Visiting the Middle East during the off-season truly offers enticing prices. Not only are the flight tickets cheap, but hotel rates are also exceptionally low. Twenty years ago, people flocked to Las Vegas to experience a world of indulgence, with top hotels concentrated in that city. Nowadays, due to oil wealth, the best hotels have congregated in the Middle East. I can confidently say that the world’s well-known and new hotels are primarily situated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In Dubai, the best hotels are mainly located on Palm Island, a prominent landmark famously nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. There are eight top-tier hotels on Palm Island (known colloquially as the “Palm Eight Beauties”), specifically: Atlantis The Royal, Atlantis, One&Only, Waldorf Astoria, St. Regis, Raffles, W, Anantara, and Jumeirah. If you visit Dubai and do not stay on Palm Island, you will definitely feel regret.
Therefore, today’s package primarily features hotels on Dubai’s Palm Island. Additionally, we have included the much-anticipated Anantara in the Abu Dhabi desert. The cost-performance ratio is fantastic: staying three nights at a top hotel on Palm Island, which includes daily breakfast and dinner; plus one night at the Anantara in the Abu Dhabi desert. The total price is cheaper than one night during the summer at other desert resorts.
Product Details:
1) Three nights in a Wonderful King Room at W Hotel, Palm Island, Dubai including breakfast + daily lunch or dinner (if not opting for the buffet, each adult receives a 150 AED dining voucher valid for lunch or dinner at designated restaurants, not redeemable for cash) + airport transfer from Dubai Airport + one night in a Garden Room at Anantara Desert Resort in Abu Dhabi with breakfast, priced at 3499 yuan/person.
Valid until October 28, 2024. No price increase during the summer, available for the National Day holiday; additional charges apply for other dates as noted on the page. Each room can accommodate 2 adults and 1 child (under 12 years old), with no additional charge for the extra child. For 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults, additional charges and room upgrades will apply (details on the page).
Dubai has two W Hotels, one in the city and one as a resort. The W Hotel on Palm Island, part of the Palm Eight Beauties, is a resort-style W Hotel.
W Hotels are known for their strikingly stylized designs and playful color combos, which can be divisive; those who like it absolutely adore it, while those who don’t might find the decor overly ostentatious and hard to appreciate.
The lobby of this W, called the “Living Room”, boasts a five-story high ceiling.
The outdoor pool of this W Hotel is visually stunning.
The spa is also chic, ensuring you forget you’re even in Dubai.
At the top floor, SoBe is a 360-degree rooftop restaurant that allows you to enjoy unobstructed views of Palm Island and the Dubai skyline.
Several other restaurants on site also have a playful design aesthetic. This package includes daily breakfast, along with a choice of lunch or dinner from the all-day dining buffet. If guests prefer not to eat at the buffet, each adult can receive a 150 AED dining voucher for lunch or dinner at select non-buffet restaurants, which is not redeemable for cash.
This package includes the Wonderful King Room, which is 50 square meters and features a balcony.
The W Hotel on Palm Island has a score of 8.6 on Booking.com. When evaluating hotels abroad, I recommend checking Booking for reliable ratings and sufficient reviews. Generally speaking, a score above 8 is considered acceptable; over 8.5 is good; and over 9 is excellent.
Let’s now discuss the Anantara Desert Hotel in Abu Dhabi, also known as the Abu Dhabi Desert Palace. Let me put it this way: among the numerous hotels in the Anantara group, this one proudly claims to be second—no other hotel dares to claim first. Furthermore, among all branded desert hotels worldwide, is there one more famous than this? To my knowledge, there isn’t.
Staying at this hotel allows you to experience the essence of traditional Arabian culture, such as camel riding across the Rub’ al Khali desert. You can enjoy sandboarding in the desert as well as safari experiences.
I believe children would go wild here as there are endless expanses of sand to explore. At night, you can enjoy movie screenings under the starry desert sky, witnessing breathtaking sunrises and sunsets.
The amenities at this Anantara are excellent, and its decor leans toward the Arabian palace style, reminiscent of the palaces from “One Thousand and One Nights”.
Water is a luxury in the desert, and I must show you the hotel’s stunning infinity pool in the desert; it is incredibly eye-catching.
