If you’re looking for an ultra-luxury honeymoon hotel in Dubai, UAE, Raffles The Palm Dubai is the one I’d recommend without hesitation.
Out of every hotel I’ve stayed at in my life,
this is the place that completely rewrote my No. 1 ranking for luxury.
Raffles The Palm Dubai
I wanted to write about this hotel the second I got back,
but I had way too many photos and way too much to say, so I kept putting it off
and ended up writing my first post about it a month later!
Dubai is packed with elegant, high-end luxury hotels,
seriously, there are so many, but in the 2024 World’s 100 Best Hotels,
the only Dubai hotel that made the list was Raffles The Palm Dubai.
It ranked an impressive No. 14 worldwide.
>Click here to see the World’s 100 Best Hotels ranking<
Rafflesis named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,
often called one of the founding figures of Singapore,
and it’s a Singapore-based ultra-luxury hotel brand
managed and operated by Accor as one of its top-tier brands.
We have Accor Platinum status,
so on this trip too, we booked only Accor hotels,
and my husband reserved Raffles, which I’d always wanted to visit at least once,
so this ended up being an absolutely magical trip.
For a Dubai honeymoon… honestly, don’t even keep looking elsewhere.
Seriously. Raffles The Palmis the answer!!
The price is also not as outrageous as the name might suggest,
and in the off-season, rooms can start from around $288,
while peak season can jump by a few hundred dollars,
but aside from a few dates, rates are often still in the roughly $700–$577 range!
>Book on Agoda<
>Book on HotelsCombined<
>Book on Trip.com<
Out of the three, just use whichever one comes out cheapest after coupons and promos.
This post isn’t a super detailed review of the room or hotel facilities,
because so many things happened during this stay,
so think of this more as a summary from check-in to check-out.
For reference, we stayed here for 4 nights and 5 days in August 2024.
This time, Korean Air Prestige was fully booked,
so we had no choice but to fly Emirates Business Class,
and we landed at Dubai Airport at 4:30 a.m.
Between picking up the rental car and a few airport logistics,
it took a little time, and by the time we got to the hotel,
it was exactly 6:20 a.m.
Even if a hotel offers early check-in,
I knew getting into a room at 6:30 a.m. was probably unrealistic,
so we went ahead with the check-in process first,
then decided we’d wait a few hours and rest until the room key was ready.
But from the moment we pulled up to the entrance… are you kidding me?
It was so glittering, glamorous, and beautiful
that I completely forgot how tired I was and immediately started taking photos and videos.
There’s a chandelier made with 6,000 Swarovski crystals,
and the level of sparkle is honestly insane.
This!! Is!! Dubai!!!
Check-in
A place like this obviously allows check-in even in the middle of the night.
Since we had Platinum status, if a room had been available,
we might have been able to get in even at that hour,
but the room we booked was one of the hotel’s more limited room types:
the Duplex Suite.And it was fully booked.
Even the reception desk looked like something out of a medieval European palace,
so ornate, elegant, and over-the-top in the best way.
If you have higher Accor elite status or you’re staying in a suite,
you can also check in at the lounge,
but honestly, the main reception area is much prettier.
Because it was still so early,
I was able to take photos with absolutely no one around,
and after the next day, there were always people sitting there, so I never got that chance again.
Club Lounge
By the time we finished check-in, it was around 7 a.m.,
so they suggested we head to the lounge for breakfast.
Since we were in a suite, lounge access was included.
The lounge is on the 6th floor, and compared to
other hotel club lounges I’ve used,
this one felt much larger, with plenty of seating, almost like a full restaurant.
The interior also felt a little different
from the rest of the hotel’s overall vibe, which was slightly disappointing.
Maybe a little more Middle Eastern in style, if that makes sense.
Still, every staff member we met was genuinely kind and lovely.
Since it was so early in the morning, there still weren’t any other guests
coming in for breakfast, so once again, we had the whole place to ourselves.
