Gulf Star Hotel 2 * (Dubai): description of rooms, hotel infrastructure, reviews

The capital of the UAE, the modern metropolis of Dubai, is not only one of the most sought after business centers in the world, but also an excellent resort for a respectable holiday. Vacation in this "oil paradise" a priori is considered a prestigious and comfortable, but quite expensive journey. Essentially, you can save by staying in one of the relatively cheap Dubai hotels that have a two-star rating. A striking example of an inexpensive metropolitan hotel with a decent level of comfort and service is certainly the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *. Reviews of Russian tourists are quite unanimous - the hotel in all respects favorably differs from the usual "twos" of popular resorts in Egypt, Greece and other areas.

general information

The inexpensive Gulf Star Hotel 2 * (Dubai) is located in the urban area of Deira, just 10-15 minutes drive from Dubai's major international airport. The four-story hotel building, equipped with an elevator, was built in 2000. For the guests there are 52 rooms. The last restoration took place in 2014.

Settlement in Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is made at 2 pm, check-out at noon. When booking, please note that all apartments are divided into non-smoking and smoking rooms. Also there are zones specially designed for smoking.

When booking a room, the cost of the tour together with the payment of the stay includes: a flight Moscow-Dubai, the cost of a return flight, medical insurance, a transfer (transportation by hotel transport from / to the airport), meals (at the choice of the guest).

Infrastructure

In the reviews, tourists often note the convenient location of the hotel in relation to Dubai's city and transport facilities. The hotel is close to the metro station, taxi stop. Near the hotel there are shops and shopping centers, restaurants and snack bars of any price category, including the local McDonald's. The only thing that most vacationers were dissatisfied with is the pollution and permanent construction work in the area where the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is located.

The hotel infrastructure includes:

• 24-hour reception, lobby.
• Restaurant, bar, banquet hall.
• Parking for vehicles.
• Doctor's office.
• Safe, storage room.
• Laundry (self-service mode).
• Exchange office.
• Bureau of excursions.
• Places for smoking.
• Beauty saloon.
• Shops, including grocery supermarket.

It is worth noting that the hotel does not have a swimming pool. However, guests can use the free pool located nearby, in another hotel belonging to the Gulf Star network.

Rooms in the hotel: description and reviews

What kind of apartment Gulf Star Hotel 2 * offers? Description of the rooms can be easily found in the booklets of Russian travel agencies. The hotel has two types of rooms:

• Standard, designed to accommodate 2-3 guests with a total area of about 24 m².
• Family three-room on 40 m² for 4-5 guests.

Each of the 52 rooms has the following:

• Sleeping place for two or three guests.
• Bathroom (bath, toilet, boiler).
• Air conditioning.
• Fridge.
• Iron.
• Safe.
• TV (satellite dish).
• Slippers for guests.

The rooms are daily brought with bottled drinking water, hygienic detergents, kits for tea and coffee. What are the pros and cons of living in the rooms of Gulf Star Hotel 2 * tell Russian tourists, leaving feedback about this hotel? Let's consider them:

• When you check into a hotel and for each day of stay, a small tax is levied on the guests (this is a common practice in all hotels in Dubai). To date, the amount of tax for one night is 10 Dhs (slightly less than 175 rubles).
• The rooms are quite comfortable, not close. Furniture, bedding, appliances and everything else - new, in excellent condition.
• Cleaning in the rooms is done qualitatively, on request (you need to hang a sign on the door). Towels and bed linen are changed every day, hygiene products (shampoo, soap and others) are given out in sufficient quantity.
• Good sound insulation in the rooms. It is worth noting that this is a great rarity in many Asian hotels with a rating of "two stars".
• To use the electrical outlet, you need a device - an adapter (from the euro outlet to the Russian one). You can bring the adapter with you, but guests can get it for free at the reception.
• Guests who live in rooms with windows on the roadway, every day at half past five, can wake up the service in a nearby mosque.

Food

Dining at the hotel can be paid additionally when booking rooms. It can be a choice of breakfast + dinner or only breakfast. Additionally, the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * has a restaurant and a bar. About the food in the hotel tell the following:

• Breakfast, as well as dinner, is organized in the hotel according to the principle of "buffet". Food in the hotel restaurant is not prepared, but brought from the kitchen of another hotel. When this or that dish ends, the assortment either does not replenish, or it is necessary to wait, while additional portions will bring.
• The opinions on the diversity and the number of dishes offered for breakfast and dinner vary considerably. Someone responds positively to the menu, calling breakfast in the hotel good, especially compared to the food in the "two-star" hotels in Europe. However, many guests call the food in the hotel "meager" and "monotonous", advised to give up additional expenses and eat in the nearest cafes and restaurants.
• Most often for breakfast are served sausages, vegetable salads, croissants, tortillas, juices and fruits, scrambled eggs, hot drinks. For dinner: fish, seafood, meat, rice, pasta.
• Dinner at the hotel is served from 13-00 to 15-00, breakfasts are from 8-00 to 10-00.

In addition to hotel catering, the hotel has a grocery supermarket with a decent range. In addition, in the Deira area there is no shortage of restaurants and cafes of different price categories, where tourists can be offered both local cuisine and more familiar dishes of European countries.

Service and staff

The good work of hotel employees, according to Russian tourists, is a big plus for Gulf Star Hotel 2 *. Service in the hotel is like almost all the guests. Employees of the hotel are often described as attentive, executive, smiling and extremely polite people. The overwhelming number of hotel employees are Indians. Find a Russian-speaking or at least understand the Russian language staff is impossible, the main languages of communication with guests - English, Arabic, Hindi.

