Dubai is a great holiday to take with kids. It has so many kid friendly attractions and it is even easy visiting Dubai with toddlers and babies. But one of the key things I think for any successful family holiday is picking the right location and a good hotel with lots of amenities for children. In this guide we round up where to stay in Dubai with family based on the different areas of the city and then give you the best place to stay in Dubai with family in each of these places to help you make the right decision on which is the right Dubai family hotel for you.

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Best place to stay in Dubai with family

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When considering the best place to stay in Dubai with family I would say that there are three main areas that you will be looking at:

The Palm
Jumeriah Beach
Downtown Dubai

This guide will look at each of these areas in detail and provide the best Dubai family hotels in each of these places to help you make your decision on where to stay in Dubai with kids.

Is the Palm the best place to stay in Dubai with family

Why the Palm is the Best place to stay in Dubai with family

The Palm is the large man made island made in the shape of a palm and is perhaps one of the most famous structures in Dubai after the Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and the World islands. I love trying to spot the Palm when I am flying into Dubai and in my opinion is one of the best places to stay in Dubai with family.

I recommend the Palm as the best place to stay in Dubai with family for several reasons

If you are looking his is a great place to stay
It has a wealth of beaches (usually connected to the resorts)
it has lots of luxury Dubai family hotels
it has the Atlantis Water park

Why the Palm isn’t the Best place to stay in Dubai with family

The Palm probably isn’t the best place to stay for you if you are interested in exploring a lot of the city. The Palm is about 25km from downtown Dubai and attractions such as the Burj Khalifa, Aquarium and Dubai Mall. The journey takes around 25 minutes but if you hit some of the infamous Dubai traffic jams it can take much longer which is why I don’t recommend the Palm as the best place to stay in Dubai with family if you are looking to explore the Downtown Neighbour.

Overall Opinion of the Palm for where to stay in Dubai with Family

If you are looking for a great winter sun break with baby, toddlers or kids then the Palm might be a great choice for you, especially if you are visiting Dubai in December. This is also a great place for a winter sun babymoon in Dubai. However if you want to explore more of the Dubai attractions rather than just have a beach break then you might want to consider another area or splitting your time between two hotels.

The other downside to staying at the Palm Dubai with kids is that due to the shape of the palm and the warm gulf waters, the Palm can get quite severe jellyfish blooms which can make the sea unusable at certain times of year. We once went in a February and found the sea and the sand at the shoreline to be filled with jellyfish so utilised the pool over the sea. If the sea is an important factor in your UAE break consider the timings of the bloom and book your accommodation accordingly.

Attractions on and Near the Palm Dubai:

Atlantis Water Park
The Lost Chambers Aquarium
Dubai Parks and Resorts (Including Motiongate Dubai and Legoland Dubai) although a drive outside of Dubai the Palm is the end closest to these.

Best Dubai Family Hotels on the Palm

The Fairmont on the Palm

When we stay in Dubai with family on the Palm we usually head to The Fairmont on the Palm. We really like this hotel as it is a bit quieter than its more famous Atlantis on the Palm counterpart. The Fairmont on the Pool also has a beautiful pool for adults and a lovely kids pool as well as a kids club.

The room sizes at the Fairmont on the Palm are also good and the staff very attentive to those travelling with kids

Atlantis on the Palm

After the Burj Al Arab I would say that this is the most iconic hotel in Dubai. The Atlantis Resort on the Palm is a huge complex with over 1500 rooms, waterparks, an aquarium and other experiences on offer. Although there are lots of waterparks in Dubai the one at Atlantis is actually the biggest.

If seeing an aquarium is on your Dubai bucket list but you don’t want to travel from the Palm to downtown Dubai then you don’t need to worry as Atlantis has the Lost Chambers Aquarium which the whole family will enjoy. The resort also has a kids club for children aged 3-12 and one for teenagers which means that the whole family is really catered for at the Palm.

Why the Downtown is the Best place to stay in Dubai with toddlers and kids

Why Downtown is the Best place to stay in Dubai with toddlers, babies and kids

Dubai has loads of kid friendly attractions and is a city that has so many bucket list worthy experiences. Many of these are in the downtown area. Therefore the downtown is best place to stay un Dubai with toddlers and babies and kids if you are looking to do a bit more exploring. I also think this is a better area to stay if you are traveling to Dubai in Summer as there are far more Dubai indoor activities to do here!

