Le Meridien Al Aqah

Now that there are so many travel restrictions there is a rise in residents looking for staycations.

After some research and listening to recommendations we chose Le Meridien on located on Al Aqah Beach with a stunning back drop of the mountains.

Unusually when you arrive the hotel does not offer valet parking. I am not sure if this is due to COVID or just not a service they offer. They have an open car park just two minutes walk away. Its a shame that they do not have covered parking as the car gets so hot in the sun and also quite dirty.

The check in staff were lovely and we had some confusion as we though we had selected half board. The lady informed us that with half board you only have the option of the buffet for dinner. As much as I’ve come around to buffets I do prefer al la carte and had heard good things about their restaurants.

Room: We were in room 912 which had a fantastic view of the beach, mountains and snoopy island. The sun rises every morning were worth getting up for. The perfect start to every morning.

Breakfast: Breakfast was included in our room rate. They had a couple of options a la carte and a huge buffet selection. Most mornings I opted for the congee that i would order a poached egg for and add a chopped sausage. The a la carte options like the benedict and omlette were nice but nothing exciting. The waffles and pancakes were fantastic and I also loved the quality of the smoked salmon.

Lunch: We did not really have lunch as would still be full from breakfast.

Dinner:

Gonu Grill

The food at Gonu Grill was excellent with the exception of the burger. The first night we ordered the fish and chips. Fantastic! A preference of mine is proper chippy chips, but still a valiant effort. The fish cakes with a side of mash. Again excellent. The mash was slightly lumpy, but still delicious. The second dining experience there I started with the oysters and prosecco offer. Lovely and fresh, however I would have liked to have seen more effort with the sauce. They were served with a vinegar, lemon slice and a pipette of spicy saucy. The best I have tried is with finely chopped kimchi. Something that does annoy me a little, especially as a slow eater is when they bring the mains before clearing from the starters, particulary when I have not even finished. They did this. It really had not taken me that long to eat three oysters. What’s the rush? They were clearing the plate before I had the chance to add anything to my last one. Having said that. I did love the service. In particular Lu. He was so funny and really looked after us. For My Main course I had the fillet of mahi mahi fish with a side of mash potato (it’s my go to side) and the creamed spinach. My husband had the fish and chips again. Both fantastic dishes and would go back for them. The fish was beautifully cooked.