It was a buffet plus made-to-order setup,
and we also had access to Le Jardinon the first floor for breakfast,
but that benefit only started the next morning, so on this day we had breakfast in the lounge.
For reference,
the complimentary breakfast benefit for Accor Platinum members
only applies in the Asia-Pacific region,
not in the Middle East.
After eating, we stepped out onto the lounge terrace.
You can see the pool, and beyond that, the sea.
In the distance, you can also spot Palm Jumeirah’s landmark,
Atlantis, The Palm,and the even more upscale hotel,
Atlantis The Royal.Both are visible from here.
Luggage Storage
That red-eye flight had wiped us out,
so after breakfast, I felt like I needed to wash up and sleep a little,
so I asked if there was anywhere we could freshen up,
then grabbed toiletries and a change of underwear from our stored suitcase.
Luggage storage was handled across from reception,
over by the concierge desk.
The staff working in that area were genuinely cheerful,
thoughtful, and kind. They really gave me that
unmistakable “Raffles” level of hospitality.
Shower
Indoor Pool and Gym
Even if you can’t get into your room yet, you can still shower.
If you head down toward the pool and beach area on the LG level,
there’s a shower area set up
near the indoor pool and gym.
Before washing up, I first took a quick look around
the outdoor garden and pool.
The shower facilities themselves were excellent,
but the cold water barely worked and the water was way too hot,
so that part was a struggle. The hair dryer was also super weak.
Still, I got to enjoy all those nice facilities in peace by myself.
When you come out of the shower, you can see the indoor pool right next to it.
I wasn’t there to swim,
but there were sunbeds and cabana-style daybeds,
and they told me I could lie down and rest there if I wanted.
Inside the cabana were two beds and curtains for privacy,
so I totally passed out for about an hour. They even brought us bottled water.
By then, it was almost time for our room to be ready,
so we grabbed a coffee in the lounge and finally headed up to the room…!
Checking Into the Duplex Suite
We stayed in room G57,
which was a split-level Duplex Suite.
The Duplex Suites are only located
on the G floor, the same level as the lobby.
The room looked like this, and unlike a standard suite
where the living room and bedroom are separated by a door,
this one had the living room downstairs and the bedroom upstairs via a staircase.
The entire room felt like a work of art.
Everywhere I looked, even the ceiling,
was unbelievably beautiful. I honestly felt like a queen.
To be fair, after four nights,
going up and down the stairs did get a little inconvenient, but the beauty made up for everything.
The ceilings were so high that even my husband, who is 182 cm tall,
could walk around the upper level without ducking his head or shoulders.
That first impression was pure magic. Every piece of furniture was gorgeous,
and I kept thinking, I wish this were my house.
There was also a beautiful chandelier in the room.
And yes, you could adjust the brightness.
Breakfast
Starting from the second day, we had breakfast at Le Jardin on the LG level,
and while the menu was much bigger than the lounge’s,
it didn’t have kaymak, that rich clotted cream-style spread I loved in the lounge.
The breakfast restaurant itself was so beautiful it looked like a movie set.
Whether it’s the room or the breakfast,
I’m planning to do a separate, more detailed review later!
On the first day, breakfast was a genuinely lovely experience,
but when we went back to Le Jardin for breakfast on the second day,
something happened.
It happened in the breakfast restaurant,
and to sum it up, it fell into the category of racial discrimination.
The hotel made a serious effort to apologize and offered a lot to make things right, so I won’t go into every detail, but we were treated noticeably differently from white guests, and I didn’t stay quiet about it. I complained immediately and formally raised the issue.
Racial discrimination is never acceptable,
and they told us they would take special care going forward
to make sure nothing like that ever happens again
to East Asian guests, so please don’t let that stop you from going.
Honestly, the problem was with that one staff member.
Everyone else we met was truly kind.
The café one floor above the breakfast restaurant,
Blüthner Hall, is also absolutely stunning.
Even the mirrors lining the hallways looked like this,
and I almost felt bad walking around in such casual clothes.
