This Staycation at St.Regis Dubai was not a self-paid one. I was invited but the opinions within are purely my own and not influenced by anyone. 

I feel like this is becoming an old drone by now, but I swear to you, it has been a really crazy busy month. A staycation is just what I needed, but if I was going to afford the time for one, it had to be downright awesome. I am fortunate enough to have a Farah in my life, who extended an invitation to me and a from none other than the St.Regis Dubai.

St.Regis is a time-honored concept, and for good reason. The hotel chain was founded in 1904, in New York City, by John Jacob Astor IV.Influenced by the beaux-arts architecture of the original St. Regis New York, the hotel’s interiors take you back to the 18th century of classical design.

Today, it is part of the Starwood Hotel Group, but it still oozes just as much class and luxury as I imagine for it to have done so back in the day. I’ve been to some extremely luxurious hotels, but with it’s crystal and marble clad interiors and neutral tones, this is the one that now supersedes all others as the best decorated and most aesthetically appealing hotel I’ve stayed at in Dubai. Consider all claims made before this review, overwritten. Unlike most other hotels, St.Regis Dubai doesn’t come across as soulless. St.Regis Dubai is home decor goals. Period.

St.Regis Dubai revolves around the story of a fictitious Arab traveller, who travelled the world and built this hotel based on inspiration and art pieces from around the world. A painting of said traveller hangs in the reception.

Lobby: St.Regis Dubai undisputedly has one of the most breathtaking lobbies. Two grand white marble staircases with gilded balustrades sweep upwards from either sides of the entrance, from the ground floor to the first, and reassure you that you have indeed arrived in to the lap of luxury. The iconic staircases are the most photographed spots in the hotel, and understandably so. The second I see a picture of someone on one of these staircases, I know they’ve been to St.Regis Dubai. The cherry on this sundae of Pinterest gold, is the colossal hand-cut crystal chandelier that is the crowning jewel on all the grandiose.

Check In was smooth and the welcome was warm. No sugary welcome drinks here, only dates, Arabic coffee, and flat water. I would have liked the option of sparkling water too, but other than that, I’m happy to pass on sugary drinks. Pick H2O. I was introduced to our butler for the stay, who then ushered me (and carried my luggage) up to our room. He did a great job at explaining all the amenities, facilities and F&B options to me.

The Room: We stayed in one of the smallest rooms, The Grand Deluxe Suite (going rate AED 2,180), but it was still one of the best hotel room experiences I’ve ever had. It didn’t feel small, and the room personified class and affluence without being ornate. It didn’t look like the room of a nous vous riche, which is far too common a sight in blingy-blingy Dubai. With neutral tones, motif wallpaper on one wall, and striped on all others, the grey-beige room was a perfect mix of elegant yet homey.

Do not even get me started on the bed. The bed was like a marshmallow that just wrapped itself around me and made waking up one of the most daunting tasks of my life! Usually, twin beds are (for some nonsensical reason) less cushy than king-sized beds. This was far from the case here!

Upon arrival (and the daily wake up call), you’re offered a complimentary tea or coffee service, in room. They also offer unpacking and packing service, as well as complimentary pressing of two garments per day!

The minibar had private labeled snacks (always a pro as this helps keep the aesthetics in line), and although the coffee was not Nespresso, the tea was Dammann, and I only really care for the tea, so yay!

Bathroom:

Marble on marble on marble! I don’t think a bathroom can possibly look more romantic than this one. I’ve seen other marble clad bathrooms, in places like Waldorf Astoria, Address Boulevard and Palazzo Versace, but somehow, this one takes the crown. Despite all the marble, there was a sense of warmth to it, and the light just moody enough without being too dim. It was wonderful.

The his and hers sinks were also unusual, facing opposite walls rather than side by side, making great use of the space.

I especially loved the fittings, and the single rose on each of the countertops. Toiletries were by Remede, which is always a good thing.

After we had settled in, we were offered a guided tour of the Bugatti and Sir Winston Churchill suites. This isn’t common practice, but we got a media pass (squeee!)

