On our most recent month-long Middle East trip, we travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE and Oman). This is our first time in the region and we were very excited to experience the different culture here.
While we were in Dubai, we stayed in the Al Seef Heritage Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton. It is located in the northern neighbourhood of Al Seef, where old Dubai is. This area is famous for its historical buildings and souks.
When I first saw the Al Seef Heritage Hotel while browsing through Hilton’s website, I knew that I had to book it. We always loved staying in unique properties and this property looked as unique as one could be!
This blog post will be about our experience staying in the Al Seef Heritage Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton.
Booking
We booked our entire 5-night stay at the Al Seef Heritage Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton for a total of AED 1492.87 (S$546, US$406). That works out to AED 298 (S$109, US$81) per night.
The Check-in Experience
Check-in is done in the hotel lobby, located at the centre of the Al Seef heritage strip. If you’re arriving by car or taxi, you’ll be dropped off right in front of the check-in lobby.
We arrived early for our stay at around 12 pm and there was a crowd waiting at the lobby. We waited for a while before it was our turn to check in.
Before checking in, Hilton informed us that we were upgraded 1 level to the King Heritage Room with Souq View. During check-in, the staff further upgraded us to the Creek Room with Balcony.
After checking in, we had to wait in the lobby for a golf cart to take us to our room. As this is a “street” hotel, there’s no single building that houses all the rooms. The entire property spreads out throughout the Al Seef heritage street and walking between buildings can take a while.
During our wait, the staff gave us some local hibiscus tea as a refreshment. We waited about 20 minutes in the lobby before a golf cart was ready to bring us to our room.
Creek Room with Balcony
The theme at the Al Seef Heritage Hotel is traditional bedouin architecture, and that reflects deeply within the design of the room. Most furniture is wooden framed and the walls are stone plastered.
We absolutely loved the vibes of traditionally designed hotels and the Al Seef Heritage Hotel definitely wow-ed us on this aspect.
The creek room initially came with two twin beds but we requested for it to be joined together into a single king bed. Initially, we wanted to switch rooms as we’d very much prefer a single king-sized bed, but they told us that only twin beds are available for this room type.
When joining the beds, the staff put a layer of cushion between the 2 single beds. This made sleep a little more comfortable, but we could definitely still feel the gap between the beds.
Our room is located right beside the famous Starbucks outlet in Al Seef. We even have a direct view of the outlet from our balcony. It can get a little noisy at night with loud music from nearby establishments and chatter from the coffee shop.
Balcony
Our room came with a balcony that overlooks Dubai Creek. Although the room does not directly face the Creek, and there were no windows that face it, we were glad that the balcony did.
There was an old sofa chair on the balcony that looked a little too rustic to be sitting on.
Bathroom
Bathroom amenities in the Al Seef Heritage Hotel are provided by Crabtree & Evelyn, similar to the other Hilton properties that we’ve stayed in.
The bathroom seats are made of wooden materials. This reminded me of similar bathroom decorations during our experience on Emirates flights. Although they look cool, I can’t definitively say that they feel any better than regular toilet seats.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at the Saba A restaurant daily from 7 am to 11 am. The restaurant is located right beside our room which was really lucky for us. We can imagine that it can be quite a walk under the hot sun for guests who stay much further away.
Although the restaurant is located away from the main road, there are plenty of signs put up that direct guests to it. We didn’t have any trouble finding the restaurant during our stay.
The breakfast quality at the Al Seef Heritage Hotel is one of the better hotel breakfasts ones we’ve had throughout our stays. The buffet selection ranges from international favourites to local delights.
There is an egg counter at the entrance of the restaurant. One trick we used during our stay was that we always ordered our eggs before entering the restaurant so that they will be ready once we’d picked all our food.
At the egg counter, there were local breakfast foods like Shakshuka and Falafel.
For beverages, guests can choose between a wide variety of options, from local selections and fresh-pressed juices to barista coffee like americanos and lattes.
As we’ve stayed at the property for 5 nights, we’ve had breakfast here every morning. The main downside is that the options don’t really change from day to day. Therefore, despite the restaurant having a wide variety of options, we ended up eating the same food every day.
Amenities
As Al Seef Heritage Hotel is a “street” hotel, most of its amenities are actually shared with its sister properties, the nearby Canopy by Hilton Al Seef and the Hampton Inn Al Seef.
These amenities are physically located within the Canopy property. To get to the amenities from our room, we had to call a golf cart to get us there. Although it’s possible to walk the 1.5 km distance, we’d not recommend it to anyone as the Dubai weather can be really brutal.
Gym
The gym opens every day from sunrise to sunset. The opening hours depend on the season you’re visiting, so remember to check with the staff when you’re checking in.
Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is located on the rooftop of the Canopy property. This has got to be a standout feature as it has a million-dollar view, featuring the iconic Dubai skyline.
We highly recommend visiting during sunset hours when it’s not as hot and you get to enjoy the beautiful sunset.
Conclusion
The Al Seef Heritage Hotel is definitely one of the most unique properties we’ve ever stayed in. Its Middle Eastern charm indeed won us over and we would recommend this to anyone in a heartbeat.
In my opinion, the only downside to this property would be its distance to the amenities. If you’re someone who needs to visit the gym every morning, it might be a problem. Although the hotel has thoughtfully provided golf cart shuttle services, it will still be a hassle as compared to it being in the same building.
All in all, we’d highly recommend the Al Seef Heritage Hotel to anyone visiting Dubai for the first time, especially if you’re planning to spend a few days exploring Old Dubai.
