Guides
Plan your days out with the children: how to get about, which beaches are open to everyone and when to go.
GuidesPalm Jumeirah with children: getting around and the beaches
The Palm Monorail runs from 09:00 to 21:45 every 15 minutes and carries children under 5 free. Where the sand is public, and the hours each Palm resort publishes.
What do Dubai hotels publish for babies and toddlers?
Dubai hotels publish less for babies than for older children, so the detail is worth checking. Only one club in our Dubai list takes children under 3: the Fairmont Falcons Kids' Club at Fairmont The Palm, from 18 months, with under-3s charged and advance booking mandatory. The Young Voyager at Raffles The Palm Dubai starts at 3, and Le Petit Prince Kids Club at Sofitel Dubai Downtown takes under-4s only with a guardian present. The clubs at Sofitel Dubai The Palm and Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk start at 4.
For sleep, Fairmont The Palm puts free cribs and cots in the rooms, Sofitel Dubai The Palm provides cribs, high chairs and baby essentials free on request, and Sofitel Dubai Downtown offers cots and extra beds on request. Banyan Tree Dubai, a partner brand listed on all.accor.com and co-managed by Banyan Group and Ennismore, lets children up to and including 2 stay free in an available cot. Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk publishes no cot policy, so ask in writing before booking with a baby.
Where can children swim on Palm Jumeirah?
On Palm West Beach, which is open to everyone, or on a resort beach when you stay at that resort. Palm West Beach runs along the western side of the trunk, and Dubai’s tourism board lists it for family outings. The crescent is lined by a boardwalk 11 km long, built over the breakwater, which is a place to walk rather than to swim.
Behind it, the sand belongs to the resorts and is kept for guests: 800 m at Fairmont The Palm, 500 m at Sofitel Dubai The Palm, where Beach 1 opens daily from 09:00 to 18:00 and Beach 2 at weekends, and about 500 m at Raffles The Palm Dubai. Aparthotel Adagio Premium The Palm has direct access to a private beach on Palm West Beach.
For pools, Sofitel Dubai The Palm keeps its main pool, with a kids’ area, open from 07:00 to 19:00 and its Slide Pool from 09:00 to 18:00, all at 29 C, though its Kids Club Pool was listed as temporarily closed. Fairmont The Palm opens its family pools and splash pad from 07:00 to 19:00, and Raffles The Palm Dubai has a temperature-controlled family pool.
How do you reach Aquaventure from a Palm Jumeirah hotel?
Sofitel Dubai The Palm is the closest Accor hotel, a 10-minute walk away, and entry is always bought from the park, since no Accor hotel on Palm Jumeirah includes it in its published offers. Sofitel Dubai The Palm lists the park 700 m away, a 10-minute walk or a 2-minute drive, and Fairmont The Palm 2 km, about five minutes by car. Aparthotel Adagio Premium The Palm is 3.7 km away in a straight line.
The monorail also ends at the water park, at the top of the trunk, with trains from Palm Gateway every 15 minutes between 09:00 and 21:45, which suits families staying off the island or near the trunk.
Some holiday packages sold by tour operators add water-park tickets to a stay at Rixos The Palm Hotel & Suites. That is the operator’s offer rather than the hotel’s, and it can change without notice. Off the island, Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Village Triangle is the only hotel in our Dubai list with an aqua park on site, though it publishes no name, size or hours for it.
Frequently asked questions
Is babysitting available at the Dubai family hotels?
Several hotels publish it. Sofitel Dubai The Palm arranges it through an outside agency on request, Sofitel Dubai Downtown with advance notice, and Raffles The Palm Dubai, Banyan Tree Dubai and Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk on request. Fairmont The Palm charges for it. Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach publishes no babysitting service, so ask before booking if you plan an evening out.
Is there a metro station on Palm Jumeirah?
No. The nearest Dubai Metro station is Dubai Internet City, on the Red Line, on the mainland. The island’s rail link is the monorail, with an out-of-station interchange at Palm Gateway to the Dubai Tram’s Palm Jumeirah stop. None of the Accor resorts on the crescent names a station on its pages, so taxis fill the gap.
Do children ride free on the Palm Monorail?
Yes, children under 5 years old or below 110 cm in height ride free. The monorail runs every 15 minutes, with the first train from Palm Gateway at 09:00 and the last at 21:45, and sells its own tickets: a nol card, which covers the Dubai Metro, tram and buses, does not pay for it.
Which Dubai hotels have a children’s pool?
Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk has a children’s pool with a splash pad at its Soleil pool, open from 08:00 to 20:00. Fairmont The Palm runs family pools with a splash pad from 07:00 to 19:00, and Rixos The Palm Hotel & Suites lists a children’s pool among four heated pools, plus a pool at its Rixy Kids Club. Sofitel Dubai Downtown keeps a shallow area in its rooftop pool.