Hotel Grosvenor House

A five minute drive will take you to Jumeirah beach, and the hotel is some 13 mi from the city centre and 16 mi from the airport. It will take you about half an hour to get to Deira, and around the same time to reach the airport. Incidentally, a canal running from the huge artificial marina, between the hotel and the sea, is currently being built.

Any facility that is unavailable at Grosvenor House can be found at the Royal Méridien. It only takes 5 minutes to get there thanks to the (free) shuttle service available for hotel guests. At the Royal Mériden, guests of Grosvenor House can leave their children to play around in the children's club, enjoy a day at the resort's beautiful beach, or even play a game of tennis. There is also a conference centre.

Thanks to its location at the end of a blind alley, the entrance of Grosvenor House remains undisturbed by traffic. There are over ten cars awaiting your arrival in front of this 44-floor building that was finished in June 2005. The reception area is built over two separate levels: the first is where the concierges, valets and porters congregate, and the second is the more impressive reception area which can be reached via a flight of steps or the escalator. Its architecture is not only elegant but extremely geometrical, mixing high ceilings with brown and black colours brightened up by tones of cream and orange. At night time it makes for a superb setting, with all the lit candles and huge bouquets of orange roses, and you will not be able to resist the comfort of its large sofas. On the first floor, you will find the relaxation area, with an outdoor lagoon swimming-pool surrounded by numerous comfy, yellow raffia deckchairs. With its elegant combination of blue and yellow tones, it is the perfect, wind-sheltered place to enjoy the view over the artificial marina. A forest of cranes and skyscrapers, however, is mirrored in the window bays of the hotel, so for the moment, silence is definitely not the key asset. This is a real pity as otherwise the place is very enjoyable, with its poolside bar, wooden decks, view, etc. Sports lovers can also train on state-of-the-art fitness machines while enjoying the panoramic view through bay windows. The spa centre is divided into two parts (one for women and the other for men) and each includes 5 treatment rooms. The relaxation room offers heated deckchairs and, for once, the hairdresser's is definitely worth a visit! Once through the big doors, ladies are welcomed by hairdresser-hostesses in a place made up to look like the inside of an aircraft. Men are not allowed here, but they have access to a far more masculine universe. On the 44th floor, privileged guests can go to the lounge club that faces the 'Champagne bar' to admire the view and enjoy the various facilities on offer.

Half of the 422 rooms of the hotel are apartments that look out onto the marina, and the other half are standard 410 sq ft rooms and suites with a view of the sea in the distance. The rooms are very elegant, yet simple, and their cream-coloured interior decor and quality bedding make for a very comfortable and restful setting. All the rooms include dark furniture of good quality, a couple of paintings, large leather seats and a sofa. Large bay windows provide generous lighting to the rooms and some of the rooms have balconies. As far as amenities are concerned, there is an enormous flat-screen television with numerous channels facing the King-size bed, there is also individual and quiet air-conditioning, a minibar with tea and coffee-making facilities (free), a phone and a cable Internet connection. The dark brown bathroom is of standard size, but it is very elegantly decorated: there are two light fixtures on top of a huge mirror that hangs above a sink built into the brown marble bathroom cabinet. All have a bathtub with a separate shower, chequered floor, small cove with a toilet, a hair-dryer, a well-furnished set of Bulgari hospitality products, electronic scales, dressing-gowns and slippers. Room-service and a butler are available upon request 24/7.

There are no less than 12 restaurants and bars at the Grosvenor. At the 'Indego' gourmet restaurant, you will have the privilege of tasting delicious dishes prepared by Vineet Bhatia, one of the best Indian chefs in the world. He is the only Indian chef to have been awarded the prestigious '3AA Rosettes' in the past 6 years and he oversees other restaurants in Mauritius, Los Angeles and Moscow. The menu is varied (one doesn't know what to choose!), the service is impeccable, the restaurant's interior is stunning with bronze statues and little coves separating different areas, and the wine list is elaborate: everything you have ever dreamed of! Another one of the Grosvenor's jewels is the 'Rhodes Mezzanine', which is run by award-winning chef Gary Rhodes. His menu offers English cuisine with French influences, which you will discover in a very enjoyable and trendy neo-Baroque setting with colourful plexiglas walls. There is also a tasting option in the menu to offer you the possibility of trying a little bit of everything. Wine lovers will be won over by the list of wines from 10 different countries, while others will appreciate the choice of delicious, aesthetic cocktails. As for the Ottoman restaurant, it offers a modern version of Turkish recipes and a very warm atmosphere. Guests are also invited to eat at the 'Sloane' where they can try out the international buffets, open from 6:00am till 11:00am, from 12:30pm till 3:30pm and from 7:00pm till 11:30pm. After those hours you can always have a snack, from 11:30pm till 6:00am. A number of catering stalls in front of the open kitchens offer a variety of carefully presented foods from India, Italy (the pizzas are baked in front of you), Asia, the Middle-East, etc. You can also choose from a wide variety of salads. In the highly popular and chic 'Champagne' bar situated on the top floor, guests can enjoy a wide choice of 44 types of champagne and an array of cocktails. Seated in cream-coloured chairs on a brown wall-to-wall carpet with a cream-coloured bubble pattern, they can listen to the guest musician and the pianist every evening. The very famous Buddha Bar from Paris has also opened its doors here. It is long and narrow with high ceilings and an impressively big Buddha to keep a watchful eye on the place. It is very popular with guests and its elaborate atmosphere and Asian cuisine enjoy pride of place. If you still feel that there isn't enough choice, there are another 14 bars and restaurants at the Royal Mériden.