Lotus Hotel - Dubai, United Arab Emirates     

My wife and I stayed here for 2 nights. While not a "luxury Dubai" experience, we found the hotel very suitable and a good value. The hotel is on Rigga St, about 15 minutes from the airport (depending on trafffic). Lots of shopping within walking distance or a short taxi ride away. Others have mentioned the number of fast food places. There are several other low/moderately priced restaurants in the area, including a Flipino Grill, Beirut Grill and, good news for a native New Englander, a Dunkin Donuts! Plenty of good food within a 5 minute walk. The hotel is an older (for Dubai) place. Small lobby; efficient reception and bellboy. There is a nightclub adjacent to the lobby which is loud and smoky, but I did not hear the noise in my room (5th floor). Note: Rigga St is a busy street, and there is a little traffic noise. Not particularly bothersome for us (hardly noticed it) but it is there. Our (regular) room was on the small side, but sufficient. It had a king size bed with an average mattress. Not great, not bad either. Four nice/comfortable pillows and a light comforter. There is a desk/chair, 2 small but adequate chairs and a small coffee table. Heat worked, and you can open the window if you want. Internet service is 75 dhs/day (gulp). The mini-bar has typically HIGH prices. The TV had a mix of English, Arabic, Indian and French language channels. BBC, but no CNN. The closet was on the small side, but OK for 2 people. Our closet was split in half vertically, so you could not fully hang a woman's long dress. The safe in our room did not work (actually it did, but it was not attached to the closet, so was essentially useless). The bathroom was clean, but the grout could use a deep cleaning. Towels were clean, and there were the usual toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc). No coffee/tea maker in the room. We did not use the restaurant, pool or gym. Good mix of tourists in the hotel, including a large number of Europeans, Indians and Arabs. Most appeared to be on vacation/holiday. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Overall a good experience; would rate the hotel as being average, when compared to other Dubai 4* places. Definately not as luxurious as the 'low-end' 5-stars, but a good basic hotel in a good location at a good price (for Dubai, that is). We will stay there again.

What a dump! In the US, this would have been a one or two star hotel. We were greeted in the lobby by the thumping from a loud sleazy discotheque. The halls were poorly lit and not maintained. The room was in disrepair with torn and worn patches on the carpet and wallpaper. The bathroom was cramped and the shower spilled water all over the floor. If you're on a tight budget, this place is cheap and clean. If you're looking for the Dubai luxury experience, though, you won't find it here.