Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah: A Week in Dubai During Ramadan

A week at Al Qasr, the five-star anchor of the Madinat Jumeirah resort, booked during Ramadan in a Junior Arabian Suite with club-room access. First trip to Dubai, and a test of how the city's dress codes and etiquette hold up during the holy month.

The Verdict

A genuinely excellent resort let down by one very fixable problem. Score: 7.0/10. We'd go back, ideally to try another hotel in the same group first.

The Scorecard

• Sunbeds — 3/10. Poolside sunbeds were unobtainable all week — reserved at 6am with towels, then left empty until 11am.
• Sand/Beach — 9/10. Private beach loungers were available every day without a fight; clean, well-staffed, with free ice lollies handed out.
• Pool — 6/10. The pool itself is fine — the sunbed politics around it are the problem, not the pool.
• Food — 7/10. Half-board buffet restaurants are good, but booking the included à la carte restaurants each night was a struggle.
• Service — 9/10. Grand arrival by hotel car, early check-in handled smoothly with a spare room offered while the room wasn't ready.
• Value — 7/10. Good value for what the resort includes, though Dubai pricing generally is steep — £13 for a beer, £18 for wine.
• Dress code / vibe — 8/10. Business as usual on clothing even during Ramadan and in the Dubai Mall — shorts and swimwear were fine, cover up indoors.

The Good

• Arrival by the complimentary club-level car set the tone — luggage handled, an early check-in accommodated with a spare room for the day despite the room not being ready.
• The private beach delivered every day without a fight: four loungers, clean sand, attentive staff, and free ice lollies handed round through the afternoon.
• The resort itself is vast — several private beaches and hotels within the Jumeirah group, connected by free buggies and canal gondolas.
• Unlimited free entry to Wild Wadi Waterpark is included for the whole stay.
• Dress code during Ramadan turned out to be a non-issue — shorts, swimwear and normal holiday clothing were fine throughout the resort and in Dubai Mall, provided everyone covered up "top" wise indoors.

The Bad

• Sunbeds around the main pool were impossible to get all week. Towels were put down at 6am and the loungers sat empty until 11am, with no policing of the practice.
• Room storage was tight for a group of four's luggage — no bedside drawers, one small chest, and a wardrobe rail with limited hangers between everyone.
• Booking the included à la carte restaurants at the times wanted was a struggle; the half-board deal effectively pushes guests back toward the buffet, which felt restrictive for a five-star stay.
• Drinks pricing stings — £13 for a bottle of beer, £18 for a glass of wine.

The Detail

The sunbed situation is the one real mark against this stay. It's not unique to Al Qasr, but it was surprising to see it go completely unpoliced at this level of hotel — a simple limit on reservation time would fix it. The beach is the workaround: loungers there were available daily with no drama, and the sea breeze is arguably nicer than the pool deck anyway. On food, half-board buys breakfast and dinner in the included restaurants, but pre-booking the better tables a week ahead is worth doing before arrival — turning up and hoping for a slot leads to falling back on the international buffet more often than planned. Total extra spend on upgraded dining, snacks and drinks for the week came to £1,150 on top of half-board. On dress code specifically: despite this being a Ramadan stay, there was no need to dramatically adjust wardrobe — shorts and polo shirts by day, smarter casual with trainers or boat shoes in the evening, swimwear at the beach and pool, cover-ups required only when walking through hotel interiors.