Has anyone used either the Marhaba Lounge or the Dubai International Hotel, both at Dubai Airport.
We have approx 7 1/2 hour wait at the airport on our return and was considering one of these two.
The Marhaba is about £18 each but my main worry is do they only allow 80 persons, which is what it advertises as holding, or does it end up overcrowded and no more comfortable than the normal departure area.
The hotel would cost us about £130 for 6 hours but may be worth it for a proper few hours sleep then a shower, shave, and sh.. . That price is through the hotel website as i have failed to find it on any third party discount sites.
Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated.

i don't have experience of the al bustan hotel, but it is apparently only a 15-minute drive from the airport. the price on www.asiarooms.com is from USD 103 per night for a double room. it's an option to consider, for not much more than u'll pay to go in the marhaba lounge.

http://www.asiarooms.com/united_arab_emirates/dubai/al_...-hotel-location.html

ian.

Had looked into the option of a 'nearby' hotel, but Par would then need a visa to enter Dubai. The two options i mentioned she wouldnt.

Most hotels in Dubai will arrange a visa for the missus which I believe you pay for - about £15 from memory (you get a copy of the No Objection Certificate by e-mail, and show the printed copy at immigration). There is a Le Meridien across from the airport, and a handful more hotels very close (Millenium Airport, and Al Bustan Rotana, for two).

Have a look at <http://www.dubai.ws/dubai_map.htm> for some hotel locations

Taxis from the airport are very slick, all metered and very inexpensive.

One problem I see is that it's going to take you at least an hour to get from the arrival gate to the hotel, and you have to be back at the departure gate around an hour before departure. That's a minimum of 3 hours out of your 7-1/2 - which doesn't leave you much time for anything else.

Have you thought of staying overnight in Dubai ?? If so then there's lots of hotel choices, but make sure you leave yourself loads of time to get back to the airport, the traffic gets worse by the day in Dubai.

Also I think that the airport recommends you check in 3 hours ahead of your flight, 2 hours is cutting it very tight if there's any sort of a queue.

It's quite a nice lounge and used by several major airlines for their business and first class passengers. It is very comfortable and a good selection of drinks (alcohol available too) and hot food in a food court.

I think you can pay at the door, last time I was in there a chap in front of me paid 75 Dhs (about £12). Only visited that lounge twice and only for an hour or so and it wasn't busy on those two occasions.

MikeNea, if it had have been down to me we would have had a couple of days in Dubai, in fact i opened a discussion on visa advice, but Par sees 2 days in Dubai as 2 less days with her family. As she hasnt seen them for 2 years i couldnt really argue.
I think the Hotel at the airport is probably our best bet, just a little bit more advice needed.
- I presume when we land we will go to the transit desk.
- Will we be 'checking in' as such even though the flight is still 7 hours away.
- If we have then checked in does that mean we will be able to stay in the airport hotel which is airside until, say one hour before the departure.
- I have only had very short transit waiting times before now and didnt have to collect luggage, i presume this is the same and the actual length of wait doesnt effect this.

Cheers again

Your bags will be checked through to Bangkok so you won't need to collect them. You will be given your boarding passes for both flights when you check-in at Manchester.

The lounge by the way still charges 75 Dhs and that is for up to 5 hours - very good value (a little under £12 per person) as the drinks and food are complimentary.

Cheers Tobias
Think i will see if i can pre-book the lounge. I know you can pay on entry but if its not organised i tend to worry. I would spend the whole bloody 7 hours from Bangkok to Dubai panicking in case we dont get in !!!
We are flying from Newcastle. I know that doesnt alter any of the advice you have given just didnt know if you realised Emirates now fly from up here.
Cheers again.

I would contact the lounge direct to book rather than using a third-party agent, they tend to be more expensive and a booking does not guarantee entrance if the lounge is busy.

The UAE Dirham is fixed against the US$ so the exchange rate is great at the moment, at today's exchange rate the lounge would cost you just £10.25 each. You can book direct with the lounge paying by credit card and guarantee entrance. You will find sales on +971 4 224 5780 or +971 4 216 2630 or by email Marhaba@emirates.com.

Cheers Tobe, only one thing i didnt understand.
You say 'a booking does not guarantee entrance if the lounge is busy', is that correct ???

Sorry Nige, I could have worded that better. If you use an agency to book the lounge (such as Loungepass or Holiday Extras for example) in many cases you are given a voucher - however the small print says that you may be denied access if the lounge is already full when you arrive.

If you book direct with the lounge, the lounge will hold a confirmed reservation for you and will bear this in mind when admitting any other travellers who turn up on speck.

That lounge is quite a nice one, better than some of the airline lounges in Terminal 1.

Cheers for clearing that up and all the advice. Will book up tomorrow.
Par wants to book for our trip out as well. I think that our 3 hour outbound transit will pass a lot quicker than she thinks. By the time we get off one plane, queue at transit desk, do a little duty free buying / browsing i think it will be time to go to boarding gate. "What is £20 darling, nothing" she exclaims, "In Thailand, quite a few boxes of Singha" my reply.
I know, as always, who will win !!!

You shouldn't need to visit the transit desk in Dubai, you should have your boarding passes for both flights from the initial point of departure. Just turn up at the gate and board. There is also a free buggy that will take you from the lounge to the gate, so get in there and enjoy the complimentary food and drinks! It will be £20 well spent