutes earlier that I had already scoffed my welcome treats. “Just let me know when you would like your private tour of the hotel and I’ll happily take you around,” she finishes, after offering to unpack and press my belongings. It’s the little personal touches that make getaways memorable and Habtoor Palace Dubai makes a big impression.
I am calling the hotel’s King Diplomatic Suite home for the evening; an 80-square-metre expansive room on the fifth floor. The aforementioned devoured chocolates await in the living room, where a snug sofa and corduroy-clad lounge chairs beckon for a lazy afternoon in front of a vast TV.
In the bedroom, a mustard-coloured chaise lounge sits at the foot of an enormous bed that envelops me when I settle in for the evening to watch a movie on the suite’s other wide-screen TV. There is another lounge chair in the corner that makes a perfect auxiliary wardrobe, but the highlight is the huge, French-styled, 19th-century-esque desk from where even Napoleon himself would enjoy writing letters to his beloved Josephine – all that’s needed is parchment and quill.
The marble bathroom is double vanity, ensuring no fights over sink time, with a spacious rainfall shower and a freestanding bathtub perfect for a book and a glass of wine come evening-time. Especially when Acqua di Parma and Ecoopeal products are thrown into the mix, striking the balance of luxury and eco-friendly.
My stomach murmurs, which signals dinner time. You can spend an evening at World Cut Steakhouse, with its dark woods, lashings of leather, a prohibition speakeasy vibe and a menu filled with seafood and steak or take advantage of Dubai’s dreamy spring weather at the open-air and flower-strewn Le Patio, with its Middle Eastern bites and shisha under the stars. When you’re ready to head inside, a nightcap could – and should – be enjoyed at The Polo Bar, a refined New York-inspired sports bar, where every corner pays homage to the sport of kings, and bartenders shake up a storm for your chosen cocktail. I sip a Red Stallion, which comes highly-recommended and draws inspiration from ‘the traveller’. Every nook of this bar is different, with cigar connoisseurs enjoying leather sofas beside the fireplace and people-watchers preferring long velvet sofas next to a bronze stallion’s head.
After a rather excellent night’s sleep in the contemporary confines of the King Diplomatic Suite, I head to breakfast at BQ French Kitchen & Bar, which arguably has the prettiest interiors in town. Plush green banquettes frame the dining room, with its monochrome chequered floor, marble table tops and elegant white wing-back chairs. It’s all fresh coffee and fresh pastries for me, as I soak up its buzzy European bistro vibes. With breakfast done, an old friend gently appears: “Hello Mr. Cassidy, are you ready for the tour?”
Jackie escorts me up to the crème de la crème of the hotel’s suite collection – the Sir Winston Churchill and the Bentley Suite. The former sleeps up to 10 across its three regal bedrooms and features 15 artworks of the former British Prime Minister, a formal 12-seater dining area, study, lounge, majlis and a rooftop plunge pool. In a more contemporary comparison, the Bentley Suite is the first hotel venue designed in tandem with the luxury car manufacturer in the UAE and features a one-bedroom suite, a dining area for 10, and a living area that is full of Bentley memorabilia throughout the years.
When the tour concludes, I continue on and take myself outside for a stroll around the neighbourhood. Thanks to its central location, you can walk along the banks of the Dubai Canal, or hop in a taxi for a short drive to some of Dubai’s best-known landmarks, like Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountains, Dubai Mall and The Museum of the Future. The hotel is also interconnected to its sister properties – V Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton and Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City – where more restaurants, pools and entertainment await, including an exhilarating and immersive theatre experience at La Perle by Dragone.
I spend the rest of my time flitting between rooftop pool, the massage tables of Silk Spa and that incredibly comfy sofa in my suite. It would seem rude not to indulge when staying somewhere like this. A final offer from Jackie to repack my belongings, a seamless check out and a friendly adieu from a doorman in rather dashing coat tails, and I’m sadly on my way. “We hope to see you again soon,” he says, as my car pulls into the valet. I don’t doubt him for a second…
STAY:
WHAT: King Diplomat Suite
WHERE: Habtoor Palace Dubai
TEL: + 971 4 435 5544
www.habtoorpalace.com