For our first visit to Dubai in January, we chose to stay at the Sofitel Hotel on the famous Palm Jumeirah. There are hundreds of hotels to choose from, and it can be duanting trying to find the right hotel to stay in. I knew that I wanted to stay on The Palm in a fairly low rise hotel, and the Sofitel ticked all the boxes. As we were going to Dubai for my 50th birthday, we upgraded our room to a Prestige Suite, which included the Premier Club Lounge at Sofitel Dubai the Palm.
Our Prestige Suite was located on the 4th floor, and it certainly had the WOW factor when you walked in. Beyond the double doors which led out to the balcony, we had the most amazing view of The Palm, and beyond that the skyline of Dubai. The suite was the biggest room I have ever stayed in, with a circular bath taking center stage in the bathroom.
The Premier Club Lounge is located on the ground floor in the main building, and access to the lounge was from 6.30am until 8pm when we visited.
Breakfast served from 6.30am – 11.00am
Afternoon tea from 2pm – 4pm
Apero Chic (canapes and free flowing drinks) from 5pm till 7pm
All other times the lounge was open for complimentary hot and cold drinks. We paid an extra £510 to upgrade to our suite, and to have access to the Premier Lounge, and it worked out an extra £127.50 per night for the two of us. Considering a can of pepsi was £7.49 in hotel restauarants, and cocktails were £15 upwards, I definitely think we got our monies worth from the lounge access.
Every day we ate breakfast on the outside terrace in the Premier Lounge, taking in the early morning sunshine. Breakfast was plentiful, and you could order freshly made eggs and omelettes to go with your cooked breakfast. As Dubai is a Muslim country, don’t expect pork sausages and bacon to be served at breakfast. Beef bacon and chicken sausages were served daily at the buffet breakfast in the lounge.
We of course made use of the Apero Chic, where complimentary alcohol was served such as beer, wine, spirits and cocktails, for 2 hours every evening. The lounge was the perfect place to enjoy our pre-dinner drinks, and the staff were amazing, making sure our glasses were always full, or the next cocktail was made before we had finished the one we were drinking.
During the day from 2pm till 4pm, afternoon tea was served, and I was really impressed with what was on offer. As well as sandwiches, scones and cakes, there were salads, cold meats, mini dumplings, cheese and crackers to snack on during the afternoon.
The staff also made me feel very special on my 50th birthday, by presenting me with a cake and singing happy birthday to me.
We loved our stay, and we have already booked to go back again later this year. And of course we have booked the Premier Club Lounge at Sofitel Dubai the Palm, I can’t wait for our second visit.
How did you pull yourself away? Looks amazing x
It was hard to leave after the 2 hours of cocktails each evening. So glad we upgraded as it made the holiday even more special x
Hi. What were the dress code requirements for Afternoon Tea? As I’d expect to be coming straight from the pool area, so wanted to know if I would need to go up to the room to change. Many thanks, Nitin
As it is served in the afternoon there were people dressed in pool attire but with cover ups over their swimming costume. Hope that helps Tracey
Hi, in the premier lounge are cans of soft drinks etc available, and can they be taken out of the lounge to the pool? Also what snacks are available during the day other than afternoon tea etc.
Thank you
Hi Ruth the soft drinks were served in glasses rather than in cans in the lounge. We had our drinks in the lounge rather than taking them around the pool. I think there were things such as fruit, bread rolls and a few other snacky items outside of the times when afternoon tea was served during the day. In the evening there were sandwiches and cheese and crackers laid out. Hope that helps Tracey
Do you know whether children could access the lounge after 5pm with parents wanting a cocktail?
Yes children can access the lounge after 5pm if you are staying in a suite with Premier Lounge Access. There were no restrictions for families with children.