Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel & Suites

Rixos The Palm Dubai Review — Quick Verdict

Here is the honest truth about Dubai: almost nobody does real all-inclusive here. The city is built on room-only and bed-and-breakfast rates, with dining spread across thousands of restaurants. Rixos The Palm is the loud, confident exception. It runs a genuine Ultra All-Inclusive concept — the same playbook Rixos perfected on the Turkish Riviera — transplanted onto a private beach on the Palm Jumeirah. Unlimited buffet dining, over 100 beverage brands, and (this is the part that matters in Dubai) unlimited alcohol included in the rate.

For families who want to eat and drink without a calculator, for couples who hate the Dubai “everything costs extra” treadmill, and for first-time all-inclusive travelers who want the Caribbean experience in the Middle East, this is the most logical resort in the city. It is not flawless — the a la carte restaurants are capped, summer is punishing, and the hardware shows its age — but on value, Rixos The Palm wins.

Score: 8.6 / 10 — Dubai’s best true all-inclusive, full stop. Loses points for a la carte caps and summer heat that no resort can fix.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

Pros	Cons
Genuine Ultra All-Inclusive with unlimited alcohol	A la carte restaurants capped (3x per stay typical)
100+ international beverage brands included	Peak-season AI rate is steep ($400-800+)
Long private beach on the Palm Jumeirah	Property shows its age in places
Turkish-Mediterranean food that beats generic buffets	June-September heat makes midday beach unusable
Rixy Kids Club and family programming	10-15 min drive to Aquaventure and Palm attractions
Swim-up bar, multiple pools, shisha lounge	Beach can get crowded in peak winter weeks

The Resort at a Glance

Detail	Info
Rooms	~316 rooms and suites, most with sea-view balconies
Restaurants	2 main buffets + 3+ a la carte + lounges
Bars	Multiple, including a swim-up bar and shisha lounge
Pools	2 outdoor pools
Beach	Long private beach on the Palm’s outer crescent
Concept	Ultra All-Inclusive (alcohol included)
Spa	Full-service spa and wellness facilities
Airport	~35-45 min from DXB (Dubai International)
Chain	Rixos (Accor) — Turkish-origin

Rooms and Suites

Rixos The Palm is built around generous, balcony-led rooms — the Turkish design language is unmistakable, with warm tones and a slightly maximalist sense of comfort. Almost every unit has a balcony, and a large share face the Arabian Gulf.

Premium and Deluxe Rooms (from ~$286/night, varies by season)

The entry-level rooms are comfortable, spacious by city-hotel standards, and come with a balcony, 24-hour room service (included with the AI plan), premium bedding, and a pillow menu. Sea-view versions command a premium of roughly $40-70 per night and are worth it — the Palm’s outer crescent looks out over open water, not a parking lot. Decor leans modern-Turkish, and while a few rooms feel a touch dated, housekeeping is consistent and the bones are solid.

Suites and Family Configurations (from ~$450/night)

The suite tiers open up considerably, with separate sitting areas and larger balconies. For families, the larger suites sleep four to five comfortably, and the resort layout — beach on one side, pools in the middle — keeps everything walkable. These are the rooms to book if you are traveling with kids and want space to spread out between beach sessions.

The Showpiece: 5-Bedroom Pool Suite

At the very top sits a five-bedroom suite with marble bathrooms, a dining area for ten, a terrace with a private pool, a BBQ area, and even a playground. It is overkill for most travelers, but for a multi-generational family group, it turns the resort into a private compound. Pricing is on request and seasonal.

Our Pick

For most couples and families, the Sea View Premium Room is the sweet spot — you get the balcony, the Gulf view, and the full Ultra All-Inclusive package without paying suite money. Families of four should size up to a suite for the extra living space.

Food and Dining at Rixos The Palm

This is where the resort earns its reputation. The Ultra All-Inclusive concept means you can eat and drink across the property without ever seeing a check, and the food has a genuine Turkish-Mediterranean identity rather than the bland international buffet you find at most “AI” hotels worldwide.

A La Turca and Turquoise — The Main Buffets

A La Turca is the main buffet, running an enormous international spread with strong Turkish sections, live cooking stations, and a dessert counter that is hard to walk past. Turquoise offers a second buffet concept so you are not eating in the same room every night. The variety is the headline — between the two, breakfast, lunch, and dinner never feel repetitive, and the Turkish mezze and grill stations are consistently the highlight.

