Family TravelGuide to DubaiTravel Edit

10 OF THE BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN DUBAI

JA HATTA FORTJA HATTA FORT

THE MOST FAMILY FRIENDLY HOTELS AND RESORTS FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION IN DUBAI

Dubai and family friendly go hand in hand, with the city’s many hotels catering for guests of every age. Boasting facilities from waterparks to kids’ clubs, heaps of fun activities and rooms to accommodate family groups, you can expect all of the extras including friendly airport pickups, daily towel art and unsurpassable service with big smiles when staying at these family friendly resorts.  

Jumeirah Beach Hotel
JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL

JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL

A Family Friendly Overview:

Jumeirah Beach Hotel is arguably the most family friendly and best known in Dubai– its wave like design is recognised all over the world. The hotel may be one of the city’s most established resorts but a recent makeover and extensive refurbishment of guest rooms, lobby areas, outdoor areas and restaurants has brought this iconic property right up to date with beautiful interiors and plenty of natural light. Ideally situated on Jumeirah’s 2-kilometre pristine private beach, every single guest room and suite has views of the Burj Al Arab and sparkling Arabian Sea and there are four swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, a climbing wall and watersports galore to choose from – plus a new Talise spa for parents in need of pampering. 

Other than its amazing location (both on the beach and just a short drive to Dubai’s most famous malls and attractions), families book here for unlimited direct entry to Jumeirah’s Wild Wadi Waterpark – a watery wonderworld that offers slides, rides and fun for all ages. An underwater-inspired kids club for children aged 2-12 years has a fun submarine as part of its décor and offers age-appropriate activities from soft play to storytelling, beach games to movie nights – the club is complimentary to all hotel guests. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

Beachcombers, situated right on the hotel beach, offer Asian flavours with a view (and kids can play in the sand when they’re finished too!) while Kitchen Connection features buffet dining, live music and a relaxed atmosphere. 

Best Room For Families

Book a Family Garden Suite which is located on the ground floor.  This exclusive family-orientated suite has a private terrace with direct access to the leisure pool and the hotel’s luscious gardens. And as a suite guest, you will have access to privileges including a complimentary breakfast, signature afternoon tea, sundowners and canapés plus access to the Executive Pool and Executive Beach (complete with a tanning butler and complimentary ice lollies and fruit brought to your sunbeds).

www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/jumeirah-beach-hotel

Jumeirah Al Naseem
JUMEIRAH AL NASEEM

JUMEIRAH AL NASEEM

A Family Friendly Overview:

The newest addition to Dubai’s Jumeirah family, Jumeirah Al Naseem is not only chic and sophisticated but also incredibly welcoming and family friendly.  As part of the Madinat Jumeirah Complex, which allows use of all of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotels (Jumeirah Mina A’Salam, Jumeirah Dar Al Maysaf and Jumeirah Al Qasr), the hotel offers an extensive array of activities and facilities – with more than 30 restaurants, bars and boutiques to choose from and a beautiful onsite souk with 80 more places to eat, drink and shop (a great place to push a stroller around and for young children to run about indoors). 

There is so much to make this one of the best family friendly hotels in Dubai – including a turtle rehabilitation sanctuary, part of a sea-fed lagoon within the hotel grounds where children can learn all about these amazing animals and even take part in regular feeding sessions, and activities ranging from camel rides on the beach to cooking classes, cinema on the sand and gardening. Madinat Jumeirah’s waterways provide their own entertainment in the form of Abra rides (traditional half-boat, half-raft) and as a guest of Jumeirah, you’ll also have complimentary daily access to the Wild Wadi Waterpark (located very close to the hotel) and use of Sinbads Kids Club at Jumeirah Al Qasr, where a vast aquatic play space, guarantees hours of fun and where kids aged 2-10 years are entertained with everything from arts and crafts to sports and movies.  And KIDS at Al Naseem, the hotel’s own children’s hangout not only has a spacious outdoor playground and splash pad but also swings and jungle gym plus fun daily activities to keep little ones busy and happy. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

From all day dining at The Palmery to a beach club experience at Summersalt and Rockfish plus Peruvian/Asian fine dining at Kayto and a selection of restaurants including the gorgeous Flamingo Rooms by Tasha clustered around the turtle lagoon – there are plenty of great onsite options. 

