Legoland Hotel Dubai review: where every child is a VIP - Hotel Insider

The latest addition to Dubai Parks and Resorts is a riot of colour and creativity that definitely gets the youngsters’ votes

• 

  Legoland Hotel is open in Dubai and offers a brick-themed stay where children are the VIPs.

• 

  More than 4.5 million bricks and 2,100 models were used to build the hotel. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP

• 

  The hotel is geared towards families with children aged 2 to 12.

• 

  Junior reviewers Aaron, left, and brother Aden check in at Legoland Hotel Dubai.

• 

  A lifeguard Lego model overlooks the swimming pool at Legoland Hotel in Dubai. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP

• 

  All guests staying at Legoland Hotel get free entry to Legoland Theme Park or Water Park.

• 

  The four Lego themes – Pirates, Ninjango, Friends and Kingdom – spill over from the hotel rooms to the floor, corridors, lifts, walls and more.

• 

  A Pirate-themed suite has a separate bunk-bed room for little ones.

• 

  Lego brick architecture features all around the hotel.

• 

  Lego models stand guard outside the adventure-laden Legoland Hotel in Dubai.

• 

  A Ninjago-themed room at Legoland Dubai.

• 

  Breakfast at Bricks Family Restaurant is included in every stay at Legoland Hotel Dubai.

• 

  The restaurant is filled with fun touches, such as Lego models and placemats children can colour in.

• 

  Lego models in the lobby at Legoland Hotel in Dubai.

• 

  Legoland Hotel opened to guests on January 21.

• 

  Children can learn how to create their own Lego models, or watch master model makers at work.

• 

  All rooms have a seperate area for children, with bunk beds and their own television.

• 

  A Lego Friends-themed room at Legoland Hotel.

• 

  A room in a Pirates-themed suite at Legoland Hotel.

• 

  Children can also enjoy a castle soft play area and temperature-controlled swimming pool.

There are few hotels in the world where children are the most important guests and the adults are merely there to accompany them. Legoland Hotel in Dubai is one.

The themed property opened in January and all reservations include breakfast and day passes to one of the two neighbouring Lego parks.

The National visited the hotel on a fully booked weekend with Lego aficionados Aden, aged 8, and his brother Aaron, 5, to find out what a stay here is all about.

The welcome

Aaron, left, and his elder brother Aden in the reception at Legoland Hotel Dubai.

Such is the allure of the place to young children that Aaron, after spotting the hotel’s roadside sign before we had drawn up at the entrance, said: “I love Legoland Hotel. I want to marry it.”

Dubai’s standard hotel greeting — valet parking and a friendly doorman — is available and helpful when the children in your party are already in a state of (beyond) excitement.

The hotel experience, which is an assault on the senses by all things Lego for the duration of the stay, begins in the lobby, where all attractions and activities can be booked. Children swarm around a small play area full of the brightly coloured plastic bricks, which are removed and sanitised regularly throughout the day, and can climb on a soft play area "castle" which is supervised constantly.

The neighbourhood

The theme parks, hotels and The Outlet Village of Dubai Parks and Resorts make it a relaxed, fun district, just north of the Abu Dhabi border. The hotel’s proximity to Legoland Dubai and Legoland water park — it is a one-minute walk to both from the swimming pool at the rear of the property — makes it an ideal base either for a weekend or longer break exploring more of the neighbouring attractions.

The safety measures

Face masks remain compulsory in all public areas inside Legoland Hotel. AFP

Our visit followed the UAE's easing of Covid-19 restrictions in outside areas, but mask-wearing is strictly observed inside the hotel and there are limits in place on the number of guests using a lift at any one time.

The room

Where to begin? The hotel is in some senses functional, a little like a giant Lego brick, but the level of detail to which each room has been themed and decorated is not far from bewilderingly imaginative.

We stayed in a Pirate Room, where a challenge greets each child as they enter and if they solve a mini treasure hunt for clues and unpick the code for the safe, they are rewarded with a prize — in our case it was a pack of Lego.

A Pirate suite at Legoland hotel, where children have their own bunk bed-filled room. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The rooms are entertaining for adults as well as children, over the top and endlessly rewarding — you will keep noticing new details, from a Lego lizard on the wall to the intricate carpet pattern. Aden warned ominously that a giant beetle above the adult bed “will haunt your dreams" and was amused that a large Lego spider in the bathroom would be keeping a close eye on anyone using the room.

Each floor has a different Lego theme that will be familiar to children and parents alike and you can select your preference when booking. Our Pirate Room had bunk beds and a double bed for the non-VIPs, plus a decently sized shower room. Suites are also available within each theme and come with separate bunk bed-filled rooms and a lounge/dining area.

The service

The hotel staff are some of the sweetest we’ve encountered in any hotel in a country where hotel employees generally go out of their way to tend to your needs, and they all greet each child with affection and enthusiasm. It does not feel forced — but like true hospitality. They are beautifully trained and/or perhaps picked for their kindly nature.

The scene

Children can build new brick models under the guidance of in-house Lego experts. AFP

The constant piped music from Lego films — think Everything Is Awesome — is everywhere except in the rooms, where guests can instead watch one of those movies from the comfort of their (bunk) bed.

On the ground floor beyond reception is a giant Lego camel. Staff dance about in Lego costumes that include a yellow brick and a dragon, and there are “creative workshop” classes where children can try new things with the famous bricks under guidance from experts.

There's also a programme of morning activities including hula-hooping and scavenger hunts, and a large outside pool for all the family, plus a children's splash area.

The food

Bricks family restaurant caters well to the hotel's little VIPs. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Bricks, the main restaurant, caters well to the little VIPs — "unbreakable" plates and a child-height buffet along with Lego-shaped chefs are all nice touches — but it could improve in terms of options for parents. It’s also not a dining room you'd wish to linger in, but the staff are friendly and there is plenty to eat.

Breakfast was better than dinner, which was a buffet with pasta station and decent ice cream, or an a la carte menu similar to the room service options (including a reasonably priced adult-sized Wagyu beef burger for Dh60). It is licensed so “adult” beverages are available.

A second restaurant-lounge area, Skyline, is expanding from serving drinks to offering a full menu soon, but it will need to be good if it is to make the hotel more attractive for parents contemplating a return visit.

Highs and lows

Legoland Hotel is definitely geared for children so adults need to just go with the flow. AFP

A fun detail for young and older guests is that clapping your hands in the lifts starts disco lights and an ad hoc dance party ensues until you reach your floor. The child-sized slippers and bathrobes provided alongside adult ones in the room is a cute touch.

Any downsides? Not really. Adults just need to go with the flow for the duration, as all children staying at the hotel seem blissfully happy. The view from our room wasn't that interesting, but while in it, all eyes are drawn to the stimulating decor and features inside.

The insider tip

Though Bricks is quite a large restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, you might want to reserve a table for dinner as the hotel gets busy at weekends, especially if you're eating early as many families do.

The verdict

The experience was such a hit that by the time we were ready to check out the next day, Aaron was questioning why we hadn’t brought his school uniform so he could stay another night and go directly to classes the next morning.

And does he want to return? “Yes. It's too good. I want to stay here until I'm a grandpa. I want to live in the hotel.”

The bottom line

Rates at Legoland Hotel Dubai are from Dh770 ($210) for two adults and one child, including breakfast and passes for one of the Legoland parks, when booking 21 days in advance. Half-board and other packages are available. Taxes will cost you from Dh173 upwards. Check-in time is 3pm and check-out is at 11am.

This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel during the global coronavirus pandemic. It reflects hotel standards during this time; services may change in the future.