Surprise! You can make Dubai an affordable stopover or destination stay, and my Dubai accommodation in Al Barsha is proof of that. At only $870 for five nights with breakfast (around $174 per night) this stay at the Hampton by Hilton was much cheaper than I expected and the hotel was much better than I thought I would find for this price.
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Here’s what you need to know about the Hampton by Hilton at Al Barsha.
It’s on the metro
Al Barsha is on Dubai’s metro line – the station is MASHREQ – and the Hampton by Hilton is about a two minute walk to the metro.
The metro is so easy to get around on, but my big tip is to buy a NOL card from the train station when you arrive as it makes life so easy.
TIP: Buy a NOL card when you first arrive and top it up. I got mine at the airport. The average trip is around 7.50 AED so it super affordable and your card will last a while. I put 100 AED on mine and with daily trips to Expo and excursions to the Marina I didn’t even use it all. Find more info about the Dubai Metro here.
From the airport
I took the metro from the airport to Al Barsha – Al MASHREQ station. The trains are so frequent and it took about 25 minutes. The hotel was so close by, about a two-minute walk. The ticket was around $2.70 (7.50 AED).
Close to shops
It’s about a 10 minute walk to the Mall of the Emirates and it’s so easy to get there along the footpath of a main road.
So many restaurants and cafe
Just outside the hotel are two convenience stores that sell everything from toothbrushes and toothpaste (if you forget yours like I did) to dates, flatbread and fruit.
There are so many restaurants here that you can eat in our take out. I survived on tabouleh, Fattoush, hommus and flatbread from the restaurant across the road but there are lots to choose from and a Turkish restaurant/café around the corner. It’s so cheap too. I think I was spending about $10 on a big meal for dinner.
About the room
My room was big and the bed was comfy. There’s a good-sized bathroom with shower, and it’s really clean and comfortable.
Breakfast is really good
Western food plus middle eastern with hummus and flatbread, fruit, cheese, cereal – it really has everything. The breakfast room is really lovely and is frequently sanitised as well as having sanitiser on each table.
The staff are so helpful
The staff here are really helpful. Nelson was a big help to me and anther staff member helped me get a taxi when I had to go off the metro line for a meeting. There’s a selection of snacks and chocolates and Starbucks coffee at reception.
Swimming pool
The rooftop pool is reasonably sized. There’s a lifeguard and sun lounges.
