After almost 3 years of not travelling abroad, thanks to Covid… We decided to spend a week in Dubai with our boys.
This was Caleb’s first ever holiday abroad! Although 7-8 hours for his first ever flight might have been a bit too long in hindsight, Dubai was the closest place that would be warm enough for the pool and beach in February.
The journey to Dubai was gruelling with 2 toddlers in tow and it was as difficult as it sounds!
Therefore having a nice place to stay was really important for us.
CENTARA MIRAGE BEACH RESORT
The resort is located just 20 mins drive away from Dubai International airport on an island called Deira Island.
We waited for a taxi right outside the airport and we were delighted that the taxi ride was a short one!
This is a new 4* resort that opened in October 2021. The exterior is stunning and they have a purple and yellow colour scheme which is incredibly eye catching. The resort is Thai and Arabian inspired, and you will find stunning elephants dotted all over the place.
CHECK IN
Our plane landed around 7am and we arrived at the hotel around 9am. We were given a room straight away and they took our luggage up for us.
We were given a Mirage Superior room (sea view and bunk beds) on the 6th floor.
THE ROOM
As you enter the room, you are immediately drawn to the stunning view of the sea and the pool over the balcony. The room had a large super king bed and a bunk bed.
As Caleb is still very little, we requested a travel cot in advance. Jacob had been very excited to sleep in a bunk bed ever since we told him about it.
The bathroom has a large walk-in shower and a very generous sink area, with a toilet behind a separate door.
The room comes equipped with amenities such as a mini-fridge, complementary bottled-water (replenished daily), hair dryer, kettle and tea and coffees.
We found the room to be very clean and very spacious for a family of 4.
MEAL PLANS
For the first 2 nights, we had all inclusive and we ate like kings and queens!
There are several places that serves food throughout the day:
- Suan Bua– Thai restaurant with buffet, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner there. This was our favourite place for breakfast as it had a huge selection of food, including Asian food. This is the most popular spot for meals and it tends to be busier than other places
- Sands– relaxing beachside dining and bar. We didn’t get a chance to eat there but they do have a nice children’s menu
- Uno Mas– Argentinian grill opened for lunch and dinner. We ate there for one of our all-inclusive nights and the food was brilliant! Starter was delicious and the steak was very flavourful
- Sheesh– Lebanese restaurant located on the 8th floor of the hotel. Stunning view and a really nice atmosphere at night. We had breakfast here once and dinner. If you are looking for a quieter place for breakfast, this would be the place to go to. You can eat inside or enjoy the view overlooking the city or the sea. We had a really nice dinner there with fantastic service. The food was spot on, and we were incredibly impressed!
- Mirage family room– If you book any of the Mirage room, you will have access to the Mirage family lounge. They are opened for breakfast, snacks, afternoon-tea and drinks. The children can enjoy the play area while adults can enjoy a cocktail and nibbles!
POOL & BEACH
One of the biggest selling points of this resort is the stunning beachfront and their Adventure Water Park.
They have a main pool, a children splash park, a shallow children pool, water slides, a water assault course, a rock jumping pool and a lazy river. Most of the pools are heated and most of them are in the sun throughout the day. The children splash park and pool are shaded.
There are sunbeds all around the pool and plenty on the beach. Towels are available to use, 1 per person.
ENTERTAINMENTS
You will not struggle to find things to do at this resort! When the sun sets, you can look forward to all sorts of evening entertainments.
Our favourite thing to do in the evening was to hit the Family Lounge and let the boys play. They have a climbing structure with slide, interactive video games, colouring, toys and books there. There is always a member of staff at hand to interact with the children. There is also E-Zone that is more suited to older children/ teenagers.
Entertainment is different every night. We watched a magic show, and they also have a big movie screen out on the beach so you can watch it under the stars!
Children can also go to Camp Safari, which is their kids club. We didn’t get a chance to visit but it seems like a great idea if you are looking for some kids-free time!
PROS
- Food was amazing, they always have easy kids options like chips and nuggets
- The room is spacious and the bed is massive!!
- The staff is extremely helpful and friendly, especially towards the children
- For Dubai, this resort is very reasonably priced and they have rooms to suit most budgets
- The water park is fantastic and the sea is very calm
- Close proximitiy to the airport
CONS
- Deira Island is a little further out and the hotel is not near any metro stations. We took a taxi to most places and taxis are relatively cheap. To give you a rough idea, a taxi to Dubai Mall would cost around 40-50 AED (£8-10) and it would take around 20 mins
- The hotel does have a free shuttle service to the souk on the island and a payable service to Dubai Mall. But the shuttle service to Dubai Mall is only twice a day and doesn’t start until after 4pm
We have had such a wonderful stay at Centara Mirage Beach Resort and we take away precious memories with us.
BOOK YOUR STAY HERE
* Disclaimer: Our stay was partially gifted but all opinions and photos are our own *
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