Outdoor Pool
The outdoor pool setup is simple: one main pool and one kids’ pool.
For a hotel of this scale,
the pool area felt a little underwhelming.
That said, the main pool itself is quite large,
and there were plenty of sunbeds around it, so it was still nice enough.
The real issue was Dubai’s August weather.
After swimming and then lying in the shade on a sunbed,
I honestly felt like I was getting mild heat exhaustion.
Pool hours run until sunset, though it varies by season.
In summer, because it gets so brutally hot,
mornings are busier and afternoons are a bit more relaxed.
Hotel Service
As compensation for the issue I mentioned above,
the hotel thoughtfully provided all kinds of
extra services, but to be very clear,
we never asked for any compensation at all.
All we said was that this should never happen again
to future Korean guests visiting after us,
but the F&B director even wrote us a letter
and kept asking us to please accept their sincerity, so we ended up receiving breakfast room service, dinner at the Japanese restaurant, a wine gift, and several other gestures.
After being out for a while, we came back to the room and found
an apology-and-thank-you letter, plus wine and chocolates waiting for us.
I don’t drink wine, but it sure looked nice in photos.
And then came the highlight: dinner at Matagi.
The Japanese restaurant MATAGI was near our room, so we’d only passed by it before, but it looked incredibly upscale every time.
The prices were honestly intimidating.
But they prepared a chef’s special dinner course for two for us.
Our server there was an Indian woman,
and she seemed like a college student who had come to Dubai to work,
but Aparna’s service was
truly next-level: polished, intuitive, warm, and exactly what great hospitality should feel like.
She completely melted away all the frustration I’d felt from the breakfast incident. She was wonderful, and of course we left her a generous tip with our thanks.
They even served us two glasses of Macallan 18,
and every single dish was delicious.
We’d also tried Japanese food at the Fairmont hotel in Abu Dhabi,
but honestly, that place didn’t come close to this one.
Both restaurants had Japanese chefs,
Raffles The Palm Dubai at Night
Some hotels are prettier during the day,
and some are better at night,
but Raffles The Palm Dubai is stunning at both times,
and I genuinely can’t choose.
The atmosphere is just unreal. So beautiful.
Now I totally get why people rave about Raffles.
For a Dubai honeymoon, this is absolutely the place.
We weren’t even on our honeymoon, but it still gave full honeymoon energy.
I still can’t believe those neon-green lights somehow didn’t look tacky.
Seriously, wow.
In-Room Dining
Breakfast Room Service
This was another service we received as part of their apology.
We could have eaten at the breakfast restaurant,
but they told us, if going down feels inconvenient, just enjoy breakfast in your room,
and when we said yes, this is what showed up.
They literally rolled in the whole table.
Of course the food arrived covered and they set everything up beautifully.
At a buffet, we usually only take what we think we’ll eat,
but here they brought a full spread,
so we had no choice but to eat until we were absolutely stuffed.
I mean, you can’t just leave all that behind, right?
A full basket of bread, multiple kinds of jam, fruit,
and plenty of coffee too. They were incredibly generous.
Babe, sitting there like that, you look like a Middle Eastern billionaire.
That bright blue arm float on the left really ruined the vibe though.
Check-out
Anyway, even though there was that one issue,
we fully got past it, and they kept taking care of us
right up until the day we checked out, so my final memory of the stay is still a good one.
The Duplex Suite that was my room for five days,
I miss it already.
Though if I go back next time, the stairs were inconvenient enough
that I’d probably choose a wider single-level room instead.
After checking out of Raffles, we had to head to Abu Dhabi
for our final remaining night,
and can you guess which hotel we stayed at?
A place I returned to after one year: Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi!
That’s one of my all-time favorite hotels, and even going back,
I still loved that signature Rixos vibe just as much.
Raffles is definitely better in terms of facilities,
but in terms of emotional attachment or familiarity,
Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi still wins my heart.
I meant for this to be a short summary post,
but wow, this turned out very, very long.