The welcome
Up a sloping driveway on Jumeirah Beach Road, not far from Al Safa Park, the new Four Seasons, a sand-coloured Arabian low-rise, sits unassumingly behind the curvaceous, gardened tiers of the restaurant complex that houses Dubai’s latest scene-pullers Coya and Provocateur. On a busy Thursday afternoon, it takes more than a minute for the valets in baseball caps to acknowledge my waiting car, but once spotted, I’m sorted. The woman who checks me in guides me down a majestic marble-arched hall to my room. My bags arrive soon after.
The neighbourhood
Near to Jumeirah Beach Park, this is as close to pedestrian culture as a five-star Dubai hotel gets. For a weekend stay, the hotel is a neighbourhood in itself, fun to wander as it’s full of design treats for Instagramming, from arty flower arrangements to the flame-lit Fireball sculpture at the end of the beach’s long lawn. It hurts to leave this place.
The room
My spacious deluxe room is decorated in muted beige and grey/blue tones, and equipped with a Nespresso machine and a Geneva sound system, a minibar positioned cleverly at eye level and a walk-in wardrobe off the marble foyer. The bed and bathrobes are so sumptuous they inspire you to linger. The marble bathroom is a stunner for the mosaic tile wall framing a modern soaker tub. There’s a roomy rain shower should you forgo the bath (don’t) and a TV behind the mirror. The custom Etro products thoughtfully include after-sun cream.
The scene
Well-dressed couples seem to predominate over families and a few solo travellers, from the region and beyond. But other than a few ultra-glam Europeans in the Mercury Lounge, the rooftop bar with wow-inducing views of the cityscape on one side and the water on the other, I’m too wrapped up in my own pampering to notice others.
The service
Friendly but not overfamiliar; efficient in almost all parts, and when it’s not, the slight hesitation seems trained towards achieving better. When the woman on the phone can’t explain exactly how to access the room-service menu, which is, oddly, on the television, she calls right back to offer an answer.
The food
The international buffet breakfast at Suq stands out for quality and presentation: fresh juice concoctions (such as spinach, watermelon and arugula) at the fruit bar; fresh pitta dotted with sesame seeds at the bakery bar; and honeycomb at the cereal bar. Sea Fu, the beachside restaurant, puts an inventive spin on seafood, such as the sea bass crudo with charred avocado (Dh105).
Loved
The hourly “surprises” (such as a sunglass-cleaning) at the outdoor pools, which have service buttons next to the loungers. The indoor pool, lined by Roman columns under a glass ceiling. The Pearl Spa’s heated floor and “experience” shower, with its alternating lights and sound effects, like a tropical rainstorm disco.
Hated
Dubai’s omnipresent construction on the port side of the hotel took the shine off the room’s ample balcony; luckily soundproofing kept the noise from being an issue inside.
The verdict
In a city that expects it all, the Four Seasons is bringing it. If there’s one hotel I’d choose to splash out on here, this is it.
The bottom line
Rooms at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach (www.fourseasons.com/dubaijb; 04 270 7777) cost from Dh1,262 per night, including taxes and Wi-Fi.
mgannon@thenational.ae
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