Magic at The One & Only Royal Mirage Dubai review!

Once upon a time in a magical land far far away… A land which was filled with soaring skyscrapers and twinkling lights to the left, and a crystal clear glistening sea to the right, there lived two very over excited people who had travelled all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to begin this holiday of dreams.

And they lived happily ever after. Until they had to come home. And cried for a month straight.

The end.

So there we go guys, that was my perfect fairytale of a holiday summed up in two sentences, but shall we rewind and go back to the beginning? Because I have SO much to tell you all and I am bursting at the seems with excitement.

I know I aways get ridiculously over excited when I’m telling you guys about the wonderful places I have travelled to so far, but this hotel honestly blew me away a million and one times over  and I can hand on heart say that that The One & Only Royal Mirage now wins the award for the best hotel I have ever been to in the WORLD. I know. What a statement.

Ive always been aware of how iconic and incredible the One & Only brand is, so to stay at one of its beautiful properties was the biggest dream come true. I truly think I have peaked in life and nothing will ever compare again. Everything from the magical kind service, the dreamiest yummiest food i’ve ever tasted, the most beautiful stunning of settings and the ridiculous fun we had was 1000 out of 10. We were asked by the manager on our last day to give constructive criticism about how they could change the hotel for the better, and we honestly laughed out loud in his face. “DO NOT change one little thing” we screamed in exclamation. “This has been the most perfect ten days of our life!!!!’

And on that note I think it’s time to get stuck in….I hope you’re comfy…..

ARRIVING AT THE PALACE

I don’t care what anyone says, there is no greater feeling in the world than jumping into a cab in a brand new destination and travelling to your new hotel knowing that you have an epic adventure awaiting you on the other side. But this grand arrival absolutely took it to the next level. After a countdown for this holiday that lasted over a year, we had finally arrived to Dubai. It was extremely late at night when we pulled into The Royal Mirage’s entrance. The car had taken us through the complexes long sweeping roads that were filled with overpowering tall palm trees that had been adorned in twinkling fairy lights. Within the first two seconds we already felt as if we were in a fairytale. And as the car pulled into the courtyard which was surrounded by lanterns  and torches filled with burning flames I felt myself welling up. (Your soon get to know that I get very over emotional on holiday) I stepped out of the cab in my thick Adidas tracksuit and was smacked in the face with the 40 degree heat. Absolutely Stunning. The kind doormen greeted us and hit a gigantic bong to signify our arrival. I actually had goosebumps. Our magical trip to The One and Only Royal Mirage had begun.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW HOME

Two minutes into our adventure I was already on the verge of tears because as I stepped into The Palace’s lobby (which by the way is an absolute dream)  I truly believed I had stepped into my very own fairytale.

One minute i’m squashed up in the economy section of a plane with severe leg cramp, eating dry crackers and the next thing I know i’m being ushered into a plush lobby which is surrounded by the brightest and most beautiful array of tropical flowers i’ve ever seen, whilst being offered delicious Arabian tea and treats. After the most calm and peaceful check in we were quickly escorted to our room, and my goodness did we feel like the luckiest pair alive.

THE ROOM

Luxurious, opulent and decadent are probably the best three words to describe our new boduior. The decor had a rich golden theme which oozed cosiness and class and we felt at home straight away. The room was a very generous size, whilst not being too over powering, with a gorgeous bed in the middle, a sofa area, stunning balcony facing the pool area and array of palm trees, and a separate bathroom with a gorgeous bath and separate shower area. It had everything we could have wanted and more.

I mean its not every day you get to flick through your own pillow menu is it?!?

SORRY WHAT?!?!  I KNOW!!!! A PILLOW MENU!!!!!

And yes, we absolutely were those people who ordered three different pillows within 20 seconds of arriving just so we could try them all out and brag to everyone back home that we were officially living the lifeeeeee.

Can you tell we don’t get out much?

The icing on the very delicious cake was that the hotel had very kindly left me a gigantic edible shoe made of white chocolate, which was filled with an assortment of macaroons to welcome us into our new room. We devoured it in seconds. Every minute of this holiday so far was getting better and better, and I was a mixture of emotional, shrilly, over excited tired mess living my best life.

So by now it was probably about 11pm….. time for bed after a long day of travel wouldn’t you say? But oh no, that would be a boring first chapter.

Instead like over excited children we ran straight to the Italian restaurant (always thinking of our bellies)  to see if they had any spare food to feed us, and my goodness were we in luck. The incredible staff at Olives (who by the end of our holiday become our full on bessies) welcomed us with open arms and we were treated like absolute king and queens where we had the whole restaurant to ourselves.The head chef kindly offered to make us any fresh pasta of our choice and we munched away in awe, discussing all our exciting plans for the days ahead. It was the most perfect, special first night, and our holiday hadn’t even properly begun.

LIFE AT THE PALACE

Life at The One & Only Royal Mirage was an absolute perfect dream and we very quickly settled into the most blissful, relaxing life there. Our daily routine consisted of a breakfast fit for a king and queen (but back to the food later), a dreamy few hours spent at the poolside relaxing under the palm trees. A delicious lunch, then straight to an afternoon on the beach, splashing around in the sea, sandy walks and pineapple floats. Do you hate me yet?

But honestly, I hadn’t had a relaxing holiday like this in over a year so I didn’t feel one bit of guilt for being the biggest laziest beach bum of all time. Instead I soaked up every second and didn’t take one little moment for granted.

And whilst these pictures certainly do the talking, I just wanted to fill you lot in on just how spacious and incredible the grounds at the hotel are.

The One & Only hotel actually left me speechless most of the time I was there. Every corner you turned there was another magical surprise to see. If someone told me that Alladdin had been filmed there I would have believed you. And I was absolutely living for the magic.

The gigantic hotel grounds itself is actually split into three sections, The Palace, The Arabian Court and The Residence. Each section is absolutely huge, and is big enough to count as its own hotel with its own pool area and restaurants. Im going to break down each part for you all, as they are all absolutely unique with a totally different feel. And what I loved about this hotel is that you get to explore each part and use all the facilities so you could never possibly get bored. And however big the hotel was, it never felt overpowering. Infant I would call it the most cosy, homely hotel I have even stayed at.

We stayed at The Palace, because where else would a princess stay? I joke, I joke.

But for reals, this was the best decision we ever made so let me tell you why…

THE PALACE

A majestic, traditional  palace, that oozes class and style. This part of The One & Only’ truly has the magic of Arabia sprinkled every where you went and it truly felt like being in a filmset.

Highlights- Its the buzziest part of the hotel with so much atmosphere. The gigantic swimming pool is iconic with to die for views of the city. Home to my favourite restaurants ‘Celebrities (fine dining), Olives (Italian) and Beach Bar and Grill (Think divine steaks on the beach) The Palace beach area is furthest away from any roads or building work in the city. (In Dubai you are always seeing building work because the city never sleeps and is constantly developing, but hand on heart, you can never hear a thing)

Negative- Errrrrrm, that they haven’t offered for me to live there forever?

THE ARABIAN COURT

Utterly breathtaking interiors with the most detailed and opulent detail.

Highlights- The Arabian Court truly has the wow factor, with the interiors actually blowing me away. Think rose petals, sweeping staircases and the tallest and detailed of ceilings. Home to one of the best again restaurant ‘Eauzone’ which sits over the sparkling blue water.

Negative- However stunning this section is, I think for me, it was just that bit tooooo quite compare to The Palace.

THE RESIDENSE AND SPA

An intimate and quiet hideaway, that only has 49 rooms.

Highlights- If you want an escape from people and from reality this is the place to go.

Negative- For me, I love atmosphere, so I wouldn’t like the total peace and quiet here.

SHOP MY DUBAI OUTFITS HERE!

THE BEACH

Linking all three parts to this hotel together is the gigantic sandy beach, which spreads out over a kilometer. The beach was one of my favourite parts of the hotel.

The sand was powder white and as soft as silk,  the glimmering sea sparkled and felt like bath water, and the views of the city truly took my breath away. Some of the most magical memories made where on this beach where we would walk up and down every afternoon, chatting away and putting the world to right, reading novels until the spines broke, and having the dreamiest of afternoon shluffs.

JETTY LOUNGE

My favourite part of the beach was The Jetty Lounge, which was smack bang in the middle of the three buildings. This was the heart and soul of the beach, by day it was a chic and cool day club, and by night it turned into the most STUNNING open air bar ive ever been too. Imagine pure white leather day beds, bean bags and hammocks,  under a row of palm trees, with deep house music and views of the city. It doesn’t get much better than that does it? After most evening meals we would rock up to the jetty lounge with our bellies full, ready to collapse under the stars and end the night with some cocktails on the highest of highs. We would then walk back to our room via the beach, shoes off, sand between our toes and planning our next day of fun.

