Hotel The Address Dubai Marina

The hotel is located in the Dubai Marina area, which is an up-and-coming area, where construction has just started up again, so don't be surprised to see half-built skyscrapers among the finished towers. There isn't much to do in the immediate surroundings of most hotels, but this hotel is connected to the small Dubai Marina Mall and is close to the marina, where it is very pleasant to stroll at the water's edge and stop at one of the area's coffee shops. Downtown Dubai is about 20 minutes away by car and Jumeirah beach is also a 20 minute car journey (quicker without traffic).

The Address Dubai Marina is part of The Address hotel group, which also includes The Address Montgomerie, The Address Downtown, The Address Dubai Mall and The Palace-The Old Town. Every hotel has its own distinctive character.

The hotel opened in 2009 and has been very well maintained since its opening. With its 200 rooms, the hotel actually looks a lot bigger than it actually is. Inside, the enormous open-plan lobby gives the hotel a shopping centre aspect, which continues throughout the hotel. The main restaurant is on the ground floor to the right of the entrance. The lobby bar is straight ahead when you come through the entrance. In terms of facilities, the hotel has it all: spa (book in advance especially at weekends), gym (open 24 hours and free for guest use) and four restaurants. The main restaurant is Mazina, on the ground floor. The spa includes steam and sauna rooms, but guests can only use these if they are having a treatment. All three meals are served in a buffet style. Shades is the poolside restaurant, open throughout the day until 6:00pm. Blends, you'll find on the wellbeing mezzanine floor, is more of a bar and cigar lounge open in the evenings until late. Last but not least is Kambaa, the hotel lobby lounge, which serves drinks and snacks throughout the day until 5:00pm. The highlight of the hotel however, is its freeform infinity-edged roof-top swimming pool, which is one of the biggest pools in the city. At night, the area really comes alive with a shisha lounge (until midnight) and bar. Mostly quiet, you won't find that you will be disturbed by huge crowds up here, despite the size of the pool. On the 4th floor is the business centre, which is also where you will find the club room category.

Otherwise the hotel is extremely stylish and if you like your bling, this is a good choice. There is a good portion of business clientele but since the hotel's opening, it has been welcoming a larger fraction of leisure guests.

There are 200 rooms split into deluxe, grand, premier, tower and presidential suite. All the rooms are found on the upper floors and boast great views of the surrounding skyscrapers and marina. When the area will be finished, the views will be even more stupefying, but as the area was on standby during the financial crisis, when we visited (April 2011), there were still quite a few building 'skeletons', which may not be everyone's cup of tea when it comes to the view. All rooms have the expected mod-cons, including iPod docking stations, complimentary Wi-Fi access, flat-screen televisions, mini-bar, complimentary tea and coffee making facilities, and a pillow menu by Muelhdorfer. The rooms are extremely comfortable and stylish, although unlike the rest of the hotel, they are not in a minimalist style. Marked by a Middle-Eastern influenc, the heavy carpets and chunky furniture, are not unpleasant. There is lots of storage space for clothes and other belongings for guests staying longer than a weekend. The one disadvantage of the rooms is the complex lighting system, which we struggled to understand come bedtime! Switching off the lights was a nightmare. The bathrooms are extremely well-appointed. Most have bathtubs and a separate shower. The marble bathrooms are stocked with Aveda toiletries. The highlight is the bathtubs facing the view over the marina, which makes for a relaxing soak after a long day's sightseeing. The hotel is entirely non-smoking (rooms here do not have balconies) and the hotel is very strict about its non-smoking policy.

The hotel has a good range of food and beverage outlets, including: Mazina, the main restaurant, Shades, the poolside bar, Blends, the evening lounge and Kambaa, the lobby lounge. Having a good range of bars and restaurants at the hotel you are staying at is important when in Dubai, as hotels are often located far from main clusters of activity, meaning that you have to drive everywhere. Mazina serves buffets at all three meals. We were impressed by the range of choice on offer and by the quality of the food, especially at breakfast. The restaurant itself is stylish yet simple, bright and colourful. It is also fairly spacious so guests don't have to queue for a table on busy mornings. It serves an variety of specialities from all four corners of the globe. For something a little quicker, there is the lobby lounge or the poolside bar, Shades, both of which are open until 5:00pm and 6:00pm respectively. Shades then turns into a shisha bar and closes at midnight every night. Blends bar, on the mezzanine floor, is open until 2:00am in the week and 3:00am at the weekends. The bar is popular with hotel guests. Blends has some quality brands of spirits and champagnes as well as vintage and limited edition Cuban and American cigars from custom-made humidors. For guests wanting to eat within the privacy of their own room, there is 24-hour room service.