There could be nothing better than to enjoy your night stay at a hotel when you are not outside exploring Al Ain. Ayla Bawadi has drawn me several impressions, but ofcourse like another hotel, there are few things that need to be looked at for improvements. I will start with the Pros that are only based on my opinion and experience.
One main reason why I chose Ayla Bawadi is the fact that although it is located 7-8kms away from the city, it is just a walk away from Bawadi Mall (not to mention Ikea a few meters walk too!). One always finds it a clear advantage when hotels are near a mall rather than not.
The car park is just at the forefront of the hotel, so expect no basement parking nor vallet parking. Good thing is the parking area is covered with shades so no need to worry with the scorching heat of the sun.
The hotel is likewise just approximately 13 few kms away from Jebel Hafeet. From the hotel, you can already view the mountain side from afar and it looks better at night.
The 6 year old hotel offers a variety of health facilities which include Massage spa, Gym, Sauna and Jakuzzi (which i have enjoyed a lot).
The rooms are tidy and well maintained. By the way, I stayed in a standard room which comes with breakfast. The comfort rooms are provisioned completely with vanity kits.
The food are not bad at all and although there are not many choices, to be honest, I walked out of the dining with my belly full and satisfied.
The pool is at regulated temperature. I am not a fan of cold water and I prefer to really swim on beaches at summer. But I honestly enjoyed the outdoor pool. Current safety measures only allow 4 people at a time to swim while only one for Jakuzzi and two for Sauna rooms.
I am not going away without saying that somehow, the management should give a thought of the following:
1. Shower was not working in my room. I didn’t bother to complain though but I have raised with the receptionist.
2. Provision of two pairs of slippers could be helpful rather than requesting for one more.
3. Timely room preparation as I waited for more almost 2 hours before my room was prepared (fortunately I had to go out for a tour).
4. Could add more food choices.
5. I was able to connect my wifi from an interconnecting room without needing another username and password.
Overall for a standard room that has no window view, limited food choices, I consider the price of AED 306 to be a reasonable price for the fact that, the hotel has an upperhand on facilities and a mall to top it all.