Jumeirah Al Qasr

Al Qasr holds a deeply special place in our hearts. It’s where we got married back in 2017, just before leaving Dubai for Asia. Returning now, after years away, felt like coming full circle—this wasn’t just a stay, it was something personal. Despite a few unfortunate incidents, the emotion, the memories, and the sheer beauty of the experience still deserve nothing less than a 5-star rating. From the moment you step onto the grounds, the grandeur of Jumeirah Al Qasr is undeniable. Time hasn’t diminished its charm. The sweeping ocean views, tranquil pools, and rich Arabian décor still have the power to transport you—to slow you down, to quiet your mind, and to remind you what true relaxation feels like. High tea at Al Fayrooz was nothing short of exceptional. The staff were warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming—but one person truly stood out. Mr. Kelloros, you didn’t just serve us—you elevated our entire experience. Your energy, attentiveness, and care made us feel seen and valued. Quite frankly, the hotel would benefit from more people like you in guest-facing leadership roles. Please PROMOTE HIM TO HEAD of front office. Breakfast was an experience in itself—an expansive spread catering to every possible taste. It’s not something you can fully describe; it’s something you have to experience. Our dinner at Pad Thai was equally memorable. The food was authentic, vibrant, and beautifully executed. Sabida, your passion and attentiveness didn’t go unnoticed. Thank you for guiding us through the menu and making the evening so enjoyable. The rooms remain timeless—elegant, clean, and full of character. And the wider property? Simply breathtaking. Every pathway, every pool, every corner feels intentionally designed to immerse you in its Arabian identity. It’s impossible not to fall under its spell. We even booked two separate 3-day stays within two weeks—and we’re already looking forward to returning again. That said, there are a few points that cannot be overlooked. Check-in was unnecessarily frustrating. We had booked a club room, only to find the club lounge closed. What made it worse was the lack of transparency and the time it took to resolve. There was also inconsistency in service—no welcome drink, while others received one. We were given room keys despite a known system failure, only to walk back down after discovering they didn’t work. At this point the reception told us it was an issue all day, so if thats the case why werent we told from the beginning? This could—and should—have been handled far better. What followed was even more disappointing. A guest relations representative escorted us back to the room but showed no sense of hospitality—walking ahead without engagement, offering no explanation, and responding dismissively to basic questions. He simply opnened the door, straight face, no explanation ot anything. So we asked what about the key? He said u need to go back down to reception. Ok when? When it starts working. When will that be? Im not sure. It was genuinely surprising to learn he was part of the guest relations team. Zero guest relation skills shown. At Mina Al Salam, the experience was equally concerning. When asking about a buggy after a gym session, I was met with a noticeably different tone compared to another guest just before me. The interaction felt dismissive and unnecessarily interrogative. This is not the level of respect one expects from a brand of this calibre. This individual Jayakumar spoke to me like i was some trash off the street “you stay here? Your name?” Then pointed down the stairs. A similar incident occurred with valet staff on my next session at the gym. where I was completely ignored in favour of other guests, despite clearly seeking assistance. Being overlooked and then abruptly dismissed was both frustrating and disappointing. These moments stood in stark contrast to the excellence displayed by the food and beverage team. To close—Al Qasr remains a place of beauty, nostalgia, and world-class potential. But it’s clear that the front office and guest-facing operational teams could learn a great deal from the warmth, professionalism, and care consistently demonstrated by the F&B staff. They are the true custodians of the brand’s promise. Read less

It's hugely disappointing to find so little of praise for a hotel I saw grow from the sand. The original idea was to create a Palace at which everyone was welcomed as a guest of the Emir. What it has become is a mechanised, cookie-cutter of a Hilton, with the reception crew financially invented for the upsell. I had paid extra for an Ocean view room, but whan I arrived the room partially faced a wall and partially faced a tower of another building. When I asked about the ocean view they had sold, I was told that the room pointed in the direction of the ocean, even of it couldn't be seen. It took 47 minutes waiting in reception and viewing equally terrible rooms before a manager appeared who, armed with a post it note and biro, started to haggle on the price of an upgrade. I said that I had booked an ocean view room so would like an ocean view. That wasn't possible, he said, but for more than double what I had paid I could have a room with an ocean view! Dubai is full of high quality hotels with exceptional service, and it's a shame that the one named after a Palace is more like Pensione. Read less