Inspired by the Bespoke Craftsmanship of the Bentley Mulsanne, the Bentley Suite is the first of its kind in the Middle East. The Bentley Suite was very much like the inside of a Bentley turned into a residence and the ultimate man cave. It even smelled like the inside of a brand new car- very leather. The chandeliers were designed to look like wheel rims, the tables were made of the same material that the dashboards are made of, and the bathtub cost USD 25,000 because it was carved out of one giant rock of marble! This was extremely over the top, and not my style at all. I could just feel myself getting car sick in there.

The Sir Winston Churchill Suite, however, was a whole other story. Sprawled across 913 square meters, this palatial suite is even bigger than the St.Regis Dubai ballroom! Going at a starting price of AED 75,000 per night, it was occupied for a full six months by the last guest!

As quoted in the press release, “The suite features a vast living room, a formal 12-seater dining room, elegant study, relaxing lounge area and a spacious majlis that is ideal for meetings. ”

The suite even contains one of Sir Winston Churchill’s cigars, which dates back to 1949 and was purchased at an auction by Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor and donated to the suite.

I found the upper storey to look far too tacky compared to the ground floor, but that’s because I have never been a fan of indoor pools, to be fair.

Sidra Lounge: Completely overwhelmed by what we had just seen, we plopped down for some afternoon tea at Sidra Lounge. Afternoon Tea is a St.Regis ritual. Mrs. Astor (the founder’s mother), was one of the biggest socialites back in the day, and she used to hold intimate gatherings for the creme de la creme of the society: her friends. This gave birth to the St.Regis Afternoon Tea ritual, which is carried on at St.Regis Dubai in their Sidrah Lounge. To read all about our Afternoon Tea experience, click here.

Completely stuffed on an absolutely exquisite afternoon tea (well I was, anyway), we headed back to our room and just chilled out. Courtney took out her laptop, I was on my phone, and VH1 was playing in the background. That’s what made this staycation absolutely perfect: it was very relaxed and we weren’t rushing from one F&B outlet to the next, racing against time.

We actually ended up skipping dinner too, and just went down to the bar to have some light snacks and get totally wasted on sparkling water. I don’t drink, but I like lounges. I like how one can just…lounge there…for hours on end. It had a very warm feel to it, with moody lighting from lamps and music that fit the surroundings and added to the overall experience rather than being so loud as to have your own thoughts hard to hear.

I was not super impressed by the menu though. The wagyu sliders were too dry and overcooked. The octopus was unbelievably tender, but the marinade was too sweet and not well-balanced. What we did love, though, were the parmesan fries and the spicy cheesy crackers- they were like crack!

In Room Dining: The next morning, I planned on swinging by Brasserie Quartier for some sun-kissed pictures of croissant heaven, but the marshmallow bed refused to let me go. We ended up ordering In Room Dining for my quintessential, staged, breakfast in bed flat lay. Courtney ordered the poached eggs, with some granola, an avocado smoothie, some yogurt and fresh juice. I went for the carbs on carbs on carbs and ordered some hash browns with a basket of croissants. Yes, I am an animal. No, I have no shame.

Our breakfast looked a bit like this:

Small details that I loved from our overall experience:

• The tiered server of welcome baklava was super fresh. Far too many places refrigerate and repurpose baklava left over from the previous night’s dinner buffet, and I can always tell.
• Dammann Paris teabags. Quality tea is key.
• Private labeled snacks. I like to see the snacks in the minibar labeled with the hotel name as it keeps , rather than the bright red box of Pringles that simply does not fit in.
• Separate His and Her sinks.

Small details that I wished for:

• Pillow mints/chocolates
• Separate, waterproof and disposable slippers for the bathroom
• A breakfast request form that we could have just filled up and hung outside the door at night.
• To not be redirected to IRD, Housekeeping or Concierge everything I dialed for the butler. It almost renders the point of a butler moot.

After breakfast, we checked out but weren’t quite ready to bid farewell to the property just as yet, so we headed to Iridium Spa, which you can read all about here.

Overall, this staycation is one for the books and most certainly something to write home about. A feather in my hat, if you may.