Dubai Transit Hotel Review – an Amazing Value
Mention the Maldives and images of pristine turquoise blue waters come to mind. Overwater bungalows with direct jump-in access to the water and romantic sunsets are commonplace in this island paradise.
While it’s on almost everyone’s wish list, getting there can be a challenge. Flights are often ridiculously expensive and once you DO get to the islands, a barrage of expensive hotels with overpriced meals await. Never mind the flight distance involved, those expensive factors are enough to turn some people off and have them looking for cheaper destinations.
Lonely Palm Tree
Getting to paradise and back doesn’t have to cost a fortune. We booked a ridiculous, normally unattainable luxury vacation valued at almost $46,000 for a grand total of $1,818… for two people!
Considering that’s usually the price of a regular coach class ticket to the Maldives, that’s one heck of a steal.
In the series of posts to follow, we’re going to walk you through all the experiences that we enjoyed on this trip. While most people would consider this once-in-a-lifetime, with just a little legwork and dedication you can have a luxury getaway to make Instagram followers drool with envy.
Our $46,000 vacation to the Maldives for only $1,818
- Part 1 – Introduction and Planning
- Part 2 – Flights to London and Hamilton
- Part 3 – Refined Luxury London’s St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
- Part 4a – The House Lounge, London Heathrow
- Part 4b – Etihad First Class Apartment LHR-AUH
- Part 4c – Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
- Part 4d – A340 Etihad to Male, Flight Review
- Part 5 – A day in the life of Male, Capital City
- Part 6 – St Regis Airport Lounge
- Part 7 – The St Regis Hotel Arrival Experience
- Part 8 – Overwater Villa, $3000/night for FREE
- Part 9 – Things to do at the St Regis Maldives
- Part 10 – Free Breakfast at the St Regis Maldives
- Part 11 – How to not go broke eating in the Maldives
- Part 12 – Snorkeling at the St Regis Maldives
- Part 13 – Male Airport VIP experience
- Part 13b – Male Leeli Airport Lounge
- Part 14 – Emirates First Class Male to Dubai
- Part 15 – Dubai Transit Hotel – Amazing Value
- Part 16 – Emirates First Class Dubai to Los Angeles
- Part 17 – Conclusion and Giveaway
Our flight from Male into Dubai in Emirates First Class landed around 8pm, and while there are dozens of flights out of Dubai at 1, 2, or even 3 am, why bother? That just means you’re exhausted when you get on the plane and miss half of the flight passed out!
You could book a hotel close to the airport but that comes with some unique challenges. You need to clear customs, you need to get your luggage, you need to get a cab, get to your hotel, and then rinse/repeat the same thing in the morning. It’s easily 3 hours of wasted time and stress.
If you’re transiting the airport and you can get your bags checked all the way through to your final destination, then the Dubai International Transit Hotel is the best option for you.
Dubai International Transit Hotel
How to find the Hotel
The saving grace in this whole ordeal is the greet upon arrival service that the hotel offers. As long as you contact the hotel with at least 36 hours notice, they will send a hotel representative to meet you at your gate with a sign and your name. When we got off the plane, a rep was there waiting for us to escort us to the hotel.
There’s a Dubai International Hotel in each terminal of the airport A, B, and C. Depending on where you arrive, you can book a room in any of those terminals. We were supposed to arrive in the C terminal and at the end we arrived in the B terminal. Our representative let us know that since we arrived in B, she would phone ahead to the hotel and get them to switch our reservation to the B terminal for no additional charge since we arrived there. Now that’s service.
There’s a bar in the hotel if you’re feeling thirsty.
The lobby wasn’t very exciting but then again, you’re in a transit hotel, so do you really care?
The Room
The room was surprisingly clean and modern, much more than I had expected when you’re the only game in town.
Upon entry the bathroom is immediately to your left.
There were two single beds with some of the fluffiest pillows I’ve ever had. The mattresses were so comfortable and the sheets crisp and clean.
Free bottled water and a coffee/tea service were in the room for your enjoyment.
The work desk by the window overlooks the Emirates Business Class lounge. That’s kinda creepy, because I can only imagine the things that could happen in a hotel room if someone from down below looked up.
The corner of the room indicated which direction was Mecca, and a prayer mat was included in the room if you need one.
The hotel does have a Spa (Timeless Spa) and you can get a 20% discount by being a member of the hotel. You can also have a 20% discount from the restaurant and bar , assuming that you didn’t want to go into the terminal for more interesting food.
Want some healthy options for snacking? If you called the hotel front desk they would deliver fresh fruit to your room, once again, at no charge. But please, allow 5-8 minutes for delivery 🙂
Channel One of the hotel room television was the departures board of the all the Emirates flights departing that terminal.
Checkout was a breeze, as the room was booked through hotels.com and paid for with our free night benefit, we didn’t have to pay for anything else. We just walked out of the hotel and headed straight for the airport lounge.
This is, without a doubt, the best transit hotel we’ve stayed in, and the best way to get through the Dubai airport without clearing customs and immigration. The hotel priced in at $159/night, and while I’m not sure if that’s high season or low season, the price was WELL worth the saved time and stress.
