Needless to say, there are a plethora of hotel options available in Dubai. Even when you go with the Hilton brand, you will have endless options here. From Waldorf to Hilton Garden Inn, there are easily 20 to 30 hotels to choose from. I’ll be trying out a couple of hotels during my stay over here. The first hotel where I will be staying is the V Hotel, part of the Curio Collection. It is a rather special one. It seems like the Hilton’s answer to the W hotel. It is part of the Al Habtoor City development. The Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City is located next door. They share some of the facilities with each other. This includes the executive lounge. The V hotel is more unique, and it comes with these circular beds that seem really fun. Given that I am only arriving in the evening, I did not want to splurge on something too expensive like the WA or Conrad. Dubai is having its peak now since it is winter. Let’s check out this property.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I will be staying here for 2 nights, and we have 2 base-level rooms for our family. I got some information from the hotel ahead of my stay. Elite treatment and recognition are excellent, as they very kindly extended me lounge access for both rooms. This will be the first hotel of my stay in Dubai. I did not get any upgrades before my stay. The executive team also reached out via email to get my preferences ahead of the stay. I also got some details about the property, including the facilities, timings and also the shuttle service. They offer a complimentary shuttle service to a private beach and to the Dubai Mall. I have included the schedule here. Do note that the shuttle is shared with their sister property, Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City.
V Hotel Dubai features 356 guest rooms and suites across 11 categories. You can find the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Bathtub | Room Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | No | Yes | 44 Sqm |
| Deluxe Canal View | No | Yes | 44 Sqm |
| Very Deluxe | No | Yes | 68 Sqm |
| Grand Deluxe Suite | Yes | Yes | 125 Sqm |
| Round Bed Deluxe Suite | Yes | Yes | 71 Sqm |
| Round Bed Valor Suite | Yes | Yes | 117 Sqm |
| Round Bed V Suite | Yes | Yes | 125 Sqm |
| King Mega Suite | Yes | Yes | 170 Sqm |
| King Vibrant Suite | Yes | Yes | 215 Sqm |
| Penthouse | Yes | Yes | 449 Sqm |
| Sky Villa | Yes | Yes | 690 Sqm |
Checking In
We landed at Dubai airport at around 6.10pm. It was so busy in Dubai. We cleared immigration and got an Uber. It was quite a wait for the car. The ride cost around 100 AED, and it took around 20 minutes to get to the property. We had to order a bigger car since we had a lot of bags. The next time, I would just rent a car in Dubai. We got to the property at around 7.30pm. It was a struggle to flag down someone to help us with our bags. That wasn’t a good sign. It was a little weird, as just as we were pulling up, the staff went back in. They also didn’t direct us on where to go. The ground level is just a waiting and reception area with the main lobby located on the seventh floor.
I was immediately helped by a friendly lady from the Philippines. The lobby area was pretty cute. I love the vibes. It is on the playful and youthful side. The rest of the facilities and the restaurant are located on this level too. Check-in took quite some time since we had multiple reservations. They also provided us with all the information on the facilities and the shuttle service. It is weird that breakfast can’t be enjoyed at the restaurant but only in the lounge. Another staff member later told me that I can have it at the restaurant too. The hotel is linked together with the Hilton on level seven, as well as on the ground floor. They have also extended a 1pm late check-out for us.
Deluxe Room with View
We got both of the deluxe rooms with a view on the 21st floor. Rooms 2116 and 2118 were side by side. The rooms were on the larger side of things. They did come in spacious but with a rather funny layout. The vibes are definitely on the fun and playful aspect. Things are well-maintained and clean, but it does show a little age now. I can really see the W vibes here. This property is definitely more suitable for couples and less so for families and friends. That can get awkward or inconvenient. Right upon entering, you have a very spacious entrance way before it branches into the open concept bathroom as well as the cabinets area. There is a lot of mirror usage here. Coming to the wardrobe, it is at an angle which limits the space usage despite there being 3 of them. The doors were again mirror doors, which made the place spacious. This comes with an ironing kit, a space for your luggage, plenty of hangers, a safe, bath robes and bath slippers. There are no portable racks to be found here. These are available from the staff, though. I did feel like the space could be better designed.