The Downtown is the perfect area to stay for families who

love exploring
want to be close to the main attractions of Dubai
want easy access to the airport
who aren’t bothered about spending too much time on the beach.
want good public transport access

Why Downtown isn’t the Best place to stay in Dubai with toddlers, babies and kids

The Downtown is not the place for you however if you are looking for

a beach holiday. The downtown has no beach resorts.

Overall Opinion of staying in downtown Dubai with kids

If you want to explore the city then I definitely recommend staying in Downtown Dubai. It is also a great place for those wanting to use public transport rather than taxis to get around. However if you want a beach I would avoid this area or at least split your time between two hotels – one in the city and one at a beach location.

Best Dubai Attractions for kids near Downtown

This area is probably closest to the most Dubai attractions for kids. Our favourites are:

Click here for more things to do at Dubai Mall with kids

Best Dubai Family Hotels in Downtown

Conrad Dubai

The Conrad – Best place to stay in Dubai with family (Dubai family hotels and area guide)

Whenever we head to Downtown Dubai this is the hotel we head to. The Conrad is actually one of my favourite hotel chains in hotel world. The Conrad Dubai offers great family rooms and has very friendly staff. The food in the hotel particularly the breakfast is exception but my favourite thing about this hotel is its pool area. Known as the Urban Oasis the Conrad pool is beautifully landscaped and in my opinion more than makes up for not staying at a beach resort.

The Palace Dubai

I personally haven’t stayed at this hotel but it is on my radar for our next visit to Dubai having heard great reports about this hotel from members of our family who have stayed here. One of the reasons to stay at this hotel aside from the lovely pool is the location. The Palace Dubai is very close to Dubai Mall and the fountains – walking distance and from some balcony rooms you can actually watch the fountains show.

To read more reviews click HERE!

Is Jumeirah Beach the Best place to stay in Dubai with kids?

Pros of Jumeirah Beach Dubai with kids?

I will admit that of all the areas in Dubai the Jumeirah Beach (JBR) neighbourhood is one I have explored least usually opting to stay in either downtown, on the time or split my time between the two. However this might be the best place to stay in Dubai if you:

want easy access to a beach but aren’t too far from city centre attractions
looking for luxury hotels

Cons of Jumeirah Beach Dubai with kids?

Distance from Downtown Dubai
Near the Palm but not actually on the Palm

Attractions Near JBR:

Atlantis Water Park
The Lost Chambers Aquarium
JBR Walk
Dubai Parks and Resorts (Including Motiongate Dubai and Legoland Dubai) although a drive outside of Dubai the Palm is the end closest to these.

Where to stay in Dubai with kids in Jumeirah Beach

If you decide that Jumeirah is the area for you some highly ranked hotels are:

We actually were due to non a weekend break to Dubai when we were living in Qatar when the embargo struck and we are unable to visit. The place we were booked at for this trip was

Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach – the best place to stay in Dubai with babies

The Movenpick has a great family programme and services including strollers, car seats, children cutlery and meals and little birds club for small children as well as baby sitting on request. For me this might make it the best place to stay in Dubai with baby.

But one of the reasons i think this is the best place to stay in Dubai with babies or toddler is because of the inform facilities at the Movenpick which include a cot with storybooks provided, toddler pillows, bathroom foot stool and bath but most of all I love the child proofing they provide including child proof electric plugs which I think makes this Dubai family hotel the most friendly for babies and toddlers.

For more reviews click HERE!

For A Unique Family Hotel Dubai Experience

Bab Al Shams Desert Resort with toddlers, babies and kids

On one of our first trips to Dubai with our baby we stopped at the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort. I loved this place as it felt completely different to anywhere else I have stayed in Dubai. The complex is entirely low rise and is modelled after a traditional Arabian village in its architecture and furnishings. There are also plenty of children’s activities at this hotel including some traditional activities such as falconry. We have a full review here!

If you are looking for somewhere different to stay in Dubai and want to see the desert I think this could be the perfect solution for you!

For more reviews click HERE!

Have you been to Dubai with kids? Where did you stay in Dubai with family? Let us know in the comments.