XVA Art Hotel

If you want time away from the excessive glitz and frenetic pace of the rest of Dubai then this is the hotel for you. Situated behind the Arabian Tea House in the historic quarter it is only accessible on foot, but that just adds to its appeal and tranquility. Set around two courtyards, with impressive central trees, in what was once a large private house it resembles a Moroccan riad. Rooftop terrace. Compact rooms (and beds). Simple but tasty local set breakfast served by the helpful Joy. Extraordinarily good value. Later in our holiday we paid nearly five times the price for a hotel room on the Palm. Nice, but no comparison in terms of price or the authentic Arab experience offered by the XVA. Be prepared to be woken by the "call to prayer"; but magical.

Spent 2 nights here in November. The guy on reception was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was a reduced choice from the general public menu and a bit disappointing. Bedroom was quaint with a king size bed , good air con but low entrance to bathroom. Nice location for the shops and restaurants by the creek. I can't tell what the upstairs lounge area was like as the guy in the restaurant said we couldn't use it as we'd checked out??

Great little boutique hotel in the old part of Dubai. Great proximity to the souks and creek and walking distance to the transit. Room was small but had what was needed. Large bathroom. Good onsite cafe and art gallery as well. Worth checking out...not at all like the big expensive other hotels in Dubai.

We wanted to stay in the old part of Dubai to get a different experience from the modern city. This hotel was excellent. The staff were very friendly and responded positively to all our requests. Some big 5 star hotels could learn from these people. There is a lovely art gallery on the premises with local art from contemporary artists. We didn’t eat much here because we wanted to explore the local restaurants but can recommend Turkish eggs for breakfast (poached eggs on a bed of natural yogurt with a basket of fresh pita bread). The coffee was excellent. If you want a simple hotel experience in this wonderful historic area you won’t do better than this hotel. Thanks to all of the staff who contributed to our wonderful stay here.

We planned our second honeymoon in Dubai, and not wanting to be in the city, we found this beautiful arts hotel downtown. When we first arrived, it was a maze to find the hotel, and we were slightly surprised by the size of the rooms; coming from the US, we expected a larger space. After bringing our concerns to the owner, Chander, he quickly accommodated us into their largest room. We also learned the room sizes are quaint due to the hotel being created after the historic area was built, leaving no room for restructuring. If any concerns came up, Chander came to the rescue! Once we were settled in, our adventure began. The Arts Hotel was picturesque. We ordered the breakfast package, which was delicious and filling. Additionally, each morning, we were greeted with Joy's smile. Joy works in the cafe and ensured we were taken care of and showed us the different areas we can walk around in the hotel. Outside of the hotel, there were many areas that we could walk to; there were countless restaurants and markets nearby, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the culture. Lastly, we were able to get our gift shopping done nearby as there were so many vendors offering many deals. When it was time to leave, we preordered an Uber, which continued to give us the runaround and eventually canceled 20 minutes after the pickup time. In a state of panic, we rushed to the front desk for help at midnight, and they quickly ordered a taxi for us, which arrived minutes later. The staff at the Arts Hotel made this experience memorable and comfortable. We will definitely be staying there again!