“Good Weekend Break At Al Ain”

If you are living and working in Emirates, a weekend stay at Grand Mercure is a good change. All in all it was a good experience but the at the rate I bought the stay for Grand Mercure doesn't include breakfast which came as surprise.

“Nice view and attractions for kids”

Nice view from top of mountain. Especially the sunset. was beautiful. Kids enjoyed the swimming pool and the slider. People were kind. The location of hotel is far from the town center. Because there are no indication/sign board on the road, it took two hours to find the hotel.

“Stunning Location”

We were a little put off by some negative reports on Trip Advisor. However, the Hotel was absolutely fine, the food very good, and the views must be the most stunning anywhere. I thought it may be difficult to find, but you can see the lit mountain road from Al Ain. A steep climb, but an excellent, well lit road. Very reasonable price, and not too difficult to get into Al Ain for shopping. V nice pool.

“great views but not so great hotel”

The view from this hotel is magnificient but the hotel is not well maintained and is looking the worse for wear. The food was not very good and was extremely expensive for what was offered.

“Did not enjoy the hotel”

The service was very poor

“Lost on top of a mountain”

1. Jebel Hafeet is a barren mountain with a military base and some government buildings. There are no hiking trails nor transportation to town. It is as isolated as it gets. 2. Part of the hotel is under construction. Noise starts at 6:00 AM and goes on all day long, including weekends (Friday). 3. The hotel is rated only 3-star – there is a government issued sign to confirm it. They lost the 5-star accreditation and this is no surprise. 4. There are no tennis courts. 5. The hotel is not in Al Ain proper, but rather 30 minutes by car from town. 6. There are no taxis stationed at the hotel. It takes 30 minutes for a taxi to arrive upon calling and the customer is charged an average of slightly less than $20 which for the UAE is a fortune. 7. There is no wireless Internet access in the rooms. There is a small area around the entrance where wireless is available upon receiving an access code from the front desk. Speed is at dial-up level. 8. The AC in the room was broken and thus the temperature could not be regulated. 9. The phone system was down and calls could only be made via the operator. 10. The room had the following items not working or operating improperly: 1. Electrical outlet in the bathroom. 2. Main lamp (halogen) in the room. 3. Thermostat. 4. Halogen lights above the bed