Best Room For Families

The Family Suite has a separate bedroom and lounge area with sofa beds to accommodate two children and a huge terrace with stunning sea views, guests of these large suites can also enjoy Family Lounge Club benefits which include access to the Premium Leisure Club Lounge with a playroom and computer room. 

www.jumeirah.com/en/stay/dubai/jumeirah-al-naseem

SOFITEL DUBAI THE PALM RESORT & SPA

SOFITEL DUBAI THE PALM RESORT & SPA

A Family Friendly Overview:

A luxury 5 Star Resort on the East Crescent of Dubai’s famous island Palm Jumeirah, Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa is designed with a Polynesian island theme complete with indoor vertical gardens and tropical landscaping. Set on its own stretch of private beach, the resort is perfect for families looking for an escape away from the buzz of city life, yet still within easy reach of Dubai’s main malls and attractions. With 6 pools – some featuring slides and waterfalls plus a special water area just for little ones and over 500-metres of beach with a private jetty for boat excursions and watersports, there are plenty of choices for how and where to spend your day. Kids aged between 4 and 12 years have complimentary daily access to the much-praised Amura Kids Club where a lineup of changing events from arts and crafts to cinema-style movies, Polynesian dance and music to water play at the club pool ensures that there’s always something for every little guest to get stuck into. And while the kids are enjoying some parent-free time, adults can head to the Sofitel SPA, a 2,500-metre sanctuary which highlights French Polynesian traditions. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

The resort’s 12 restaurants, bars and lounges cover everything from casual snacks to family friendly dining or something more special and sophisticated. From buffet style at the Tahitian ‘Manava’ restaurant to steak at Porterhouse Steaks and Grills, pagoda-style seafood dining at ‘Moana’ or traditional Chinese cuisine at Hong Loong plus more, there’s something for all tastes. 

Best Room For Families

Sofitel Dubai The Palm’s family 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments are tucked away in a separate building close to the children’s pools and kids club and not only include fully equipped kitchens and elegant dining areas but super convenient on-premise washing machines and dryers.  

www.sofitel-dubai-thepalm.com

Anantara the Palm Dubai
ANANTARA THE PALM DUBAI

ANANTARA THE PALM DUBAI

A Family Friendly Overview:

Synonymous with the warmth of Thai hospitality, the Anantara brand in Dubai fuses the magic of the Far East with the Middle East’s impeccable standards and service. An extremely family friendly option, this resort on palm Jumeirah’s East Crescent is the only one in the UAE to offer Maldivian-style over-water villas and vast swimmable lagoons. The resort captures the spirit of Thailand at every turn, from huge orchids to beautiful ornate Asian architecture and colourful tuk-tuks to transport you from pool to room to restaurant and beyond. 

A main 50-metre infinity pool is shallow enough for tots to splash about in while the in-pool bubble loungers and Jacuzzi area are perfect for the whole family to chill out in. But it’s the 3 lagoon shaped swimming pools around which the lagoon rooms are built which steal the show – with direct access from each room and little beach areas to swim to, this is swim fun on another level! Thai style boats regularly float around the lagoon bringing fresh fruit, snacks and treats too. 

The property’s Tuk Tuk Kids Club for 3 to 13-year-olds provides all kinds of fun activities from kayaking to castle building, hair braiding to henna painting and includes a game room with a vast selection of toys, arts and crafts materials plus movie screens and games consoles.  And if you’re traveling with teens who really don’t think it’s cool to hang out with mum and dad all day then the Chill Teens Club will allow them to socialise, join in with theme nights, play heaps of different games or get that all important gaming time on the PlayStation. 

With 400-metres of private shoreline, the beach offers the chance to relax or get active with watersports ranging from paddle boarding to waterskiing – guests can also explore the waters aboard the resort’s traditional Thai longtail boat. And finally, there’s the award-winning spa with treatments inspired by Anantara’s Asian roots.

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

From Asian fusion to Mediterranean, all cuisine types and dining environments are covered here. Mai Bar is a poolside terrace and swim-up bar, Revo Café offers boardwalk-style all day dining and The Beach House allows for seafront casual Mediterranean meals. For something a little more sophisticated, Mekong is the hotels’ traditional Asian restaurant complete with rickshaw seating and Bushman’s offers upscale Aussie fare and a deconstructed pavlova that kids will love!

Best Room For Families

The Deluxe Lagoon Access Room has direct access to the swimmable lagoons via safe, easy to navigate steps, this is the perfect room for up to four people (interconnecting options are available). 

www.anantara.com/en/palm-dubai

Atlantis the Palm
ATLANTIS THE PALM

ATLANTIS THE PALM

A Family Friendly Overview

Inspired by the ocean and the legend of the lost world of Atlantis, everything about this hotel – which dominates the Palm Jumeirah skyline, is larger than life and truly extraordinary. Undoubtedly one of Dubai’s favourite family-friendly hotels, this luxury resort offers so much that there really is no need to venture outside of its vast perimeter during your stay. With almost a mile of pristine palm-lined private beach, 2 huge pools and its very own Aquaventure Waterpark, a vast watery world with pools, lazy rivers, splash areas, slides through shark-filled lagoons and splash areas, it’s easy to spend an entire day in or on the water here. And there’s more fun inside at the resort’s Lost Chambers Aquarium which is home to an incredible 65,000 marine animals and offers a beautifully designed space in which to explore and learn (and take some pretty awesome photos too). 

