OK. Its a great hotel. But so it should be. But how does it match up against expectations ? Whose expectations? If this is your first time in a 5* hotel you will be bowled over. If this is your 5th time you will be impressed. If this is your 10th time you will be picky, and spot the flaws, but should still have a great time. So, what are the flaws ? The EP is big; but it is not a problem. Staff are good, but not as experienced as those in Dubai; butlers will unpack your cases very efficiently–not to be sniffed at as you head to the pool on your first morning after an overnight flight (we went straight to the room at 9am, and they were busy...). I also had a (lengthy) email correspondence with the Beach Club manger weeks before we arrived to find out the kids club and other details and to book an offshore fishing trip- he dealt with endless queries brilliantly. If however you are a fan of eg. the Dubai Ritz Carlton you might find the EP impersonal , and the service lacking. Pools are GREAT, with separate West and East complexes. Make sure you are put in the correct wing (West for kids, East for couples!). It is surprisingly child-friendly. The lazy river/slides (West pools) are v.v. good for a hotel (ok, its not the Wild Wadi, but 20 times better than the Shangri-La in Oman). Beach is miles wide and empty – but not aquamarine crystal clear Carribean/ SE Asian cove with beautiful vistas. This is a city hotel and you are in a lagoon/marina, albeit a big one. Hotel shops are poor (if there is a newsagent/tobacconist/sweet shop etc I couldn’t find it). Restaurants suffer from some lack of ambience, esp for families, and are pricey (every hotel usually has a “basic” dinner venue ie the one where you eat breakfast in! – but here it is US$80 per head (children US$40) for the evening buffet – not where you want to go with a family in the evening for a quick bite with 2 tired children and drop $240 plus drinks. As other reviewers say, head out to Rotana Beach (Prego, Benihana etc) and other hotels, and is good fun to go out anyway. Breakfast is OK, just about 5* but not 7* (eg not a patch on the JBH in Dubai). Rooms – basic Coral is great. We had (perhaps by chance) a good partial sea view, and they are BIG, good bathrooms, GREAT 50” plasmas, DVDs (take you own), good in-room IT which is not that hard to use as other reviewers say; great beds; sheets aren’t “scratchy” but good serious cotton; good balconies. Would I come back again ? Very probably. It perhaps depends on price. I paid c US$800-900 per room per night B&B (1 adult 2 children). This was over Easter, booking v. late. It was cheaper than the Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai, (which was the only alternative) and when booking was a no-brainer and I have NO regrets. Offer the JBH at the same price, and it is a harder choice. With children I would perhaps go with JBH because of the Wild Wadi etc etc; otherwise you cannot really fail at the EP. Well worth a try , and no cranes (not that they bother me much in Dubai). One final point, we flew Etihad cattle class from UK which was pretty good – food was poor, but great movies-on-demand and games entertainment.

super hotel and super service...prices are a bit saucy but you get what you pay for,,,breakfast buffet was amazing and staff could not do enough...massive hotel with alot of walking but pool and beach areas were spacious and well serviced

Do not be put off by the size of this hotel ,even when full its not crowded .Service is second to none ,facilities are great and oddly for such an imposing hotel it has a very relaxing atmosphere .Restaurants were very good bar the Persian,it all comes at a price but compared to the competition its worth it.

I guess everything has been alreday said/written about the Emirates Palace, reputedly the most expensive hotel ever built.

My family and I just spent 1 week at the hotel during our Easter hollydays and it was a fantastic experience. Actually, when booking our room, we thought that the Emirates Palace would be a kind of Las Vegas resort; it's definitely not. It's a somptuous oriental hotel full of tradition and respect for the local culture. Of course it's luxurious (and even more that that...) but stylish; nothing to do with the Burj in Dubai for example. Rooms are huge, elegant and beautifully appointed, bathrooms are even better. The hotel itself is huge; it took us 2 days to understand exactly where we were!

Maybe a point that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews is that the Emirates Palace is a fantastic hotel for families. Of course you have the pools, the beach, the camels, etc... More important, you have a full infrastructure to make this property a great place for kids. It starts with some presents (Barbies, beauty products, etc.) at the check-in and in the room. Then, all the restaurant are equiped to host childrens; menus for them are amazing...

All of this has a price and the Emirates Palace is not exactly cheap BUT compare to European standard, it's really good value for money if you compare the Palace to a 5 stars hotel in London or Paris for example.

Only downside of the hotel is the check-in and check-out; it took us 15 minutes to check-in and almost 30 minutes to do the check-out... At the reception, you have plenty of people offering you drinks, pastries, etc.; asking you if you need something, how was the trip, if it's your first stay at the Palalce... But, behind the counters the were only 2 persons really working which was fare unsufficient regarding the size of the hotel...