It is worth noting excellent sanitary conditions and high quality of cleaning in rooms and on site. The staff really manages to do their work unobtrusively, without disturbing the guests. Tipping employees are polite, but at the level of the service, "monetary gratitude" is practically not reflected.

Conditions for families with children

Not the most cozy and safe area of Dubai, in which the Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is located, and the daily morning prayer for prayer in the neighboring mosque are two reasons why the hotel is not recommended for living with young children. But for those who still decided to move into the hotel with the whole family, the staff can provide the following services:

• Extra bed for a child (free of charge for children up to two years old).
• There are children's chairs in the hotel restaurant.

No "children's" menu, nor hourly babysitting services at Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is provided. Nevertheless, to come to the capital city of the UAE with the child is at least for the sake of urban entertainment. Children and parents will certainly be very interested in spending a day in the largest Middle East park called Wonderland, visiting a free tasting at the Candylicious store, where confectionery products from all over the world are gathered, and visiting the fabulous world of the seafarer Sinbad at the water park " Wild Wadi.

Paid services

What will you need to pay in addition at the Gulf Star Hotel 2 *?

• Extra bed in a room for a child over two years old (payable daily).
• Organization of trips and excursions in the travel agency on the hotel territory.
• Delivery of products, press.
• Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. On most sites of tour operators it is stated that it is possible to use the network for free, but tourists warn that it is not quite so. In fact, to use the Internet you will need to pay a small fee per day at the reception.
• Transfer.

Entertainment, active rest

The choice of entertainment in the hotel is small: in the evenings a night disco is organized for guests. For sports, there is a free gym, but in reviews it is rarely mentioned.

The main entertainment, of course, is beach rest and excursions, but also lovers of nightlife in Dubai will like it. Despite the status of a Muslim state, the capital city of the UAE can offer its guests opportunities for shopping or entertainment not less than, for example, St. Petersburg or Moscow. Dubai does not "fall asleep" even at night: numerous bars on the coast work almost until the morning. There are a lot of discos and night clubs in the city, from small establishments with democratic prices to the mega-popular Club Garage, known for its original design and incendiary show program.

To experience the unique oriental atmosphere of the city, you can go shopping for one of the unique city markets or visit the famous Dubai shopping centers. You can start right in the Deira area, where the hotel is located. Here is the largest in Asia Spice Market and the Gold market with jewelry at affordable prices. Near the Deira area you can visit the colorful Karama Bazaar - a colossal market of oriental goods, electronics and copies of the most famous brands of shoes and clothing. Inexpensive souvenirs in Deira are sold in the outlets of Day To Day.

Beach holidays

To the great disappointment of many Russian travelers, there is no beach near the hotel. In addition, Gulf Star Hotel 2 * is quite far from the sea coast, so to lie on the beach, you have to use transport.

For the convenience of the guests, the hotel itself organizes a bus trip to the paid city beach of Al Mamzar. The flight schedule: from 9-00 to 12-30, but many vacationers preferred to stay on the beach for a longer time, and later return to the hotel by taxi. In general, the beach of Al Mamzar created a favorable impression with its cleanliness and infrastructure. Many liked the park of the same name, adjacent to the beach, where, in addition to a number of places for outdoor activities, there is a large swimming pool.

In addition, Russian tourists often recommend another beach in the city - Jumeirah Beach. This, in fact, the whole area, which includes a multi-kilometer equipped beach area, respectable hotels, bars, restaurants and a luxury park with a complex of water attractions, children's playgrounds, swimming pools.

Speaking about the beaches of Dubai, it should be noted that in this capital of the Muslim state there is a division into "male" and "female" days for visiting the beach. For example, on Wednesday in the park and on the territory of Al Mamzar men and boys are not allowed to be older than 8 years.

Excursions

What excursions are recommended first of all for guests of Gulf Star Hotel 2 *? Dubai is a city built on the site of the desert. It simply amazes with the number of cultural and architectural objects that are worth exploring during the vacation. It is best to do this with a professional guide, having bought a great sightseeing tour of this city. But to independently explore the sights of Dubai, using the services of a taxi or subway, will be no less interesting. For free movement around the city, it is enough to buy a guide and purchase a silver transport card giving the right to travel by public transport, including the metro.

Here are just a small part of the "miracles" that can be seen in the capital of the UAE:

• Singing fountain in the square in front of the skyscraper "Burj Dubai".
• The world's largest marine aquarium with a capacity of 10 million liters. A huge structure of durable glass is located in the building of the shopping center DubaiMoll. A trip to the giant aquarium is an excellent opportunity to see near the representatives of more than 14,000 species of marine fauna. In addition, they offer to dive with an instructor or without, to "tickle the nerves," swimming next to the sharks. Above the aquarium is available for visiting the zoo with a large serpentarium and penguinarium. There is also the Marine Research Center.
• Tower "Burj Khalifa" with a viewing platform AtTheTop. Entrance tickets will need to be purchased in advance, 1-2 days before the visit, because there are always a lot of tourists who want to see Dubai from the height of 124 floors. Two floors below the visitors are the tallest restaurant in Dubai - Atmosphfera.
• Flower Park "Garden of Miracles" (DubaiMiracleGarden).

Of course, this is not a complete list of sights of the capital of the UAE. In addition, local tour operators often offer to buy one-day excursions or fascinating sea walks.