The capital of the UAE, the modern metropolis of Dubai, is not only one of the most popular business centers in the world, but also an excellent resort for a respectable vacation. Holidays in this "oil paradise" are a priori considered a prestigious and comfortable, but quite expensive trip. Significant savings can be made if you stay in one of the relatively inexpensive Dubai hotels with a two-star rating. A striking example of an inexpensive metropolitan hotel with a decent level of comfort and service, of course, is the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *. Reviews of Russian tourists are rather unanimous - the hotel in all respects compares favorably with the usual “twos” of popular resorts in Egypt, Greece and other destinations.
general information
The inexpensive Gulf Star Hotel 2 * hotel (Dubai) is located in the urban area of Deira, just a 10-15 minute drive from Dubai's major international airport. The four-story hotel building, equipped with an elevator, was built in 2000. For guests there are 52 rooms available. The last restoration took place in 2014.
Check-in at the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is made at 14 hours, payment at check-out is at noon. When booking, please note that all apartments are divided into non-smoking and smoking rooms. There are also areas specially designated for smoking.
When booking a room, the price of the tour together with payment for accommodation includes: the flight Moscow-Dubai, the cost of the return flight, medical insurance, transfer (transportation by hotel transport from / to the airport), meals (at the guest’s choice).
Infrastructure
In reviews, tourists often note the convenient location of the hotel relative to the city and transport facilities of Dubai. The hotel is located near the metro station, taxi stops. Near the hotel there are shops and shopping centers, restaurants and eateries of any price category, including the local McDonald's. The only thing most vacationers were unhappy with was pollution and constant construction work in the area where the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is located.
The hotel infrastructure includes:
- 24-hour reception, lobby.
- Restaurant, bar, banquet hall.
- Parking for vehicles.
- Doctor's office.
- Safe, luggage storage.
- Laundry (self-service mode).
- Exchange office.
- Organization of excursions.
- Smoking area.
- Beauty saloon.
- Shops, including a grocery supermarket.
It is worth noting that the hotel does not have a pool. However, guests can use the free nearby pool at another Gulf Star hotel.
Hotel rooms: description and reviews
What apartments does the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * offer for accommodation? Room descriptions can easily be found in the booklets of Russian travel agencies. The hotel has two types of rooms:
- The standard, designed to accommodate 2-3 guests with a total area of about 24 m².
- Family three-room room of 40 m² for 4-5 guests.
Each of the 52 rooms has the following:
- Sleeping place for two or three guests.
- Bathroom (bath, toilet, boiler).
- Air conditioning.
- Refrigerator.
- Iron.
- Safe.
- TV (satellite dish).
- Slippers for guests.
Bottled drinking water, hygienic detergents, tea and coffee sets are brought to the rooms daily. What are the pros and cons of staying in rooms of the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * are told by Russian tourists leaving reviews about this hotel? Let's look at them:
- When checking into the hotel and for each day of stay, a small tax is charged from guests (this is a common practice in all hotels in Dubai). To date, the amount of tax for one night is 10 dirhams (a little less than 175 rubles).
- The rooms are quite comfortable, not cramped. Furniture, bedding, appliances and everything else - new, in excellent condition.
- Room cleaning is carried out efficiently, on demand (you need to hang a sign on the door). Towels and bed linen are changed every day, hygiene products (shampoo, soap, etc.) are given in sufficient quantities.
- Good soundproofing in the rooms. It is worth noting that this is very rare in many Asian hotels with a rating of two stars.
- To use an electrical outlet, you need a device - an adapter (from a Euro outlet to a Russian one). You can bring the adapter with you, but guests can also get it for free at the reception.
- Guests staying in rooms with windows on the roadway can be awakened daily at half past five by the start of service in a nearby mosque.
Nutrition
Meals at the hotel can be paid extra when booking rooms. It can be a choice of breakfast + dinner or breakfast only. Additionally work in the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * restaurant and bar. The following is said about food in a hotel:
- Breakfast, as well as dinner, is organized in the hotel on the basis of the "buffet". Food in the hotel restaurant itself is not prepared, but brought from the kitchen of another hotel. When this or that dish ends, the assortment is either not replenished, or you have to wait until additional portions are brought.
- Opinions vary widely on the variety and number of dishes offered for breakfast and dinner. Someone speaks positively of the menu, calling the breakfasts in the hotel good, especially compared to meals in the "two-star" hotels in Europe. However, many guests call the hotel food “meager” and “monotonous,” they advise you to refuse additional costs and eat at nearby cafes and restaurants.
- Most often, sausages, vegetable salads, croissants, tortillas, juices and fruits, scrambled eggs, hot drinks are served for breakfast. For dinner: fish, seafood, meat, rice, pasta.
- Dinner at the hotel is served from 13-00 to 15-00, breakfast - from 8-00 to 10-00.
In addition to hotel meals, the hotel has a grocery supermarket with a decent assortment. In addition, in the Deira area there is no shortage of restaurants and cafes of various price categories, where tourists can be offered both local cuisine and more familiar dishes of European countries.
Service and staff
The good work of the hotel employees, according to Russian tourists, is a big plus for the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *. Service at the hotel like almost all guests. Hotel staff are often described as attentive, executive, smiling and extremely polite people. The vast majority of hotel workers are Indians. It is impossible to find a Russian-speaking employee, or at least one who understands the Russian language, the main languages of communication with guests are English, Arabic, Hindi.