The open concept bathroom is one of my favourite parts of the room. The quirky and fun concept lightens up the mood of the room. It does come with little to no privacy, which makes it unsuitable for sharing the room with friends or family. There is a freestanding tub, which is huge and a separate standing shower. The showering space is spacious. Toiletries are in large pump-size bottles from Apotheke, a New York Brand. It lathers pretty well, and I love the aloe vera scent. The standing shower comes with both a handheld shower head and a rain shower. Water pressure and temperature are excellent. There is plenty of space by the counter, and here you can also find bottles of water being provided.
Heading on to the main space of the room. It is decorated with plenty of lighting features and curves. Between the bathroom and a bedroom area, you have a bar counter-top space concept. It allows for some additional storage, and you can really make it your little bar area. It comes with a proper Nespresso coffee machine and a kettle. Capsules are provided alongside packaged tea. There is plenty of drinking water being provided. These are always replenished during daily housekeeping and turndown service.
Over in the corner over here, you can find an L-shaped sofa that curves around the wall. This is good enough for 2 to 3 pax and can be a bed for the little one as well. It surrounds a mini coffee table. Left on it a very generous welcome amenity consisting of a huge platter of sweets, cookies and fruits alongside a personalised note.
The high-quality, large smart screen television is mounted on the wall. It comes with a good number of both local and international cable TV channels.
Right below is a platform that stretches throughout the wall. This works as the working desk in the room. It comes with an armchair that provides decent back support for a short period of working. The Wifi works pretty well in the room. All sorts of plugs and power outlets can be found within reach as well.
The main feature of the bedroom is definitely the plush king-size bed. This is even slightly bigger than the standard king size. The sheets and bedding were high quality. Pillows offer great neck support, too. I even got some harder pillows and slept well. Flanking both sides of the beds are nightstands with a generous amount of space. There are controls for the lighting and power outlets.
The room comes with a view of the canal. It looks quite lovely both in the day and at night. This is not an overly aspiring part of Dubai. I did appreciate the blackout curtains, which certainly come in handy in Dubai with all the departures and arrivals round the clock.
Special mention to the housekeeping staff who are on the ball. They had always set up these cute little towel art when they cleaned up the room. They are also super thoughtful. I had left all my suitcases open on the floor. I came back to have them all nicely placed on portable racks. This is something that I appreciated. During my stay, the housekeeping manager also came by to say hello and asked if everything was alright.
Swimming Pool
There are two pools that guests can use. One of them is the V Hotel pool, and the other one is over at the Hilton complex. Guests can use both facilities. The Hilton facility is open from 6am to 9pm daily, and the V Hotel one is from 10am to 10pm. The V Hotel facility is located on the 7th floor. It is called the V Deck. It comes with a very fun vibe and music. You do get plenty of sun. The weather is amazing at this part of year. It is perfect to soak up the sun. It is quieter over here. The pool comes in an irregular shape but is still big enough for doing laps. It felt more suitable for relaxing. By the side are countless sunbeds and cabanas. This place will be fantastic during the late afternoon or evening. You can find a Jacuzzi, beach bar and a shisha lounge.
The Hilton pool will be busier since it is such a huge property. It is my favourite of the two. I absolutely love the landscape garden area with plenty of sunbeds, chairs and cabanas. This is such a nice place. The weather in Dubai during winter is simply top-notch. They have a large lawn area here too, which I presume can be used for some yoga or so. There are a couple of pools over here. They are on the smaller side of things. I can imagine it getting busier during the warmer months. There is also a swim-up bar here.
V Hotel also partner with their sister hotel for beach access. They also provide a shuttle service, as mentioned above.
