Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana - Abu Dhabi

Hotel stay has been my family's way to unwind amidst the busy schedule of work... Well my husband that is, since I'm a stay-at-home-mom. Summer has begun and the temperature's kickin' off once again. Having 45°C to a scorching 50°C here in Dubai, who would want to go out right? So having that way,  hotels are once again giving great deals to keep their business up and running. Being that the case, we're always on the look out for great summer hotel deals and packages. 

So having stumbled upon Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana's deal, off we go to Abu Dhabi!

To start off, though the area was vastly under construction, once you enter the premises, it feels like home. You are greeted with the friendly door staffs and treated like royalties. We arrived at about 3PM and as expected the check-in counter was a bit busy due to a number of guests in line. We waited for about 15-20 minutes in line before we could take our turn. Refreshments could have helped quench our boredom, but sad to say, there weren't any served... Nonetheless, while my hubby was at the check-in desk, my baby, Yuri and I just enjoyed the interiors of the place.

Lounge (taken from Horizon Restaurant)

Lounge (taken from 6th Floor)

6th Floor Hallway

Since we're staying here for 3 days and 2 nights, we're so excited. When we entered our suite, my face lit up with a smile. The Suite was bigger than I thought. It allowed for a king bed and sitting area, the Bathroom was huge and the balcony was a wow. Though we did not get a pool view, we had the Emirates Palace as our view, which was a painting in my eyes. My baby sure did enjoy the place, she went running around the room with a smile. 

My hubby and baby enjoying the suite

So, after unpacking a few things and changing our clothes, off to the pool and beach area, after all who doesn't love water in summer? :)

My hubby and baby enjoying the hotel pool

It was so relaxing to see other family chill out and some babies play with ours. There was a kids play as well but it was too hot to play on. Though it was about 38°C at 4 in the afternoon, the pool water was chilly. We had to take our baby out after 10 minutes. I hope they had a temperature control for the pool, at least at 36°, it would have been more enjoyable. So we just went to the beach so our baby, who loves the sands so dear, can play on 'em.

Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana (view from the beach)

We called In-Room Dining for dinner. We had an Arabic Mixed Grill (1 piece of each - Beef Kofta, Chicken Kabab, Jumbo Prawn, Lamb Chop and Hammour with Arabic Bread) which was almost dry and costs about AED100 and a measly cup of steamed white rice which was AED25! Yes, we were expecting it to be a bit pricey, but was not expecting the white rice to be that much. We were told that the steamed rice serves 2 but apparently, to them, a cup is for 2. The only consolation was, we were given a complimentary house brewed iced tea and a bread basket. Nevertheless, it was still a good dinner, anyway, there still tomorrow to look forward to - The breakfast buffet!

So came morning and little did we know that disappointment awaits us. Breakfast was sad. There were only few choices and I mean few! There weren't even croissants served at the bread stand. I was hoping I could feed my baby porridge but there wasn't any. This was definitely one of the most disappointing breakfast buffets I've even been to... Actually it may be the worst. Sorry.

Crackers, Buffalo Cheese, Tomatoes and Vegetable Spring Rolls

Breakfast at Horizon Restaurant

Yuri Bearita patiently waiting for her breakfast

Oh but well, in general, the stay was worthwhile. We still enjoyed ourselves. As I said, the whole ambiance was like home and staying there for 2 nights was fun.

Price:  AED635 (About 175USD) including all taxes (AED545 + 10% service charge and 6% city tax)
          Classic Room with Balcony - Breakfast included (Deal from www.booking.com) per night
Stay:   May 3-5, 2012

Tips:
1. If you desire any location for your room (i.e. Pool View) call in the morning to confirm your booking and your preferred room
2. Take your breakfast somewhere else. The Marina Mall is just about 5 minutes drive from the hotel.
3. If you're bringing a baby, be sure to bring skin oil and put it on her after applying the sunscreen. It'll help her feel warm in the cold pool.