Review: the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah hotel

This is an update on the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah following my brief return visit.

I was in Dubai for 36 hours this week, a trip which was heavily disrupted by the Curve / Amex news breaking.  I will run a few lounge and flight reviews next week, but as Saturday is always a quiet day on HFP I thought I’d do a couple of hotel updates too.

My schedule had me landing at 11.30pm and leaving at 9.30am 34 hours later.  This wasn’t great from a hotel point of view as I would need to pay for two nights without getting much benefit from it.

After much prevarication, I decided to do one night at Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah for 80,000 Hilton Honors points, try to get a late check-out to allow me to enjoy the resort and then spend the final evening somewhere cheaper.

The Waldorf Astoria had three things going for it:

I have stayed there before, so I wouldn’t be wasting my (very limited) time finding my way around

I would get free breakfast as a Hilton Honors Diamond

As a Diamond I am due some sort of late check-out, although it is not guaranteed.  As it happened, my request for 3pm was met without any trouble.  I could possibly have got later but I didn’t want to risk getting caught in the evening traffic.

My full 2018 review of Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah is here, so I won’t repeat myself.  If you want to see pictures of the pool etc then go the review from last February.  In general, it has a decent beach (but with buildings fairly close to you across the water), decent restaurants and very high quality rooms.

What was different this time is that I was given a h-u-g-e suite on the first floor.  This had the added advantage of being in the centre of the building and not stuck out in one of the wings like last time:

and

…. plus a bathroom:

…. with a shower which could take six people happily:

It was just a shame I was leaving 15 hours after checking in.  My only gripe was the coffee machine, which was the cheapest possible Nespresso domestic version.  The hotel didn’t give you genuine Nespresso capsules either.  It was a weird bit of penny pinching given that the room was full of Ferragamo toiletries, fruit and a special delivery of free red velvet cupcakes!

The staff were very pleasant and on the ball and I felt they had upped their game.  Unlike last year my room was not full of marketing material for property developments being undertaken by the hotel owner.  The only problem I have, apart from the long drive to get off The Palm, is that the desalination plant and electricity substation next door are not exactly attractive.  The beach also faces buildings on the other side of The Palm, not open water.

It’s not Madinat Jumeirah, by a long way, but it remains a classy beach resort and a good use of Hilton Honors points.

At 3pm I jumped in an Uber and headed over to Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights which was a) fairly new, b) cheap on points and c) by the airport.  Part 2 of this hotel update – click here – reviews the Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights.

For my full 2018 review of Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, click here.  The official hotel website is here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (September 2023)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: The sign-up bonus on the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard is doubled to 30,000 Virgin Points (45,000 Hilton Honors points) if you apply by 2nd October. You receive 15,000 Virgin Points with your first purchase and a further 15,000 Virgin Points if you spend £3,000 within 90 days. Apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)