We went to Dubai / Abu Dhabi with family members on a Sunshine Chinese tour. One of those Chinese tours that group everyone on a tourbus and speak in a megaphone in Cantonese/Mandarin while driving. For my husband and I, it was the first time we had ever joined one of these tours and as Canadian / Australian born kids with a very limited understanding of Cantonese, it was a super enlightening and funny cultural experience.

My husband and I travel a lot, and we realized that these Chinese tours were for people that were afraid of travelling alone, needing to be hand-held constantly. Checking in was a group activity, and when I called ahead to book the baby basinett on Cathay Pacific, I was told that all group tour members must sit together at the back of the plane and that it was quite unorthodox for any group member to sit apart. Restaurants were chosen for us in advance, and dinner was often at a Chinese restaurant cultivating to local tastes.

One of the highlights of our trip was staying at the JW Marquis Dubai

We checked into this hotel after a 9 hour plane ride and entire day sightseeing with a 6 month old baby. The tourbus that took us place to place was actually a real positive bonus to travelling with a baby. I could sit in the back, close the curtains and breastfeed, as well as change Baby A and have her sleep quietly. The back of the bus was also the furthest away from the tourguide’s megaphone.

Baby A was like the mascot of the tour group. Everyone loved having her as part of the group and took photos with her at the mosques that we visited as well as other tourist attractions.

Dubai is a very friendly place for babies. Being used to HK where servers look uncomfortably at enfants, in Dubai, everyone from the janitor, to the front desk manager would ask if they could hold baby A or make funny scrunchy faces to make her laugh.

The JW Marriott check in staff was amazingly quick and offered us expedited service due to our enfant. Our room was wonderfully large and comfortable with a huge bathtub and separate shower as well as lovely bath amenities.

The pool was amazing and simply lovely in 40 degree dessert weather.

All the staff we met were kind and went out of their way to accommodate. Their buffet breakfast was excellent with a huge amount of choice— curry stations— noodle stations — omelettes and pancakes. A great and relaxing experience. When I came to Dubai in 2009, I stayed at the Park Hyatt Dubai. JW Marriott is a lot better value and I would say the service and comfort level is equal.