Hotel Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek

The Radisson Blu Creek is located on the bank of the Creek and is less than 20 minutes from the airport. The Union metro station is just a few minutes' walk away which is handy for getting around to the city's major sites such as the Creek area where the spice and textile souks can be found.

The Radisson is somewhat of a historic landmark in the city today as it first opened as an Intercontinental hotel in 1975 and was the first five star hotel to open its doors in the city. The hotel was taken over by the Radisson brand in 2006 and then became Radisson Blu in 2009. Ever since, the hotel has undergone refurbishments to maintain the style and quality of the property. Part of the Radisson Blu initiative was also to put wireless internet throughout the hotel, so today guests have free access even in the rooms, which is rare in Dubai, where the internet is still large accessed through a cable and is chargeable.

The services attached to the Club rooms are of extremely good quality and willchange your stay experience here. The rooms are more spacious and guests have VIP check in on the tenth floor with access to the beautiful VIP lounge where meals are served. The restaurant here has great views over the city.

The hotel is a large concrete block with windows and isn't much to look at, but inside there has been a good effort made to render the space pleasant to move around in. To the right of the entrance is the main lobby and reception area. The staff is very friendly and efficient here, as one would expect at a five star property. The lobby is very simply decorated, with marble floors and walls and some seating. The area is usually bustling with activity, especially at check-in time. The ceilings are fairly low which give the lobby a comfortable atmosphere that is not in the least imposing. To the left of the reception desks are the hotel's elevators going up to the rooms.

To the left of the entrance is the hotel's restaurant wing. The first is Boulevar, the main restaurant. Although this area looks like a shopping mall, the hotel has managed to create some intimacy for guests sitting at the tables by adding fancy glass and water features and fresh flowers.

On the roof is where the bulk of leisure unravels. A large space sitting above the main road lining the Creek, it can be a little noisy so make sure you take your Ipod/Mp3 player. The pool area is fairly large and has lots of space around it for lounging tourists. There are also tennis courts, squash courts, a basketball hoop, a gym and two massage rooms. The only thing missing is a spa.

The hotel has 276 rooms including 4 floors of club rooms. Although a city hotel, it attracts a mix of leisure and business guests. All rooms have a balcony (which open) overlooking the Creek, although you may need to crane your neck to get a glimpse of the Creek in the back corner rooms of the hotel. These rooms are on the small side as far as room sizes go in the city. The front-facing rooms are more spacious. All rooms have complimentary tea and coffee-making facilities and 24 hour room service for guests wanting to stay within the intimacy of their room. The rooms are all pretty much decorated in similar styles but the colour schemes vary between red and blue. The standard rooms tend to have touches of deep red and the club rooms are blue. Very well furnished, the rooms feel extremely comfortable as are the beds! All bathrooms have bath tubs and Anne Semonin amenities.

The restaurants are all located in one main wing of the hotel to the left of the entrance. The wing is separate as they are frequented by main out of house guests, so this gives in-house guests some privacy. The main restaurant is the Boulevar at the entrance of the shopping-centre like restaurant wing. Meals here are served in a buffet style and there is a very good variety - you might even get to try Camel milk at breakfast. Although this area has a shopping centre atmosphere, the hotel has managed to create some intimacy for guests sitting at the tables by adding fancy glass and water features and fresh flowers. There is also smart rattan furniture reinforcing an outdoor feel. This shopping centre area has three floors with around 10 outlets ranging from Japanese to Iranian where everything is prepared fresh and by local chefs of the country in question. All the restaurants are extremely well decorated and are greatly appreciated by a local clientele as well as in-house guests.