SAL — Restaurant in Dubai

A Shocking Display of Arrogance and Unprofessionalism – Unacceptable for Burj Al Arab

I usually write very positive reviews, and this is my first negative one in Dubai, a country where hospitality and service are a priority. Unfortunately, my experience at Sal, the beach club of Burj Al Arab, was so unprofessional and unpleasant that I feel compelled to share it.

Uncommunicated Policies & High-Pressure Behavior

I arrived at Sal at 4:30 PM without a reservation and was promptly seated, informed of the minimum spend of 300 AED per person, which was not an issue. I was meeting a business associate for an important discussion, expecting a pleasant, professional environment.

My friend arrived at 4:45 PM, and we ordered coffee while settling in. Soon after, a waiter persistently pressured us to order food, despite us clearly stating we would order later. His pushy, impatient demeanor already raised concerns. Then, out of nowhere, he abruptly informed us that the kitchen would be closing in 30 minutes (at 5:15 PM) and would only reopen at 7 PM.

This critical information was never disclosed beforehand, making it impossible for us to enjoy a proper meal. If we had known, we wouldn’t have stayed! Realizing that we wouldn’t be able to conduct our business lunch under such rushed conditions, we decided to simply pay for our coffee and leave.

Manager’s Disgusting Attitude & Bullying Behavior

Instead of handling the situation professionally, the so-called “manager” (a white European male, possibly Italian or French) displayed the most arrogant, condescending, and aggressive behavior I have ever witnessed in a fine dining establishment. He approached us with zero professionalism, zero empathy, and a hostile attitude, as if he personally owned the Burj Al Arab. • He insisted we had to order food, despite us clearly stating we were unaware of the kitchen closing and did not wish to eat under pressure. • When we refused, he became visibly agitated, his body language aggressive, and his attitude unbearably rude. • His tone was disrespectful, and he made an absurd comment: “If everybody comes here just for coffee, imagine—we cannot earn our money.” • Excuse me? Since when do customers owe you an explanation for what they order? Especially when your OWN STAFF failed to inform us about the kitchen closure? • This money-hungry, commission-driven approach is disgraceful for a venue that claims to be part of the world’s most luxurious hotel.

Intimidation & Uncomfortable Atmosphere

As two Arab businesswomen, respectfully dressed (I was wearing my abaya), the way he glared at us with hostility and contempt made us deeply...

We chose to visit SAL for the night swim offering as we’d seen so much about it. When we arrived, it was immediately a let down, it felt like we were turning up to a party late - everything was messy, the sunbeds we were given were wet and most of them were covered in sand, the pool was full of sand and didn’t look appealing, and the team had checked out and you could tell they weren’t that bothered. It took ages for our drinks to arrive, and when the bottle did come we were in the pool and they just left the bottle unopened on the table without letting us know - when we realised it was there, we couldn’t find anyone to help us open it (it was a corked bottle) so we had to walk around with the bottle until someone helped us - not the service we’d expect from a seven star hotel. Once we were settled and had drinks, they told us the kitchen was closing, so it didn’t leave us much time at all and felt very rushed. When it was time to leave, the lifeguards just shouted over to us and made a cross sign with their arms, so we assumed it was our time to leave based on this rude signal. Again, I would expect someone to politely let us know it’s closing time and not shout across to us in a seven star establishment. It was all just very underwhelming, especially considering how much the whole experience cost. I appreciate that this offering is only during summer and a way for guests who maybe usually can’t access SAL in the day, but it felt very much like an afterthought and there was no effort in thinking about the guests and considering it’s still not cheap, I would have expected them to still make it a special experience. It’s very much put me off this venue after this, and I wouldn’t pay to return, which is a shame as I’m usually such a fan of...

Pool day pass experience: This is a beautiful place and pool, with very nice views. However, unfortunately the quality experience of this place has gone down since the last time we visited. First the front standing ladies, wearing blue dress, are not really welcoming and they didn’t say any greetings to us. Then, they told me from the 700 dirhams charge, 350 is redeemable on everything, but when I got the bill, they surprised me by saying that shisha is not included in this!!! Whatttt??? I was really shocked!! Felt like being tricked by the staff as no one told us anything about this!!! So had to pay 250 extra out of pocket because of this!!! Also, the quality of service was really bad, each time pressing the service button, had to wait for 15-20 mins to get someone and most of the times, I had to stop service people passing by to ask for a drink or sth, which is quite unpleasant considering the price you pay and the luxury this place claims to offer! Some other details are also not good and not at the level of burj al arab, like the water bags are dirty and their zips are broken so if you don’t notice you can injure your fingers,also before they used to give high quality waters like Voss but this time was one of the cheapest Al Ain water. Overall, the experience was underwhelming and I won’t be...