Arabian Nights...And Gourmet Days

Raadia Mukadam checks out Le Meridien, Dubai

What are the chances of finding a business hotel in the heart of the central business district in Dubai with 15 restaurants and bars under one roof! I am talking about Le Meridien Dubai – far more than an airport hotel and not just a business hotel but a truly multifaceted property geared to meet your every requirement, whether business, leisure or entertainment .

While location and F&B would definitely qualify as the two USPs of this property, the hotel does not rest on these alone to satisfy its customers. No stone is left unturned to meet every need of guests and your visit is facilitated from the time of arrival with their meet-and-assist service at Dubai International Airport. Transfers naturally are complimentary, and if you’re a Royal Club guest, it’s the limousine service all the way.

Situated a stone’s throw from Dubai International Airport, the property is 15-30 minutes away from the commercial districts and shopping centres of Dubai (depending on the traffic). This hotel does not conform to the general mould of towering facades and luminous edifices like most Dubai hotels, instead the low rise structure sprawls over 38 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens. While champagne is customarily served on arrival, the check-in formalities are fairly brisk. If you are on a weekend stay you can enjoy a late check out until 3 pm.

The hotel has 383 elegantly furnished bedrooms and suites, including a choice of 19 suites and the exclusive Royal Club, which offers butler service. The rooms are spacious and well equipped to meet the needs of a business traveller with features like in-room Internet access and 24-hour room and laundry service.

The property is a good venue to hold business meetings and conferences of all hues since it offers a variety of room sizes, seating arrangements and decor, accommodating from 12 to 1200 people. Poolside lawn and terrace areas can cater for functions up to 800 people but they are not the best bet in the summer. The conferencing facilities come with modern equipment to back them up. Projectors, state-of-the-art sound systems and lighting are all readily available, even at short notice.

With 15 restaurants and bars, the food at Le Meridien Dubai caters to almost every palate from across the world. Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, Italian, Thai, Mexican, French, Irish, Mediterranean, Spanish, Continental and Asian cuisine are all on offer. ‘Sukhothai’ and ‘Casa Mia’ serve authentic Thai and Italian cuisine and can be a good venue to entertain business associates. For a Lebanese feast, there is the ‘Al Mijana’ which has, besides the extensive a la carte menu, also set menus for those who are not very well versed in Lebanese cuisine. For ’fishy people’, the ‘Seafood Market’, with its shark fin delicacies, is irresistible. And ‘Long Yin’, despite its modest ambience, is definitely the finest Chinese restaurant in Dubai today.

Having feasted at the restaurants in the property, if you want to ‘work out’ those calories, there is the Le Mirage Sports and Health Club with its floodlit tennis courts, two squash courts, two temperature controlled outdoor swimming pools.