Review: Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa

It's a comfortable hotel with plenty of facilities and restaurants to choose from, as well as a 24 hour business centre and internet access in every room. Not all have wired access though - we stayed in a room with a wireless connection and while fine for general surfing, the connection was not always strong enough for Voice over IP calls, such as via Windows Live Messenger or Skype.

Sign up for the internet was a little confusing the first time - the hotel could certainly do more to make it obvious, and it would take very little effort on their part. Sign in requires not just your name, password and room number but also your guest id, which required a call to the front desk to ask what it is.

Internet access costs Dhs25 an hour, with a three-hour option for Dhs60 and 24 hours for Dhs100. This is a little pricey, especially considering so many cafes in Dubai offer free wireless access, but you are paying for the privilege of surfing the net from the comfort of your room.

The bed, like our large room, was comfortable. The bathroom was well equipped, although it was not possible to adjust the shower head in our room, as it was slightly broken.

Food and drink

There's a good variety of restaurants to choose from. If a pub atmosphere and multiple screens showing different sports attracts, then head to the Underground Bar. Prices are reasonable, particularly for the food. Portions were big and the quality was acceptable.

There's also an Italian next to the pool and if lunch or an early meal is required, head to the open-air Al Manara. Next to the beach, it offers a casual, cafe experience. The only downside is that it stops taking food orders at about 5pm, which is a shame because it would be a great location to watch the sun set and enjoy their tasty dishes. If you just fancy a quick drink, it's still open past 5pm, but it shuts not long after.

Should you fancy a more up-market experience, there is hotel's signature The 25th restaurant, located, as the name suggests, on the 25th floor of the hotel.

The hotel is easy to reach from Dubai airport - a taxi should cost under Dhs100 and take about 30 minutes, depending on time of day. It is close to some of the free zones, such as Internet City and Media City, but if your business is nearer to the airport end of town, its location is less suitable.

Kick back on the beach

Being next to a private beach, it should have been easy to kick back and relax during downtime. And sometimes it was, be that by the swimming pool or on the beach, where there was a plentiful supply of parasols and loungers to lie back on.

Sadly though, the Habtoor Grand is currently in the middle of a building zone. The roads approaching the hotel have ongoing major construction, which you can't hear once inside the hotel, but it does make for an underwhelming initial impression.

Next to the beach are additional works and any thoughts of idly letting your mind drift while laying in the sun, listening to the sea's waves gently crash against the shoreline would instead be regularly interrupted by the industrial noise of lorries reversing and rocks crashing to the ground from their rear loaders .

This was a shame in an otherwise pleasant stay in a well-laid out, well-located, comfortable hotel.

See also: Review: Radisson SAS, Dubai Media City