Hotel XVA Art
An elegant and tranquil boutique hotel in the heart of Bastakiya, XVA occupies a renovated Majlis-style residence, retaining original architectural motifs, wind towers, and three open courtyards. It is also home to one of Dubai’s most respected art galleries, showcasing contemporary Middle Eastern and international art. This is an impressive small hotel, with seven original and quirky rooms designed by renowned artists from the region. They all have air conditioning. There are single, double and deluxe rooms, all en-suite with baths and showers. The walls are white stone with large mirrors. One room has a completely kitschy feel, another is pop-arty, one has a silver and purple gothic theme, and another is modern and simple. The rooms aren’t huge, but what they lack in space they more than make up for in originality. Upstairs on the roof there are rocking chairs from which you can enjoy the view of other roof tops, especially beautiful at night.
XVA’s cafeteria serves award-winning Arabic-Lebanese vegetarian cuisine. A small comfortable library has antique kilims on the floor, and art is displayed throughout the hotel. An in-house tailor will turn fabric purchased from the nearby textile souk into the outfit of your choice, and the Boutique also has a small fashion and gift shop here. XVA runs its own dhow on Dubai Creek and organizes gourmet vegetarian dinner cruises on the dhow for hotel guests. You can also organize themed day trips.
rotan villa
It is situated in an excellent location, on Sheikh Zayed Road, to reach all parts of Dubai by car or taxi. However, as an area to stay in, there are no attractions of any kind within walking distance. Villa Rotana is a collection of serviced apartments with a hotel feel. The heart of the building is a large empty square space: five shops built around a covered courtyard, which has a rather soulless international restaurant on the ground floor. Breakfast is buffet, lunch is buffet and dinner is a la carte. The apartments themselves are great, and the views of Sheikh Zayed Road, while obviously not bucolic, are truly mesmerizing.
The Classic Studio has either one king-size bed or two single beds and is decorated in an elegant east-meets-west style, with a kitchenette, dining room, living room and bedroom. The Premium Suite, with red shag rugs, trendy modern armchairs, white leather sofas, large flat-screen TVs, a dining table, well-equipped kitchen, and spacious bathrooms, is extremely pleasant.
There is a health and fitness center, Bodylines, free for guests, but also with external membership. The gym is large and impressive, and there are steam rooms, saunas, a jacuzzi and showers. The outdoor rooftop pool would be nice if it wasn’t currently dominated by a massive construction site, and lots of workers ogling each other, but the views from here are fabulous, and a small rooftop cafe serves drinks and snacks.
