ThePassportPrincess

Stayed: October 2015 (4 nights)
Room: 1 Queen Bed + Bathroom
Overall Rating: 8/10

I stayed at the Ibis Dubai Mall of Emirates when I was in Dubai for 4 nights.
For my travels, I usually always stay in hostels so I can meet other people but I thought getting a hotel for the week would be a perfect way to relax and do my own thing.

The Ibis hotel is located in Al Barsha, literally a 3 minute walk to the Mall of the Emirates (where they have the indoor ski -field Ski Dubai) and a 5 minute walk to the metro station. If you’ve never been to Dubai before, don’t get The Mall of the Emirates mixed up with The Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall is 10x bigger with way more stores and even has it’s own Aquarium and Under-water zoo.

Getting There:
I booked a shuttle through my travel agent to get to the Hotel from the airport. It cost NZD$48 and they had someone meet me as soon as I got off the plane. However you can book a shuttle through the Hotel for NZD $60
It’s about a 20 minute drive away, otherwise you can take the Metro to Sharaf DG Metro Station and walk to the hotel (About a 7 minute walk)

Sometimes it’s just easier to take a shuttle or taxi when you’re in Dubai as the heat makes walking a little sweaty!

The Rooms:
The rooms have connecting/adjoining rooms, which you can request if you’re staying there with a bunch of people.
I was just staying by myself so had a nice size room with a Queen bed and a small bathroom.
If you’re staying as a couple I guess the rooms can be quite cramped, but to be honest it’s a cheaper hotel so you kind of get what you pay for.
The bathroom had a shower, sink and toilet. The towels were changed daily by the house-keeping staff and they provided a small hair-drier, little toiletries and free bottled water.

Each room has a small LCD TV which was quite handy for watching The Rugby World Cup. The rooms are sound-proof, they have a desk in them if you’re in Dubai for business and they also provide free wi-fi and parking.

The Hotel:
They have a restaurant downstairs serving up a buffet breakfast every morning and a bar to have a couple of drinks.
Unfortunately I’m a big sleep-iner even when I’m on holiday so I missed the breakfast every morning. I can’t review how their restaurant is, but if you’ve been there than let me know! I was always tempted to stay for dinner but I kept reminding myself I was in Dubai so I had to go out and explore other options.
They have room service 24/7 which is always handy if you’re wanting a midnight snack.

Overall:
I actually really enjoyed my stay here. The staff were very lovely and helpful. When they saw I had a late flight on my last day, they offered to give me a late check-out for free and kept my bags secure for me until I departed.
My room had air conditioning which was perfect for the Dubai heat I was struggling through and the staff were always really friendly.
I think the location was perfect for anyone who was heading to Dubai for the shopping. Like I said earlier, the mall is literally just down the road and so you can go back and forth to drop your shopping off as you please.
I also took advantage of the hop on/hop off bus when I was in Dubai which has the mall as one of their stops.

It’s not a super fancy hotel but it defiantly has a cool funky feel to it. The rooms are clean and the Ibis Chain always has a good reputation.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay that isn’t too expensive than i’d defiantly recommend Hotel Ibis Mall of the Emirates. However if you’re looking for somewhere really flash in Dubai, I’d look at somewhere like Raffles Dubai for about NZD $500 a night haha.