It is worth noting the excellent sanitary conditions and the high quality of cleaning in the rooms and on the hotel premises. The staff really manages to do their work unobtrusively without disturbing the guests. Tipping employees take politely, but at the service level, "monetary gratitude" is practically not reflected.
Conditions for relaxing with children
Not the most comfortable and safe district of Dubai, where the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is located, and the daily morning prayer call at a nearby mosque are two reasons why the hotel is not recommended for living with small children. But for those who still decided to check into the hotel as a family, the staff can provide the following services:
- Extra bed for a child (free for children up to two years).
- The hotel restaurant has child seats.
Neither the "children's" menu, nor the services of an hourly nanny are provided for in the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *. Nevertheless, to come to the capital city of the UAE with a child is at least for the sake of urban entertainment. Children and parents will surely be very interested in spending the day in the largest Middle Eastern park called Wonderland, visiting a free tasting in the Candylicious store, which contains confectionery from all over the world, and visiting the fabulous world of the navigator Sinbad - in the water park “ Wild River ”(Wild Wadi).
Paid services
What do you need to pay extra at the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *?
- Extra bed in a room for a child over two years of age (paid by the day).
- Organization of trips and excursions at a travel agency on site.
- Delivery of products, press.
- Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. On most sites of tour operators it is stated that you can use the network for free, but tourists warn that this is not entirely true. In fact, to use the Internet, you will need to pay a small fee at the reception every day.
- Transfer.
Entertainment, outdoor activities
The choice of entertainment in the hotel itself is small: in the evenings, a night disco is held for guests. There is a free gym for sports, but it is rarely mentioned in reviews.
The main attractions, of course, are beach vacations and excursions, but nightlife lovers in Dubai will love it too. Despite the status of a Muslim state, the capital city of the UAE can offer its guests opportunities for shopping or entertainment no less than, for example, St. Petersburg or Moscow. Dubai does not “fall asleep” even at night: numerous bars on the coast are open almost until the morning. The city has many discos and nightclubs, from small establishments with affordable prices to the mega-popular Club Garage, famous for its original design and an incendiary show program.
To experience the unique oriental atmosphere of the city, you can go shopping in one of the unique city markets or visit the famous Dubai shopping centers. You can start right in the Deira area where the hotel is located. Here is the largest spice market in Asia and the Gold Market with jewelry at affordable prices. Not far from the Deira area you can visit the colorful Karam Bazaar - a huge market for oriental goods, electronics and copies of the most famous brands of shoes and clothes. Cheap souvenirs in Deira are sold at Day To Day outlets.
Beach vacation
To the great disappointment of many Russian travelers, the hotel does not have its own beach. In addition, the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is quite far from the sea coast, so you have to use transport to lie on the beach.
For the convenience of guests, the hotel organizes a bus trip to the paid city beach of Al Mamzar. Flight schedule: from 9-00 to 12-30, but many vacationers preferred to stay on the beach longer, and later return to the hotel by taxi. In general, Al Mamzar beach created a favorable impression with its cleanliness and infrastructure. Many liked the eponymous park adjacent to the beach, where, in addition to a number of places for outdoor activities, there is a large pool.
In addition, Russian tourists often recommend another beach in the city - Jumeirah Beach. This is, in fact, a whole area, including a multi-kilometer equipped beach area, respectable hotels, bars, restaurants and a luxurious park with a complex of water attractions, children's playgrounds, swimming pools.
Speaking about the beaches of Dubai, it should be noted that in this capital of the Muslim state, there is a division into "male" and "female" days for visiting the beach. For example, on Wednesday, men and boys over 8 years old are not allowed into the park and into the territory of Al Mamzar.
Excursions
What excursions are primarily recommended for guests of the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *? Dubai is a city built on a desert site. It simply amazes with the number of cultural and architectural objects that are worth exploring during your vacation. It is best to do this with a professional guide by buying a great sightseeing tour of this city. But to independently explore the sights of Dubai, using the services of a taxi or the subway, will be no less interesting. For free movement around the city, it is enough to buy a guidebook and purchase a silver transport card, which gives the right to travel by public transport, including the metro.
Here are just a small part of the "miracles" that can be seen in the capital of the UAE:
- The singing fountain in the square in front of the Burj Dubai skyscraper.
- The world's largest marine aquarium with a volume of 10 million liters. A huge building made of durable glass is located in the building of the DubaiMoll shopping center. A trip to the giant aquarium is a great opportunity to see more than 14,000 species of marine fauna near representatives. In addition, they suggest diving with or without an instructor in order to “tickle the nerves” while swimming next to sharks. Above the aquarium, a zoo with large serpentarium and a penguinarium is accessible for visiting. The Marine Research Center is also located there.
- Burj Khalifa tower with AtTheTop observation deck. Entrance tickets will need to be bought in advance, 1-2 days before the visit, because there are always a lot of tourists who want to see Dubai from a height of 124 floors. Two floors below welcomes visitors to the highest restaurant in Dubai - Atmosphfera.
- Flower Park "Garden of Miracles" (Dubai Miracle Garden).
Of course, this is not a complete list of attractions of the capital of the UAE. In addition, local tour operators often offer to buy day trips or exciting boat trips.