Bahar 1

Our stay at Bahar 1, apartment 302, with Happy Season Holiday Homes was extremely disappointing and nothing like the listing on booking.com. We rented the apartment through the named company, but the promised pool and gym access never worked because the key card wouldn’t give us access. Even on our last day, nobody provided a working card. Each time we wanted to enter the building, we had to ask security for help. Security said the apartment manager probably hadn’t paid to activate the card. The apartment was unclean on arrival. Glasses were still wet, cups had lipstick stains, and the overall hygiene was unacceptable. The TV remote had dead batteries; after we replaced them, the TV still barely worked, with the HDMI disconnected and the remote possibly faulty. The internet was down at first and only got fixed after a full day. Small vermin meant we couldn’t leave food outside the fridge. We contacted the host multiple times through Whatsapp and booking.com. All they said was “sorry for the inconvenience,” with no real solution. The apartment wasn’t cheap, and the poor management, misleading listing, and missing promised facilities made for a terrible experience. Avoid Happy Season Holiday Homes if you want reliable service and pool access in Dubai.

The security staff were friendly and really helpful. The location is handy for the beach and JBR, though gym users and swimmers may want to make their own arrangements.

The elevators were slow, and some were dirty. I also found significant mold in several areas. I had been looking forward to staying here, but the gym was so unclean I left soon after walking in. Even touching the equipment felt unsanitary. I left with a very bad impression, and the building fell short of the quality I expect in Dubai.

We stayed on the 44th floor in an AirB&B apartment and had a great time. The view was spectacular, and it was easy to walk to the Marina or the metro. There’s a Starbucks on the ground level, and All Day market is open 24/7.