The A La Carte Restaurants (Capped)

Here is the catch every guest needs to understand. The included a la carte restaurants — L’Olivo Ristorante (Italian and Mediterranean), Bodrum Restaurant (Mediterranean seafood), and Toro Loco Steakhouse — are part of the package, but access is capped, typically three a la carte dinners per person per stay, with a four-night minimum stay required. Book them early at check-in; the popular slots go fast. The food at all three is a clear step up from the buffet, and Bodrum’s seafood in particular is worth one of your reservations.

Bars, Lounges, and Drinks

This is the genuine differentiator in Dubai. The AI package pours over 100 international beverage brands, with unlimited alcohol included — beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. The Breeze Pool Bar and the Bodrum swim-up bar keep drinks flowing poolside and beachside, while Nargile Lounge offers cabanas and shisha (shisha itself may carry a charge — confirm). Patisserie Istanbul in the lobby serves Turkish sweets, pastries, and coffee throughout the day, all included.

Food Quality Verdict

For an all-inclusive, the food is well above average, helped enormously by the Turkish culinary backbone. The buffets are reliably good and the a la carte venues are genuinely strong. The only frustration is the a la carte cap — at a resort billed as “Ultra,” being limited to three reservations feels stingy. Plan around it and you will eat very well.

Beach and Pools

The Beach

Rixos The Palm sits on a long private beach on the outer crescent of the Palm Jumeirah, looking out over the open Arabian Gulf rather than a sheltered lagoon. The water is calm, warm, and shallow for a good distance — ideal for kids. Sun loungers, beach service, and a beach bar are all part of the package. In peak winter weeks the beach can get busy, but it rarely feels overcrowded given the length of the sand.

The one unavoidable caveat is the climate: from June through September, the beach is genuinely usable only early morning and after about 4pm. Midday Gulf-side in a Dubai summer is a furnace, and the sea feels like a warm bath. This is a Dubai problem, not a Rixos problem, but it shapes when you should go.

Pools

Two outdoor pools anchor the resort: a large main pool with the swim-up bar and a quieter secondary pool. Both are heated in winter and shaded in part. The pool scene is lively without being a party — families dominate during the day. If you want a calmer experience, the beach loungers at the far end of the sand are your refuge.

Activities and Entertainment

Daytime

Non-motorized water sports launch from the beach, and the resort runs a daily activity program — aqua aerobics, beach games, fitness sessions, and the like. There is a fitness center and the spa for downtime. Motorized water sports and excursions (including trips to nearby Aquaventure, about 10-15 minutes away) cost extra.

Evening Entertainment

Rixos brings its signature evening shows and live music — the brand is known for putting genuine production value into nightly entertainment, and The Palm property is no exception. It is family-friendly and not overbearing, with the swim-up and beach bars carrying the later evening crowd.

Rixy Kids Club

The Rixy Kids Club is one of the resort’s quiet strengths. Supervised activities, games, shows, and creative sessions run through the day, which means parents can actually use the spa or linger over a long lunch. For families choosing Dubai over Turkey or the Caribbean, this is a meaningful tick in the box.

Spa and Wellness

The on-site spa offers the usual menu of massages, facials, and body treatments, plus Turkish hammam rituals that fit the brand’s heritage. Basic wellness facilities are available to guests; treatments cost extra. It is solid rather than spectacular — if a destination spa is your priority, the larger Palm Jumeirah resorts have grander facilities, but for in-stay relaxation Rixos covers the bases.

What Is Included vs. What Costs Extra

Included in Ultra All-Inclusive	Costs Extra
All buffet meals (A La Turca, Turquoise)	A la carte beyond the 3-per-stay cap
100+ beverage brands, unlimited alcohol	Motorized water sports
Swim-up bar, pool and beach bars	Spa treatments
Patisserie Istanbul sweets and coffee	Excursions (Aquaventure, desert safari, etc.)
24-hour room service	Shisha at Nargile Lounge (confirm)
Non-motorized water sports	Premium/imported specialty drinks (rare)
Rixy Kids Club	Airport transfers (unless packaged)
Nightly entertainment and live music
Beach service and loungers

Pricing and How to Book

Price Ranges by Season

Season	Months	AI Rate (2 adults)
Peak	Dec-Feb (cool, dry, ideal weather)	$450-800+
Shoulder	Mar-Apr, Oct-Nov	$350-550
Low	May-Sep (extreme heat)	$286-400

Approximate USD per night for the Ultra All-Inclusive rate, two adults. Dubai prices in AED; exchange rates and demand spikes (New Year, major events) push rates well above these ranges.

The pricing logic in Dubai is the reverse of the Mediterranean: winter is peak because the weather is perfect, and summer is cheap because it is brutally hot. If you can tolerate the heat (and plan beach time around dawn and dusk), May to September delivers the genuine all-inclusive value play.