An Atlantis Kids Club for 3 to 12-year-olds includes an Underwater Theatre, Play Zone, Creation Zone and Command Centre for fun of every kind, while The Zone for ages 13-17 is a teen-only hangout for chilling, playing and connecting. For outdoor play, the Little Pirates Playground in the form of a pirate ship with rope climbs and tunnels is perfect for younger kiddos who need to burn off some energy! 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

Famous for its celebrity restaurants, Atlantis is home to Nobu Dubai, Hakkasan, Ronda Locatelli and Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen – with the latter two options being very family orientated with special menus and even experiences including cooking classes and activities. Signature restaurants include Ossiano for fine dining with an underwater backdrop, Seafire Steakhouse & Bar and Wavehouse which combines live music, gaming, bowling and a view of a wave/surf machine – this is a great option for all ages.  And for brunch and themed nights, Saffron serves up plenty of dishes to suit everyone. 

Best Room For Families

The 2-bedroom Family Terrace Suite is not only spacious but comes with benefits including daily morning refreshments, afternoon tea and evening drinks at the Imperial Club Lounge, private beach access, complimentary airport transfers and priority reservations at the Atlantis restaurants. 

www.atlantis.com/dubai

Ja Hatta Fort
JA HATTA FORT

JA HATTA FORT HOTEL

A Family Friendly Overview

Just 90-minutes away from the bright city lights, Hatta Fort is a gem of a hotel set against the majestic Hajar Mountains. This four-star property offers up a different side of Dubai, encompassing the charm of Arabian hospitality with a unique mountain resort vibe, with cosy chalet-style rooms overlooking sprawling lawns and the mountains beyond. While it may not be as big and glitzy as the city hotels, Hatta Fort is every bit as brilliant for families with kids in tow, with plenty on offer for even the littlest of guests. This place is less about kids’ clubs and more about experiences, particularly those which connect with nature. From spotting the resident peacocks to meeting the hotel’s deer, bunnies and tortoises in an interactive session and soaking up all that gorgeous mountain air and scenery, Hatta is the ideal escape from city life. And as temperatures are colder here than in the city, Hatta is perfect during the stickier months. 

A lovely, shaded kids’ playground, surrounded by trees and with the occasional peacock wandering through has everything from swings to slides and climbing frames, while the family swimming pool has a shallow area for the youngest swimmers and a waterfall for swimming under (there is also an adults’ only pool onsite). For older kids, activities including mini golf, ziplining, archery and climbing are also available while an indoor games room complete with pool table, table football, table tennis and gaming consoles provides indoor play options. It is well worth venturing out of the hotel to discover what makes this area so magical – kids can join parents for kayak adventures on Hatta dam and Hatta Honey allows little people aged 3 and over to get up close and personal with the bees in a very cute, educational session which includes being fully dressed in full mini beekeeper outfits. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

Gazebo restaurant is the hotel’s breakfast and casual dining spot with plenty of options to choose from. Jeema restaurant offers a smarter dining experience in a more formal setting. Snacks are also available poolside. 

Best Room For Families

Premium Mountain View rooms sleep two adults and two children. If you are a larger family, there are interconnecting options and even a Deluxe 3-bedroom villa. All rooms have a large private balcony and gorgeous views. 

www.jaresortshotels.com/dubai/ja-hatta-fort-hotel

BAB AL SHAMS

BAB AL SHAMS

A Family Friendly Overview

A luxury desert resort, Bab Al Shams (meaning ‘Gateway to the Sun’) is modelled on a traditional Arabic fort and sits among the dunes, just under an hour away from the city. Extremely popular with families, the hotel’s 5 Star service and facilities are complemented by its unique tradition and heritage and design – low rise buildings, Arabian artifacts, ornate lanterns, fire pits and reflecting pools make for a peaceful, desert oasis. 

There are three amazing pools to cool off in – the infinity pool with a stunning desert backdrop really is something special, while the shallow water of the kids’ pool means that little ones can splash about safely. Next to the kids’ pool is Aladdin’s Kids Club, open daily for children aged 4-12 years and providing loads of activities from arts and crafts to team games and movie nights, whilst the hotel’s desert location allows for activities including guided nature walks to spot gazelles and other wildlife, camel riding, horse riding and falconry where even little kids can watch and meet the most noble of birds. The Satori Spa is a peaceful haven with indoor and outdoor relaxation areas and a comprehensive list of wonderful treatments. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants:

There are five onsite restaurants to choose from – covering Indian, Italian and Arabic fare. Al Hadheerah offers an Arabic buffet with live entertainment and a firework display at weekends.

