With a panoramic view overlooking Dubai Creek, the Intercontinental Dubai Festival City is an attraction for tourists looking for accommodation that is close to everything. From Dubai International Airport, it will take 10 minutes to reach the hotel, which is located within a billion dollar project including the relatively recent Festival Centre.

There is nothing particularly special about the lobby design except for the warm atmosphere, but registration is done fast so you won’t spend much time there.

Elegant design
Contrary to that, rooms in the Intercontinental have a very elegant design with a combination of wooden, white and brown colours that complement the atmosphere given by the Creek view and the skyline outside.

Beds are made of light brown leather, facing a 42′ plasma TV screen, with CD, DVD and VCD connections. A dark brown round table is located to the right of the bed, designed to be used for dining and office use as well.

Loved the bathroom, which is almost half the size of the room. It includes a splash area and a wet zone incorporating a shower and free standing bathtub, with a large window in the middle of the wall, opening to the Creek and Marina walk.

Intercontinental club room that enabled us access to free internet, buffet breakfast and afternoon drinks and snacks between 6:00pm and 8:00pm in the club lounge located on the 26th floor. Free access to high speed broadband internet is also available in the room and in all public areas in the hotel as well.

Spread over 36 floors, the hotel contains 498 rooms, 121 suites, 3 presidential suites and a royal suite. All rooms have a waterfront view of Dubai Creek or the Festival Marina.

Multi-ethnic menu
Dining in is a multi-ethnic food experience. The all-day dining Anise is a 950sqm restaurant designed by Super Potato, with live cooking stations around the restaurant offering a wide variety of international meals.

Sushi lovers will have a date with the Japanese Edamame, which offers also traditional dishes including the Sashimi, Teppanyaki, Robatayaki, and Tempura.

Also, for an Arabic experience there is the Al Sultan Brahim Beirut, one of the most highly recognised sea food restaurants in Lebanon. Operating for the first time in Dubai, Al Sultan Brahim offers a variety of seafood on display, where the guests can choose their preferred kinds of fish and other foods to be cooked for them.

And if you’re looking for a relaxing evening, head towards The Eclipse Bar on the 26th floor, to enjoy the view of the harbour and city skyline over a soothing drink.

Spa indulgence
Spa Intercontinental is a luxury that you don’t want to miss. The spa atmosphere emits warmth from the moment you get in. Upon arrival, the receptionist will lead you to the waiting area where you will enjoy ginger and lemon tea, before the treatment starts.

The spa has 10 treatment rooms, in addition to a VIP spa with a private sauna and steam shower. Also available are two VIP massage rooms for couples.

Try – Jasmine Rosewood Body Pack, a two-phase body treatment that embraces scrubbing the body with a lemon detoxifier, after which the body is massaged by a mixture of creamy jasmine, rosewood and mango butter.

You can also go for more focused treatments such as the facial therapies that use the high-profile Natura Bisee products, the hand and foot care, or the one and a half hour massage therapies. Rates for these therapies vary according to the products used and duration, but it starts at Dhs200 and goes up to Dhs950.

Relaxation, however, doesn’t stop here as guests have the choice of visiting the 25 meter swimming pool overlooking Creek, a sun terrace and leisure garden, the gym, and a temperature controlled outdoor spa pool.

Business travellers will benefit from a meeting space of 3,800 sqm Event Centre across two levels of the hotel. The hotel is also prepared to provide additional meeting space that can be divided into eight break-out rooms catering to smaller VIP board meetings, up to a reception style banquet catering up to 1,800 guests