Best Time to Book

Book three to four months ahead for the December-February peak, especially around Christmas and New Year when Dubai fills up. Summer dates can be grabbed much closer in. Always compare the AI rate against the room-only rate plus your expected food and drink spend — given how expensive alcohol is in Dubai, the AI plan usually wins decisively for anyone who drinks.

Where to Book

• Booking.com / Expedia — Easy AI-rate filtering and flexible cancellation
• Rixos / Accor direct — Best for suites and Accor ALL loyalty points
• UK tour operators (Virgin Atlantic Holidays, TUI, Jet2) — Strong flight-inclusive AI packages from the UK

Compared to Nearby Resorts

Rixos Premium Dubai JBR is the sister property and the obvious alternative. JBR is a sleek 35-story tower in the buzzing Jumeirah Beach Residence district with nine branded restaurants (STK, Black Tap, Ammos) and free access to a major waterpark — but its all-inclusive offering is more of an add-on than the full-throated Ultra AI you get at The Palm. Pick JBR if you want a livelier, more urban beach scene; pick The Palm if all-inclusive value is your top priority.

Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai on Deira Islands is the better choice for families fixated on a waterpark — it has a far bigger in-resort water complex and four kids’ clubs. It is also cheaper. But Centara’s location is more remote and the overall product is more mid-market than the Palm address Rixos commands.

JA Palm Tree Court out at Mina Jebel Ali offers all-inclusive across a huge low-rise resort with golf, horse riding, and a shooting club. It is more spread out, more activity-driven, and further from the city — a different vibe entirely for travelers who want space over a glitzy address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is alcohol really included at Rixos The Palm?

Yes — and this is the single biggest reason to book it. The Ultra All-Inclusive package includes unlimited alcohol from over 100 international beverage brands: beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails. Given that a single cocktail in Dubai can run $15-25, the AI plan pays for itself fast for anyone who drinks.

How many a la carte dinners do I get?

Typically three a la carte restaurant visits per person per stay, and you generally need a minimum four-night stay to access them. Book your slots at check-in because the best times fill up. Outside those reservations, you eat at the two main buffets — which are good, but it is worth planning your a la carte nights deliberately.

Is Rixos The Palm good for families?

Yes. The long shallow beach, two pools, Rixy Kids Club, and unlimited dining make it one of Dubai’s most family-friendly all-inclusive options. The kids’ programming genuinely frees parents up, and the suites offer enough space for four.

When is the best time to visit?

For weather, December through February is ideal — warm, dry, and comfortable. For value, May through September brings much lower AI rates, but you must accept extreme heat and plan beach and pool time for early morning and evening. March-April and October-November are the best balance of decent weather and lower prices.

How far is it from Dubai International Airport?

Roughly 35-45 minutes by car, depending on traffic. The resort sits on the outer crescent of the Palm Jumeirah. Aquaventure Waterpark and the main Palm attractions are about 10-15 minutes away by car.

Is all-inclusive common in Dubai?

No — it is genuinely rare. Dubai’s hotel market is built on room-only and B&B rates, with dining spread across the city’s restaurants. Rixos The Palm is one of a small handful of resorts offering a true Ultra All-Inclusive package, which is exactly why it stands out.

Final Verdict

8.6 / 10 — Rixos The Palm Dubai is the best true all-inclusive resort in a city that barely does all-inclusive.

The math is simple. In Dubai, food is expensive and alcohol is very expensive. Rixos hands you unlimited dining across two buffets, three a la carte restaurants, over 100 beverage brands with unlimited alcohol, a long private beach on the Palm Jumeirah, two pools, a swim-up bar, and a strong kids’ club — all under one rate. For travelers who want the Caribbean-style “leave your wallet in the safe” experience but with a Dubai backdrop, nothing else in the city delivers it as completely.

The drawbacks are real: the a la carte cap undercuts the “Ultra” billing, peak-winter pricing is steep, the property is not the newest on the Palm, and the summer heat is unavoidable. But none of those are dealbreakers for the right traveler.

Who should book: Families and couples who want genuine all-inclusive value in Dubai, drinkers who will demolish the alcohol-inclusive math, and first-time all-inclusive travelers who want a turnkey resort on the Palm.

Who should skip: Travelers who want to dine across Dubai’s wider restaurant scene (book a room-only Palm hotel instead), and anyone who can only travel in peak summer and won’t tolerate the heat.

Read our full Dubai all-inclusive destination guide and our best all-inclusive resorts in Dubai guide to compare every genuine option.

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