My partner and I stayed here for 3 nights in early September 2007 as a stopover between the Far East and the UK.

The hotel is well positioned in the old part of Dubai, and faces the Dubai Museum. The museum itself provided us with a fascinating couple of hours for the tiny price of 3 dirhams each. It’s also walking distance (less than 5 minutes) to Dubai Creek. You can get the ferry across the creek for 1 dirham each, and that places you well for the Spice Souk, the Gold Souk and some of the smaller shopping malls. We also paid 50 dirhams for a private cruise up and down the creek, which was also very interesting but in a temperature of over 40 C half an hour was plenty.

The hotel is in an interesting building, and inside is very atmospheric. Unfortunately the kind of restrictions on smoking that now prevail in Europe and elsewhere have not taken hold in Dubai yet, and there is a general lingering smell of tobacco smoke everywhere, but that’s not unusual for the Middle East and wasn’t particularly bad.

There is a choice of restaurants and a lounge. The food we had there was good and at a reasonable price. The breakfast service was excellent and the choice and quality of food was good.

The twin room was a good size, although the bathroom was rather small. Overall everything worked, and the standard of cleanliness and maintenance were good, as was the housekeeping service. We also used the laundry service, which was prompt and efficient.

We used the internet facility in the room. It wasn’t the fastest broadband, but it was as good as most in hotel rooms.

The staff at the Arabian Courtyard were generally very helpful and friendly. The only major exception was the “travel advisor” (Kaisar Amin of Desert Link, a company in its own right), who turned up only when it suited him, and who managed to place us on a private tour which was less than successful (see below). It was the only business he got from us!

Our tour was arranged for 2 p.m. and was to involve 3 to 4 hours in a private air conditioned car. The driver turned up at 2.30 p.m. He then drove us around some parts of Dubai. The main features of the tour (in order of time spent) were:

· The driver making several phone calls
· The driver taking us to sales offices for accommodation in Dubai
· The driver leaving us in a gallery for 25 minutes while he went to do some business of his own
· The driver bemoaning his situation in Dubai and detailing his plans to emigrate to Canada
· The driver listing all the ways that foreign workers in Dubai are taken advantage of
· Some brief looks at a few of the landmarks in Dubai and some background information

However, we managed to enjoy the interesting aspects of the drive around Dubai, and we did get a good impression of the city. The tour was much less than it should have been, and I do object to being driven around by somebody who spends so much time on the phone while he’s doing it.

Overall, it was a very pleasant stay (but with a couple of gripes), and although some of the hotels in the newer parts of Dubai look great and are probably very plush and luxurious, we found the location and more traditional feel of the Arabian Courtyard suited us very well.

There was one other problem that’s worth mentioning. We had booked a non-smoking room via Expedia, but were assigned a smoking room. As usual, the hotel said that Expedia had not passed on the request. (Expedia always say that they are not accountable if the hotel does not satisfy requests. We’ve discovered that it’s always best to book direct with the hotel rather than via Expedia if you have any requirements at all, even if it’s just for a non-smoking room. The hotel will usually at least match the rate that Expedia quotes!) The hotel did offer to move us to a non smoking room on the second day when they would have had one available.

I have just returned from a week long stay at the Arabian Courtyard and it was excellent - we booked airport transfers and the very helpful driver was waiting to pick us up. The hotel staff are all very friendly and can't do enough for you. The hotel is immaculately clean, the rooms are comfortable and spacious - we had 3 adults in 1 room and the size was great. Don't be put off by the size of the pool - the area is beautiful and the loungers are very comfortable and it's never very busy. If you like the beach Jumeirah Beach Park is gorgeous and only 20 minutes away by taxi which costs about £2! The water park is a must as is afternoon tea at the Burj. Can't wait to go back and would definitely stay at this hotel again - excellent value for money.

Had a great stay in this hotel. After a long flight from Sydney, Australia we arrived at the hotel at around 9am. Check-in was slow and the reception area is not quite what I expected (but don't let this put you off). We had paid for the previous night's acommodation so we didn't have to wait long to get our room. The family suite was on the 7th floor overlooking the Dubai Museum and it was large and very clean. The location of the hotel is very convenient, everything is a short taxi ride away (depending on traffic conditions). Taxis are very reasonable so getting around is not a problem. The buffet breakfast was great. I would definately stay there again and would highly recommend it.

Top hotel. The location is good; its in Bur Dubai and very close to the creek. You can catch a taxi very quickly from outside; and well; the porter will do it for you. The lobby is very welcoming and the staff are very friendly. The highlight is the room! excellent design, rooms are decently sized; very clean and the bathroom is good too. . .has the most loaded toiletry i've seen. As for the negatives; my friends claimed the swimming pool is too small; and the tv isn't loaded with premium cable package.