There’s more than one pool at the hotel; it features multiple options.
Additionally, there is an indoor kids’ club.
The dining options here are noteworthy too, with restaurants that lie directly in the desert and others with desert views.
This package includes breakfast, and according to friends who have visited, the breakfast is very good and suitable for Chinese palates, with some dining spots facing the desert.
The hotel boasts 140 guest rooms, 14 suites, and 51 pool villas. This package offers the base Garden View Room, with an area of 40-48 square meters.
The Anantara in the desert scores an impressive 9.2 on Booking.com. This is indeed considered a high score! This is why many reviewers rate this Anantara as the top desert hotel. It has gained significant renown.
This package also includes airport transfers between Dubai Airport and the Palm Island hotel, which is quite valuable since transportation in rich countries can be expensive. If you need a transfer back from the Anantara desert hotel to Dubai, you can purchase that separately.
Moreover, current flight prices to Dubai are low, with round-trip tickets from Hangzhou or Shanghai ranging from 2600 to 2800 RMB, which I think is a great deal.
For travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it’s advisable to rent a car as fuel is inexpensive and rental costs are low. For instance, renting an Audi A3, considered a good car, costs around 300 RMB per day, while generally comfortable vehicles can be rented for a little over 100 RMB per day.
1) To purchase, use Taobao code: 59￥HU0025 YeWoWAlFyH3￥ https://m.tb.cn/h.gTr4CXP/
This package is quite affordable and worth having.
2) Three nights in a Wonderful King Room at W Hotel Palm Island, including breakfast + daily lunch or dinner (if not opting for the buffet, each adult receives a 150 AED dining voucher) + airport transfer from Dubai Airport + one-day tour of Abu Dhabi, priced at 3099 yuan/person.
Valid until October 28, 2024, with no increase during the summer; additional fees apply as noted on the page. Each room accommodates 2 adults and 1 child (under 12). For 2 adults and 2 children or 3 adults, additional charges will apply.
This package is exclusively in Dubai and includes a day tour of Abu Dhabi, which takes about 90 minutes from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, with beautiful views of the desert along the way.
This one-day tour lasts around eight hours, picking you up from your Dubai hotel and returning you at the end of the day, taking you to the following places:
Ferrari World (tickets not included). Our assistant recently visited and reported multiple thrilling roller coasters that are incredibly fast and exhilarating.
A visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which I believe is the most beautiful mosque in the world.
Then, a photo stop along the Abu Dhabi coastline, at Emirates Palace Hotel and Etihad Towers.
Finally, a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum (entry tickets not included). This is the water-based Louvre, which is not just great for photographs but also houses numerous artworks.
1) To purchase, use Taobao code: 19￥CZ0012 poeiWAeQz4q￥ https://m.tb.cn/h.gT7kehn/
If you simply want to visit Dubai and then take a day tour to Abu Dhabi, you should consider this option.
3) Three nights in a Superior King Room at Waldorf Astoria, Palm Island, including breakfast + airport transfer from Dubai + one night in a Garden Room at Anantara Desert Hotel, priced at 3499 yuan/person.
Valid until October 28, 2024; additional charges apply (details on the page). Check-in before September 20 receives a complimentary upgrade to a skyline sea view room; after October 1, upgrades include half board (breakfast + lunch/dinner).
As mentioned earlier, I shared information about the W and Anantara in the desert, and now I’ll introduce the Waldorf Astoria on Palm Island. This hotel represents an entirely different style, embodying a pure old-money vacation vibe.
The room type provided at Dubai Palm Island Waldorf Astoria is also quite nice; guests checking in before September 20 will be upgraded to a skyline-view room that overlooks the Dubai city skyline, where you can enjoy sunrises. I’ll share a photo so you can see this view.
This room has an area of 55 square meters and embodies that classic old-money charm, contrasting completely with the W Hotel’s vibe. Waldorf Astoria is mature and dignified, while W is playful and lighthearted. Personally, I lean more toward the Waldorf Astoria.
We stayed at this hotel a while back, and feedback from my assistant indicated that it was genuinely comfortable for a vacation. They spent 11 days and 10 nights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and said that their two nights at the Waldorf Astoria were the true essence of a vacation.
