UAE: Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dubai

I remember going through GNTraveller for affordable hotels near the beachside JBR and finding Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dubai. It had the best rate for an overnight stay to usher in the New Year with friends, but as I was about to make a reservation, my luck ran out. The last room just sold out.

This summer, I finally got the chance to check out the four-star hotel, which is the brand’s first property in the region. The property is right at the end of The Walk, and just a five-minute walk away from The Beach, the newest entertainment hub on Jumeirah Beach.

The hotel is part of the JBR complex, which means that the most convenient entrance is through the building’s parking area. I liked that bright coloured accents and furniture were used to somehow make this simple entrance more inviting. The reception and lobby had a very business centre feel to it. The reception was busy when my companion and I arrived. Two men in business suits were waiting to check in. There was a group of camera-toting tourists at a corner.

The room

My companion and I stayed at a deluxe suite, one of 188 rooms in the hotel. Ours had a living room with a basket of fruits and some dates when we arrived.

I grabbed a banana and looked out the window to a view of the beach from between the beachfront buildings. Looking down, I could see that a few hotel guests were already lounging by the hotel pool. In the nearby garden, a man was practicing yoga.

The hotel room has a very homey feel to it. A staff member later told me this was originally designed as a residential building before it was transformed into a hotel. This is why even their most basic hotel room is spacious. I could see why groups or families prefer to stay here. It’s unassuming but it does provide value for money.

I settled on the sofa and picked up the pocket-sized booklet of The Beach restaurant discount coupons. How very thoughtful of the staff to include this in the room. There was also free wifi so I fired up my laptop to catch up on some writing. My companion headed to the bathroom to freshen up before heading out of the room for a swim in the pool.

Where to eat

We spent a lot of time at Flavours, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The candy-coloured restaurant on level P gets very busy in the morning where there’s a fair variety of dishes on offer in the breakfast buffet. The crowd thins down during lunch or dinner, but this is probably because many of the guests prefer to be outdoors, where the sun and sand is. Part of the fun of staying at this hotel is its proximity to The Walk, The Beach and Jumeirah Beach, or the Dubai Marina, so you’re never really short of options when you’re in the mood to shop or explore the local scene, food trips included.

Not that you can’t have a great meal at the hotel. On level P, there’s also Pan Asia, which serves Chinese, Thai and Japanese food for dinner, and a café just before you head out to the JBR promenade. Pan Asia only recently opened, but I really liked the cozy vibe and personalised service here. The motif is a mix of new and modern Asia, dominated by black, grey and beige hues. Chinese wall dividers, red placemats and red lanterns add a touch of life.

The food is authentic and prices are modest. We were served a complimentary bowl of freshly fried prawn crackers that went well with the sweet and sour dip. We followed this with a delicious Tom Yum soup (Dh20), chicken pad thai (Dh40 and good for two people) and perfectly deep-fried battered prawns (Dh50, also enough for two but too good to share). Dinner solved.

What to do

The hotel has a salon, a well-equipped gym and a separate spa for men and women if you want to refresh your self or de-stress. We went for a 60-minute massage—one of the most relaxing treatments I’ve ever had. The Balinese therapist knew exactly which pressure points needed attention, concentrating on dispersing the stress from my shoulder area and back (the result of hours slouched in front of a computer). By the end of my treatment, I was so ready to go to bed.

My companion had other plans though and somehow managed to convince me to explore the club scene in the area. We took a five-minute walk to a very interesting resto-bar that had a room full of videogame machines that guests can use for free. I was tempted to try Street Fighter and relive my childhood when my sister and I used to ace this game. But I digress.

A few hours later we were back in the hotel. We shared the elevator with a happy looking young couple, their slippers caked with sand. “I really like the idea of staying where you could explore things on foot,” I told my companion. The couple smiled at us, probably sharing the same sentiment.

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Dubai is located on The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence.