Pure unashamable luxury! You are greeted with arabic tea and dates when you check-in. Typical arabic rooms with views of the desert, complete with amenities in the bathroom, mini bar and daily treats of fresh fruit.
Once a week all guests are invited to the managers cocktail reception, where we met the manager and mentioned we had just got married, when we returned to our room a bottle of wine and cake were waiting for us.
The pool area is something else, very relaxing and the most comfortable sun loungers I've ever used.
Just before dusk every evening we were treated to a falconary show on the dunes along with rugs and cushions to sit on and camels to add to the ambiance.
All the bars and restaurants are of a very high standard, and make you feel very very special being in such a wonderful place, it's like being in a different world.

LOCATION: Excellent. You get the feeling that you are really in the middle of the desert and yet only 45 minutes away from the main parts of Dubai. Not the best location if you want to spend most of your time seeing the sites of Dubai. More for relaxation but there is a complimentary hotel shuttle that departs at 10:30AM and comes back in the evening time (one per day).

BED/SHEETS/PILLOW: One of the most comfortable beds I have ever stayed in. Sheets were of high quality linens and pillows were down and perfect (I must admit I rarely give such high reviews of hotel beds).

LIGHTING: Ok, not great in the bathroom and poor in the bedroom. One of the darkest rooms I have ever been in, but perhaps it’s part of the Arabic theme.

BATHROOM/SHOWER: Bathroom was really nice, with a large tub and great shower with very strong pressure and consistent temperature that can get very hot.

TOILETRIES: Excellent quality even though in unusual packaging.

CLEANLINESS: The entire room and hotel common areas are exceptionally clean.

A/C: Quietly kept our room very cool. Disliked that we could barely feel the air on our face.

CLOSET SPACE: Enough space for 2 to unpack most items.

STYLE OF ROOM: Exceptional! Arabic theme was great and the room had beautiful furnishings and décor. It was nice seeing the sand from our room. Supposedly all rooms are the same size, the only difference is the view.

QUIET/LIGHT: Our room was very quiet at night yet sometimes could hear foot steps from the room above (it may be better to get an upper floor room, not sure how this would affect the view).

FOOD: Good to excellent. We had 3 meals here and found the pool restaurant to be good and the Indian restaurant to be excellent (and I eat Indian food all the time).

TV/INTERNET: Great size TV (not flat screen). Tons of English channels. Internet is wired in the room and is fast.

SERVICE: This is where the hotel doesn’t impress. Fortunately everyone is nice but they just don’t deliver good service. There are tons of staff everywhere at the hotel but they don’t seem to help out the guests proactively. Expect to hunt them down for your request and to perhaps ask twice to get things done.

COMMON AREA: Spectacular. It’s the perfect setting with the perfect hotel style to make this hotel special. The infinity pool is impressive as it appears to end in the sand dunes. The lobby area is also themed and very well done. Camels and falcons are available to entertain guests before sunset.

TIPS:. Definitely go to the Indian restaurant. A cab ride to town will be from 70 to 100 Dhs (US$20+). If you want to eat the the Burj (sailboat hotel), make reservations before you leave on your trip, all the restaurants book early and there is only one at the top. Be sure to book lunch since we were told there is not much of a view at night. Perhaps book a few nights here and a few in the city. I strongly suggest staying here if you can deal with the fair service provided, the resort is truly amazing and a real desert experience.

Jumeirah run a bunch of hotels around the world. That in itself should say "good quality" or "sure bet". Bab Al Shams delivers on location and facilites, but staff managemnt sucks. Bab is a pretender.
The staff are great - the staff managers are incompetent.
Shangri-La Hotel in Oman has got its act together - when you pay top dollar you get awesome service, you don't need to wait too long for service by the pool, your restaurant waiters are observant, and check-in and check-out are a breeze.
Bab Al Shams is a poor cousin. Nothing is quick or smooth. Pool service is pot-luck. Check-in and check-out are a trial. The whole operation is ad hoc. Depending on when you arrive at check-in or check-out, or at the pool or a restaurant, can determine how you are treated.
The ultimate problem, therefore, is consistency. Bab Al Shams does not have it. It could be so awesome.
You pay a lot for a stay at Bab, but it just doesn't deliver.
Lift your game Bab. Lift your game.

This comment is written by business/leisure travelling couple with lots of mileage under their belt and plenty hotels/resorts eperiences to compare to. If you are used to excellent and courteous service, superb spa and sports facilities, this hotel resort is not for you. Though the architecture and features are appealing and reflecting an "arabic desert setting", the expected unique experience is killed in its tracks by the appaling service and attitude of management. Let us reflect on our recent 4day stay: checking in at 11pm, our booked room class is apparently "fully booked", a message we receive by a discontendend staff and only after a lot of noice and at midnight (!) were we assigned to our room in line with our booking (misteriously someone just checked out?). This after a long flight. We booked in advance spa treatments and were suprised to discover a cramped and small place they call Spa. My massage was a joke: I must have been the therapists second customer..although my husband was treated to a professional good massage. Our mani/pedi was really professional but we had the treatment in a room which could have been their broom closet. Very much an amateurish Spa and I wonder where the resort takes its name "Resort&Spa" from. The gym is equally not worth mentioning and a handful bikes and stairmaster are stuffed in a small room. Our room was a Deluxe Balcony: nice features, comfortable bed but very poor lighting fixtures, also in the bathroom. So if you are a lady and like to blow dry your hair or apply cosmetics with light, this will be difficult. Room service ok, neglectant to detail; the hallway to the room "featured" left dishes at all times of the day/night. The restaurants are nice, try the Indian Restaurant and the Pizzeria for its superb Pizza. But, alas, the Pool and Poolside Snack-and Drink Bar was hopelessly understaffed and we felt very bad watching these ladies and gents to do their best to satisfy customers. Emmerie especially, tried to keep the place organised and Hanzhi, a waiter, tried very hard to fill the gap of badly needed staff. They both need to be commanded for keeping the otherwise chaotic situation in check. Where was the Management? Very, very unprofessionally handled, topped by very, very, rude reception staff when checking out, for example, when asked whether we had taken something from the minibar and we said no, she called the room service to check immediately! By the way, every time we walked past the reception, someone was complaining. Very strange experience.
All in all a Hotel which is not up to standard at all to the rest of Jumeirah Hotels whose Hotels we've been visiting and enjoying in the past at numerous occasions. And no, it was not Ramadan this time!