A popular Dubai destination, Madinat Jumeirah the Arabian Resort is a luxury location styled to pay homage to an ancient citadel. The resort boasts three boutique-style hotels with meandering waterways, seaside views and a traditional souk for an old-world experience, with all the luxury modern conveniences of an opulent resort.
Meaning ‘City of Jumeirah', Madinat Jumeirah is designed to reflect Dubai's heritage via a fantasy vision of ‘old Arabia'. Pastel stucco, Persian-style barjeels (windcatchers) and cobbled courtyards vie for attention against lush palms and greenery, as well as manmade Venetian-style canals complete with abras – traditional wooded boats.
The details of this city within a city are simply extraordinary and there's plenty to see and do in this charming hotel, shopping and entertainment complex.
The stylish boutique hotels of Mina A'Salam, Dar Al Masyaf and Al Qasr are definitely worth a look. Mina A'Salam is a grand boutique hotel with an expansive façade set on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, while Al Qasr, meaning ‘the palace', is designed to reflect a sheik's summer escape with ancient architectural styles.
The resort also contains the Arabian summer courtyard house-style rooms and suites of Dar Al Masyaf, and the secluded Malakiya Villas offering luxury hideaways each with an individual courtyard, terrace and pool. Fine dining and nightlife can be found at onsite resort restaurants and bars.
For visitors not staying at the resort, the main attractions are the Souk Madinat Jumeirah and the Abra Tour. The labyrinthine traditional Arabian souk is accessed through lantern-lit doorways to reveal small stalls of souvenirs such as carpets, jewellery, clothing, art, crafts and furniture as well as many restaurants, bars and cafes.
An Abra Tour, which is complementary for hotel guests and those with restaurant reservations, is $AED75 for adults and $AED40 per child. On the tour, you can traverse the four kilometres of waterways at the expansive complex by a traditional abra. Each tour is 20 minutes and runs daily from 4pm to 11pm.
