Four Points by Sheraton Al Ain — Hotel in Hili

Location: It's outside the city, which is good if you don't want to waste time with the hundreds of roundabouts in the city and escape the noise. You're next to Buraimi, and can see the borderpost and villas on Oman's side, which was nice. Finally, the best bit, the hotel is connected to Hili Mall, which has a Lulu hypermarket too, should you choose to do some shopping after checking-in. And the parking is underground and hence, your vehicle remains cool and protected.

Facilities:

The room came with a decent-sized balcony, overlooking the city, the washroom had a tub and a shower and also had a Muslim shower/bidet, which was a welcome change from your usual hotels and there was also an ironing board with an iron. We got to use their kettle too for soup and hot cocoa and the beds were comfortable and just right.

There's a decent-sized swimming pool, but the kid's area could be bigger.

The Food/Half-Board:

You'd be forgiven for thinking Elements is a proper restaurant and not a dinner buffet, where they would ask if you needed anything, and made sure we were happy with the food, and even offered to make french fries for my daughter since she's a picky eater.

We were amazed to find the following items: apple crumble, bakhlava, beef stir fry, beef vindaloo, biryani rice with cashew nuts, biscuits, butter chicken, chocolate fondue with assorted dips, cold mezzeh, grilled chicken, lamb masala, mahalabiya, mushroom and peas masala gravy, nasi goreng rice, noodles, spinach soup, spring rolls, a sushi bar, strawberry pie, sweet and sour fish, tandoori chicken tikka, tandoori roti, tom yum soup, and many types of dessert items such as sego pudding, rice cakes with jaggery , umme ali and various cakes such as opera and praline cake.

For breakfast, we were greeted with baked beans, balaleet, boiled eggs, bread sticks, chicken sausages, different cuts of processed meat and cheeses, different types of cakes, croissants, Danish pastries, muffins, banana cake, breads and a huge variety of cheeses, foul medamas, fresh watermelon, grapefruit, orange and carrot juice, fruit and vegetable salad, fruit compote, Karak Chai (tea), made to order omelette, many types of cereal, potato wedges, scrambled eggs, shakshouka, tomato with herbs, turkey bacon, various yoghurts, vegetable ratatouille and various flavours of detox water. Oh, and a pancake and waffle station with bottomless condiments in the form of M&Ms, Oreos, syrups peanut butter and Nutella chocolate. Your kids will thank you.

Which is why I don't understand why the previous visitors thought the food could do with more variety? Maybe they're used to substandard Eid buffets that are noisy and disorganised but this restaurant was a welcome change and I'm glad we went for the half-board option.

This review has made me want to visit them again, and just stay for the food.

Employees who were awesome:

Honeylen was very helpful during Check-In and Check-Out and very professional. We were amazed at being bumped to a room with a balcony with a choice of views. Also, the dinner and breakfast staff were very helpful and kind, and so were the people and security who greeted us when we were entering and leaving, with Arabic...

I have been to so many hotels since we travel alot but I've never experienced incredible guest service like I experienced at Four Points By Sheraton Alain. The service and friendliness of the staffs at this hotel is on a whole top level. Right from check-in we were recieved by the receptionist Jaheen,he gave us the first impression of a great service with an incredible smile, he upgraded our room to deluxe with a pool view (Room 444), he showed us the way to the mall which happened to be right inside the hotel ,he granted us our request for a late checkout. He was incredibly awesome 👌. When we got into the room we were surprised with a full platter of fresh mixed whole fruit and a few minutes later the housekeeping attendant Juhain brought us 3 bottles of drinking water to add to the ones we already found in the room as if he knew that i drink alot of water 😄😄. We then recieved a curtesy call from the receptionist Jaheen asking to know if everything was okay, if we needed anything. It was awesome being checked upon just to make sure we were doing fine. We then later called the reception around 12am requesting for a bottle of drinking water because i had finished the ones we had in the room only to be surprised with six bottles of water by Umar one of the housekeeping attendant 🤭this blew me away, never had we had a hotel give us so much water like Four Points By Sheraton Alain, most of the times they would bring two bottles but brining six was totally ontop of the game. At the restaurant we were greeted by Mike and the philipine lady who took my order unfortunately i forgot her name but she was really nice and kind ,Mike advised us to visit the jebel Hafeet mountain which had a great view I definitely enjoyed my stay at this hotel and I'm definitely gonna book my stay here when I happen to come to Alain again. To all the Front line employees at Four Points By Sheraton Alain you're the Best hotel staffs in the world. You guys deserve an award of recognition 👏 💜 ✨️ 🙌 ❤️. I with gratitude in my heart appreciate your incredibly awesome service rendered to everyone of us (guests) that walk through that door of Four Points By Sheraton Alain to enjoy our vacations or business trips. THANK YOU ALL. GOD BLESS YOUR HARD WORK...

Oh, where to begin with my week-long staycation at the Rotana in Al Ain, UAE? It's a tale of ups, downs, and springy beds!

Let's start with the arrival. After a week of anticipation, we were welcomed into a lobby so vast, you could easily lose a small country in it. Hats off to Rotana for keeping the art of grand lobbies alive in this day and age!

Upgraded to a premium room with a balcony, I was ready to bask in luxury. But ah, the bed. Ever dreamt of sleeping on a trampoline? Me neither, but that's exactly what the springy bed felt like. Morning backaches became an unexpected part of my staycation routine. But who needs comfort when you have character, right?

The balcony view, however, was a redeeming feature. Al Ain's landscape, sprinkled with the iconic date trees of Al Ain Oasis, was a sight for sore eyes (and backs). The pool, a pristine blue oasis, was perfect for a dip, and the tennis court seemed like a great idea for those who enjoy swatting balls after a back-breaking sleep.

Now, let's talk about the gym. Unlike the typical hotel gyms that are more decorative than functional, this one was a pleasant surprise. Clean, with enough Technogym machines to actually break a sweat. The jacuzzi and steam area, mysteriously shrouded in darkness (because mood lighting trumps visibility?), was immaculate.

Attached to the hotel was the Hilli Mall - not the biggest, but it had everything you need to buy things you didn't know you needed.

Breakfast was... well, it was breakfast. Adequate, but without the excitement of live stations. It seems the chef prefers to remain an enigmatic figure, hidden behind the kitchen doors.

Requesting a late check-out was a breeze - the management was as accommodating as the beds were springy. And speaking of breezes, the check-out process was just that. Quick, efficient, and painless – unlike my back.

In conclusion, if you're seeking a traffic-free, quiet holiday spot in Al Ain and don't mind a bed that doubles as a bouncy castle, this is the place for you. Just remember to pack some painkillers for...