Fitness Centre
The gym is open 24 hours. The facility is shared with the Hilton hotel. The gym is similarly located on level 7. It is on the other side of the lobby. You can simply access it with your key cards. It is well equipped with plenty of equipment. The place is well-maintained and clean. The facility also comes with a great view of the surrounding area. This is a solid spot to get some workout during your stay.
Executive Lounge
The lounge is huge. In fact, it is one of the most spacious executive lounges that I have ever been to. It is said to be originally for the Hilton side, but now it is a shared one for both properties. V Hotel doesn’t come with executive-level rooms, so the only guests who get access are those with diamond status or in suites. The lounge almost takes up the entire footprint of the 30th floor. It is open from 6.30am to 8pm daily. The lounge offers breakfast from 6.30am to 10.30am, afternoon tea from 2.30pm to 4pm and happy hour in the evening from 6.30pm to 8pm. Given how huge the place is, the lounge barely gets full even when it is evening cocktail hours. We managed to visit right before they closed for evening cocktails on our first night. Here are some pictures of the place.
They had pretty decent food. Most of them were finger bites. It can be worth stopping by for a pre-drink or so. It can be worthwhile given how expensive this city is. Dinner also runs late over here. I love the prawns. On the second night, they had some beef cottage pie and a soup. You can also find salads, cold cuts, cheese and breads. It is not a full dinner replacement.
Drinks are served by the staff from the bar. It comes with a menu.
Everything is served by the staff, including non-alcoholic drinks. The cocktails are pretty solid, and they are definitely not stingy on the alcohol. I tried their mojito and margarita.
I did not manage to check out the afternoon tea service since I am out in the city most of the time.
Breakfast at Executive Lounge
Breakfast is served at the lounge from 6.30am to 10.30am daily. Similarly, it is very quiet over here. The lounge does come with an amazing, gorgeous panoramic view of the surrounding area and the ocean. It is such a lovely spot to kick-start your day. Diamond members are recommended to have their breakfast over here. I was sceptical at first, but the lounge breakfast turned out to be one of the best I had. It is definitely much better than the restaurant. Service is also much more personalised. We got one of the seats by the window, and the staff came over to take meal orders as well as serve hot drinks. The coffee was made from an actual barista coffee machine. There was an à la carte menu that we could order from. This was rather impressive. I was certainly not expecting this over here!
Besides this, you also have a small buffet at the counter with fresh juices, fruits, salads, cold cuts, yogurts, cereals and pastries. There are also some hot dishes ranging from Western items to Arabic dishes.
Here are some of the items that I tried from the à la carte menu. I love the breakfast; they even had avocado slices to offer. This kind of breakfast is exactly the kind that I fancy. Good food, good view. I love freshly made food over a buffet line with stale items.
Breakfast at The Level Seven Restaurant
Breakfast is also offered from 6.30am to 10.30am daily at the restaurant on the 7th floor. Elite members can dine here as well. A stark contrast to the quaint environment at the lounge, it was super hectic over here. I briefly checked it out over here and found that the selection is better at the lounge. It is a full buffet breakfast here with typical items; it is so crowded, and the food is not being replenished to cope with the demand, either. Service is definitely not as polished with the crowd. Here are some pictures of the breakfast over here.
Conclusion
Between the two sister properties, I will definitely choose to stay over at the V rather than the Hilton, given how huge the Hilton is. I am not a fan of resort-style hotels. It is going to be so busy with 1000 over rooms, be it for the elevators or the breakfast. I enjoyed my stay at the V, and it was good value for money. The rooms might not be suitable for all guests. It is still a rather enjoyable place despite its age. Staff service is polished and excellent. The executive lounge was a nice surprise and a very lovely space for lounging. I really enjoyed the breakfast and evening cocktails over here. I have heard that this property is even more generous with upgrades in the past or during the low peak period. The Bell team can be improved. I will have no qualms coming back again when the price is right. Hopefully, I will be able to check out one of the categories with a round bed. The shuttle service works if the timing fits you. Other than that, you will mainly have to take an Uber or Careem.
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