by Dubai is designed to keep children happy. Family-friendly hotels include mini-check-in desks, nurseries and kids’ clubs, dedicated children’s menus and no-curfew restaurants for youngsters, spa treatments for little ones and big-ticket facilities that extend well beyond basic playgrounds . The best water parks are directly connected to hotels. Hit the slides at Aquaventure at Atlantis, The Palm, Wild Wadi at Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Jungle Bay at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.
Most of Dubai’s other family attractions are within easy reach, rarely more than a 30-minute taxi drive away. The kids will feel like all their Christmases have come at once at the Ski Dubai, an indoor snow park with an 85-metre slope and chair lift, and KidZania lets them role-play in a miniature version of the world, as a whole. supermarket, petrol station and medical centre. Other theme parks were created around comic book heroes, cartoon characters, tree rope courses and Lego building blocks. These are the best family hotels in Dubai.
How we review
Each hotel on this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, and is usually hosted on a free basis. They stay for at least one night, test at least one meal and try other experiences the hotel may have.
At a glance, the best family hotels in Dubai
A glorious child must have seen what might be seen as an eyesore to the adult eye: the red brick face of Atlantis on top of Disney’s fairy tale tower, its iconic central arch suggesting gateways to mythical realms; inside, every detail seems exaggerated. There are shops selling toys, art, perfumes, clothes, jewelery and souvenirs, and guests get free access to Aquaventure water park and The Lost Chambers Aquarium. With so many guests losing themselves along the way, the perpetually polite staff must feel like they’re forever herding cats, but they never show it. Apart from Disneyland, there is probably no more magical choice for children, and all family facilities and services are available.
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One of the original beach hotels in Dubai – cleverly designed so that every room has sea and Burj views – it offers guests complimentary access to Wild Wadi Water Park, the amazing fun zone next door (where a waterfall flows 18 meters every 10 minutes), and there are water sports. , tennis and squash courts, and a climbing wall. It’s an easy and relaxing place for children: the children’s club is a large building with various play areas that escape the sun and is open (free of charge) from 8am to 8pm (for guests aged two to 12). Families may prefer to stay in garden rooms on the ground floor, with kitchenettes, and child-safe locks on the sliding doors.
This affordable, all-inclusive beach retreat is family-oriented with a kids’ club, playground and small water park to keep the kids busy. For adults, there is a spa, gym and a selection of bars, including two swim-up options and one with a terrace overlooking the coast. With a tag on arrival, guests must wear their armbands at all times to access the all-inclusive facilities. It’s a bit like a festival, except with buffet restaurants instead of food trucks, and the live bands are probably ABBA tribute acts.
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With a series of low-rise buildings set amongst gardens with streams, waterfalls and a pride of peacocks, this resort feels incredibly tranquil. Each room can accommodate two adults and two children under 16. There are two shaded children’s pools, a kids’ club (four to 11 years) and a teenage club and a camel ride. For even more action, guests can choose Wibit’s inflatable water park, donut rides and water sports. Adults can try the challenging nine-hole golf course, which has hosted the likes of Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo.
This Polynesian-themed family resort – a bit quirky in the Emirates, but stylishly done nonetheless – is located within walking distance of Dubai’s theme park complex (Motiongate, Legoland and Bollywood Parks), and the buildings located around a lagoon style. pools and a lazy river. There are two children’s clubs for different ages with climbing walls and activities such as henna painting, while parents can escape to the spa which offers massages and traditional hammam treatments. Interconnecting rooms, cots and rollaway beds make for a comfortable stay for all ages and family-friendly events include a Friday brunch.
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This palatial property has neoclassical architecture, desert tones and sophisticated interiors, but despite its grandeur it is social and pleasant, as well as family friendly. There is a Jungle Bay water park with looping slides and a wave pool, a shaded children’s pool and a huge kids’ club (free for children over the age of four). Playground and daily activities include soft archery, sensory games and face painting. For little people, there are high chairs and children’s menus in the restaurants; cots, bottle warmers, sterilizers and baby bath facilities in rooms; and babysitting services. The resort has its own water sports center for water skiing, windsurfing and windsurfing.
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This family resort is located in the heart of the huge Madinat Jumeirah complex, arranged around Venetian-style waterways and a private stretch of beach. Sinbad’s Kids Club offers playgrounds and pools with activities such as face painting and crafts, restaurants cater to younger guests with children’s menus and high chairs, and cots and interconnecting rooms can be arranged. Free unlimited access to Wild Wadi Water Park next door and tours around the resort on the abras will keep boredom at bay. The Mall of the Emirates is also 10 minutes away (which has a quirky indoor ski slope).
• The best all-inclusive Dubai hotels
Rixos may lack the architectural pizzazz typical of many of The Palms hotels but it scores big for its great kids’ club (not to mention an authentic Turkish hammam and great restaurants). There are two outdoor pools, a separate children’s pool, motorized and non-motorized water sports, basketball and tennis courts, and staff members are friendly and attentive without being overbearing. While parents indulge in treatment with products from spa brand Alissi Brontë, younger guests enjoy a full schedule of activities. The hotel is one of the few properties in Dubai to offer all-inclusive packages.
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Occupying one of Dubai’s most sought-after stretches of sand, this sprawling low-end property boasts eight restaurants and six pools – a week is hardly long enough to experience. Two of the pools are for families, and two others are reserved for children only; if the splash gets old, the Ritz Kids club offers a program of daily activities and a dedicated playroom. Some of the accommodation interconnects, there are free cots for babies up to two years old and a rollaway bed can be provided. Dubai Marina, with its mall, zipwire and yacht-lined waters, is within a few blocks.
Contributions by Lara Brunt & Jenny Johnson
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