DRIFT BEACH CLUB

“Wave after wave… I’m slowly drifting”…

Has there ever been a more perfect song to sum up this beach club? I think not! Now Drift Beach Club needs to go on EVERYONES Dubai do list as soon as possible. Just trust me on this!!!!

Having only just opened two years ago, this is the most classy, modern and cool beach club ive ever set foot in. And it’s on The One & Only’s grounds! Now usually, you would find me in a beach club in Marbs with my girlies and the idea of going on a date day with the hubs to so called day club would usually see me laughing out loud at the idea. But honestly this was one of our favourite ever experiences together. We did not feel out of place once as a couple. Yes there were big groups, but there was an equal amount of couples all having the best time together.

Its an extremely classy day club with very chilled vibes, everyone is just there to relax and soak up the good vibes. It was the absolute opposite of chavvy, it wasn’t filled with loud, screaming drunk people and I would recommend to anyone in a heart beat. Oh and do me a favour, order the salsa tacos for lunch. Your welcome!

A Summersholiyay tip- Go on a Friday for the best vibes. This is the start of the weekend in Dubai. Also get there around 11am to get the best bed nearest the pool. By 1pm the whole club is packed out.

Also if you are staying at any of the One & Only properties you will get 50% off entry fee. Winner winner, chicken dinner.

THE FOOD AT THE ONE & ONLY

If I start talking about the food it will take you a year to finish this blog post. So I will keep this nice and brief. During my ten days at this resort I devoured the best food I have ever experienced in my whole entire life. The food at this hotel deserves its own blog post, so this will be coming your way extremely soon!!!

P.S Here is a sneaky peek of what’s to come!!

ONE AND ONLY- THE PALM

Talk about saving the best till last!!!

Now, for those of you who follow me on Instagram you will remember the night on holiday where I absolutely lost the plot on my stories.

I’ll try and break it down quickly for you. It goes something like this…. Walking along a jetty in the sea, getting on a private boat, fainting, arriving in the middle of the sea, views to die for, fainting, getting on a private buggy, fainting, arriving at The One and Only The Palm, having a meal of dreams, fainting, and then doing it all over again for the midnight boat back home.

Okay sorry ill try and stop with the dramatics, but honestly, I dont think ive ever quite experienced a night quite like that in my life. I felt SO lucky and so over whelmed and didnt take a second for granted.

And if your still a bit lost, to break it down, if you stay at The One & Only brand, you are able to visit all of their properties and dine at any of their restaurants. But the journey there is all part of the incredible experience, as you get taken around by private boat in the middle of the sparkling sea. CAN YOU EVEN COPE? We felt like we were in our own music video.

It was a total pinch me moment and one of the best nights of our life. In fact we loved it so much we ended up going back to the property three more times. I mean its not every day you get to travel around like kings and queens. The central line is my usual mode of transport so you can see why I nearly died of excitement. Why can’t every day be a boat day??

So there we have it. The best ten days of my life. And I hope by now you are on the phone to Emirates booking your flights.

But I’m not quite done here yet. I’ll have my food blog post, and my top ten things to do in Dubai posts coming your way v soon. This blog is about to be overdosed on alllllll things Dubes and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The One & Only, you made all of my dreams come true. I will never ever ever get over you.

Speak to you soon darlings,

Sammy xxxx

Please note, this post was is no shape or form sponsored or discounted by the One & Only brand however I would like to say the biggest thank you to Lucy from the press team at the Royal Mirage, who kindly met with us on our first morning and went out of her way to ensure our stay was totally magical! You are amazing Lucy!

SHOP MY DUBAI OUTFITS HERE!

If you enjoyed this post you may enjoy my other Hotel Reviews:

Barcelona The W Hotel

New York- The Edition

Maldives- Kuramathi

Soho Farmhouse

• Disclaimer- This post contains products with affiliate links, that will earn me a tiny bit of commission if you choose to purchase them. (It doesn’t cost you anything extra). All items on this page I own or have used and as always, I will 100% tell the truth on everything!!