Best Room For Families:

The Junior Suite accommodates a family of four, it also comes with a majlis seating area and private sun terrace. Connecting rooms are also available. 

www.babalshams.com

FOUR SEASONS RESORT DUBAI AT JUMEIRAH BEACH

FOUR SEASONS RESORT DUBAI AT JUMEIRAH BEACH

A Family Friendly Overview:

Situated on a beautiful stretch of Dubai’s sandy coastline, the Four Seasons Resort is just a stone’s throw from the city centre yet has all of the relaxing qualities and space that you’d expect from a five-star resort.  A family friendly haven, there are opportunities for little ones to enjoy their stay as much as the adults with a beautiful onsite Kids Club for ages 4-12, designed to educate and entertain (plus give parents some time off – on Thursday and Fridays the centre is open until 11pm for movie night and relax time while mum and dad go out).  

Four Seasons does special little touches very well and there are children-sized bathrobes, children’s toiletries and even complimentary diapers plus games, toys and more to use in-room.  Guests of all ages are welcome at the hotel’s free-form outdoor pool, located just steps from the beach (dip below the surface and listen out for the underwater music!). The beach is definitely a big bonus for families staying here, with a vast expanse of sand to play on and the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf to splash in plus the opportunity to walk the coastline. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

With five onsite restaurants including the Asian inspired Sea Fu situated right on the beach – it’s the market style Suq restaurant which has a special children’s play area which is the most family friendly.

Best Room For Families

Jumeirah Sea View Suite has a separate spacious living area and enormous bathroom. It comfortably sleeps a family of four. City skyline views are also available. 

www.fourseasons.com/dubaijb

Le Meridien Dubai Mina Seyahi
LE MERIDIEN DUBAI MINA SEYAHI

LE MERIDIEN DUBAI MINA SEYAHI

A Family Friendly Overview:

One of Dubai’s older hotels, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa has a lovely old world feel to it – and with 19 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens complete with mature trees plus a beachfront location that’s within easy reach of JBR The Walk, Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah and just a short drive from downtown, it’s little wonder that families love it here.  A fairly recent refurb has given this property a fresh feel – with stylish rooms and a contemporary finish. Thanks to the hotel’s beautiful beach, gardens, 3 pools and amazing kids’ facilities, there is so much to offer here for families.  

Kids aged 4-12 will love the Family Kids Club where activities include junk sculpture and mask making. For older kids there are banana boat rides, a football pitch, 9-hole crazy golf course and more to enjoy. But the icing on the cake has to be the very recently opened Jungle Bay Waterpark at Le Meridien’s sister property The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi right next door.  With plenty of rides and attractions for the whole family including slides, a splash park, Aquaplay and a wave pool plus onsite restaurant and cool waterside cabanas this is a fabulous addition to the resort’s offerings. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants:

The resort has 10 restaurants and bars, including Maya for Mexican, Geales for British inspired fare and great seafood and Rhodes Twenty10 steakhouse by celebrity chef Gary Rhodes. Brasserie 2.0 is an all-day eatery with a beach vibe. 

Best Room For Families:

The Family Suite has a separate living room, main bedroom and children’s bedroom this room is perfect for families of 4 or 5. Butler service, complimentary soft drinks and access to the Executive lounge is also included. 

www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dxbms-le-meridien-mina-seyahi-beach-resort-and-waterpark/

Ja the Resort Jebel Ali
JA THE RESORT, JEBEL ALI

JA THE RESORT, JEBEL ALI

A Family Friendly Overview:

Staying in Jebel Ali may not be the first thing that springs to mind when booking a Dubai vacation, but JA The Resort (Dubai’s largest resort) is definitely one to consider for a family stay. Made up of three hotels (JA Beach Hotel, JA Palm Tree Court and JA Lake View Hotel) there are over 23 restaurants and 40 experiences to enjoy. Add to this 128-acres of beach, gardens, marina and more, this hotel is the ultimate family friendly playground! 

Less than a half hour drive from Dubai’s city centre, Jebel Ali Beach Hotel (the most family friendly of the three properties) offers childcare for children aged from 4 months – 23 months at a crèche and further care for 4 to 12-year-olds at the Cool Zone kids club guarantees plenty of fun and activities. Teens will love the Chill Zone, a club just for them. 

Leisure facilities at Jebel Ali Golf Resort are truly incredible, with horse riding (the resort has its own stables and even kids can get to enjoy the horses with lessons and mini pony rides available), golf, archery, tennis, volleyball, badminton, fishing, SCUBA diving and fitness centre, plus awesome watersports hub for sailing, windsurfing and more. 

Best Family Friendly Restaurants

The hotel combined with the Palm Tree Court and Spa has 15 restaurants and bars. 

Best Room For Families
Book a Two Sea View Connecting Room. The family sea view rooms are made up of two interconnecting rooms have ample space for two adults and three children plus two private balconies with gorgeous views. 

www.jaresortshotels.com/dubai/ja-the-resort

By Kaya Scott

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