Forget to add review after I saw Facebook some 1 post their review so I thought worth to add here to see if anything have been done or nothing. Last year Aug we stay for 5 night. My little daughter age 8 can't swim so she walk round the pool n cut her feet twice The tiles there were missing really sharp corner. Usually the floors should be fully tiles but many are.missing as they knew but leave it n not doing anything to.make it feel.smooth corner n leave it sharp corner as they did remove the broke tiles earlier n never put new tiles due to possible not enough money to buy new tiles. This was big children pool front of kids club . I even take lot photos n send email but seem forget about them n never got reply which is odd like its ok no need reply. So the holiday was ruin cos she cant go pool for 4 days there waste cos pain on her both feets twice cut. I even walk n find it really rough floor not smooth to walk so how could the hotel allow this people wear arm band n no touch floor n wont get hurt anyway no 1 complaint. So now im wonder have u al qasr put fully tiles on children pool or never been doing anything since aug leave it as it is. Then we won't make a visit u again sorry we cant force my kids to walk until they know how to swim n avoid touch the floor. I wish the adult go in pool n walk with kids carry then feel rough n sharp then they will complaint not just me. Read less

Having taken a second annual trip to this hotel it confirms that first time round was not simply bad luck, the reception desk is at best incompetent or at worst attempting fraud in conjunction with the onsite restaurants. On arrival a credit card was placed on file for the room which is to be expected. Then throughout the week items are charged to the room and signed for at each location, in the hope you will then be able to validate these charges to your squiggle and the copies you keep for yourself. Last year was little short of chaos when trying to checkout (due to errors with reception) so over 24hrs ahead of time we requested a copy of the room invoice. Once produced most items were correct however a whole evening meal for two was on the invoice (interestingly for a night we had eaten as usual in our large group at the same restaurant and that bill was on one of the other rooms as expected). When I asked to see a copy of the bill in question it had all of the items and value, but no room details, name or signature. Despite producing the copy of the bill for our larger group which had no duplicate items from this other bill on it, the reception wanted to investigate. An hour later they were unable to source the original bill so and I quote "As a gesture of good will we will remove it". So essentially accused me of trying to steal from them despite it obviously not being our second meal within two hours and having a total lack of evidence to associate it with our room. I think the phrasing they were grasping for was "We are terribly sorry for the mix up and have removed the charge for you". BEWARE when giving out your room number and name, as there is nothing anyone does to validate a charge being put on your room by simply knowing the name and number associated with it, you will then be the one accused of theft no matter how obviously ridiculous that is and without any sort of proof it was you. Invoice adjusted I go to settle the balance from the deposit taken on arrival. Oh we can't do that as we have already charged that card... Yes that's right, they have incorrectly allocated our credit card to another room and then without hesitation charged above and beyond the hold to the card. While this was also then refunded and resolved, I have some serious concerns about the controls and processes in place. This is not a bargain hotel where you would expect standards might not be perfect at all times. Given the hefty price tag per night and excess markup on items i.e. just shy of 32 AED for a can of coke zero you can buy for 2 AED at the Souk next door (which is not cheap either, this excessive markup practice I also understand is actually illegal in Dubai and so the Hotel should probably consider its position), you do somewhat expect the service to be of a much better and accurate standard. I can but hope this is just a demonstration of poor training and leadership, rather than the other more unappealing possibility that something more sinister was occurring. Its also worth noting I got off lightly compared to the double charge for different values on my brother in laws card and the fiasco for my Father in law. Either way, not somewhere I could recommend or would return to. If you do brave it, then have your wits about you and check everything!!! Read less