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Al-Ain Rotana

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HobWahid
HobWahid
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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al-Ain Rotana

  • October 26, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by HobWahid from Damascus, Syria
al-Ain Rotana

You can technically make al-Ain into a day trip from Dubai. What used to be a five-day camel ride is now just over an hour by car, depending on how you drive. If you want to cruise down there at 180kph like the Emiratis, then it’ll be a bit quicker. I made it in about an hour and a half going as fast as my Nissan Sunny rental could take me, which was about 130kph, 140 downhill. The road is well-paved, straight, and tree-lined. Most of it is a rather boring drive through the desert, but as you get closer to al-Ain, the desert comes a little more alive with seas of large iron red dunes dotted with palm trees. If you can hit this part of the drive around sunset, it is absolutely beautiful. However, if you really want to do al-Ain right, you should spend the night, and al-Ain has plenty of international luxury hotels that will make your stay extra comfortable. There of course are some cheap hotels, but these are seedier places, mainly for people from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, or other Arab countries, coming to visit relatives. Staying in one of these places could turn out to be a very uncomfortable experience, in more ways than one. Plus, you don’t come to the UAE for budget travel. You come to the UAE to live it up like you have never done before, so to not stay in one of the great hotels available would be a sin.

While in Abu Dhabi, I fell in love with the Rotana hotel chain, a Lebanese-Emirati hotel chain that has numerous hotels in the Middle East, so I elected to stay at the Rotana Hotel while in al-Ain, and I was not disappointed at all. It certainly wasn’t as grand as its cousin in Abu Dhabi, but they still managed to run an impressive hotel. The hotel is located just a bit out of the center of town, a walkable distance, but if you are like me and are there in August, you won’t want to be walking anywhere. If you have a car, they have a nice, shaded parking lot where you can stow it, so that it doesn’t get too hot. The hotel is designed in a sort of pyramid shape, with four floors, all overlooking the lobby. The rooms are fairly standard, with all the amenities you will need, including Internet, and all have balconies.

The hotel also has a bar and about five restaurants offering various selections. There is a Trader Vic’s, an Arab restaurant, and a buffet that changes daily. There is also a lovely pool and a small gym for your fitness needs. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. My room was about $150, which I was happy with, but this was also low season. All in all, it lived up to Rotana’s reputation, and I recommend it.

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