Movenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate: Feel Like You’re on a Globetrotting Adventure

As you approach the hotel, the first thing you notice is the impressive arch, Ibn Battuta Gate, which, at 60 metres high, is larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The iconic entrance and themed décor are inspired by the travels of intrepid 14th century explorer, Ibn Battuta, who travelled the world from Africa and Europe to Arabia and the Far East. He first set off to do a “Haji” (pilgrimage to Mecca) when he was just 21 years old and ended up travelling for the next 24 years.

Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate view

Ibn Batutta Gate hotel

Mirroring his journey, the 396 spacious hotel rooms are each beautifully furnished and influenced by the colours and styles of Morocco. Each of the Battuta suites are designed to reflect the African, Asian, Middle Eastern and southern European countries Battuta visited during the 14th century. Each floor is decorated in the style of destinations Ibn Battuta travelled to: Andalucía, China, Egypt, India, Morocco, Persia, Russia, Siam and Zanzibar.

Resting in hotel lobby

Grand hall in Mövenpick hotel

The first thing that amazed us as we entered the hotel was the enormous lobby; it felt like we had stepped into an opulent palace. Known as Al Bahou, or the Grand Hall, the 88 large, eastern-style lanterns in the 90m x 30m space immediately offer a stunning and striking welcome. The light from the lanterns is reflected from the marble floor creating an impression of infinity that made my head spin.

Al Bahou view in the evening

Brunch at Al Bahou

Food in restaurant

Breakfast at hotel restaurant

This space also serves as the central location for accessing a diverse selection of leading restaurants located around the periphery of Al Bahou, where award-winning hospitality teams and chefs prepare culinary delights in six internationally-themed restaurants and bars. These are also themed around Battuta’s journey so you can expect to find everything from Asian to Italian to Moroccan; in short, something to suit every taste

Hotel interior details

When it comes to sport and leisure, the hotel features a fully-equipped gym and health club, complete with a 30-metre rooftop pool on the 8th floor. We loved catching the sun here in the mornings, and also enjoying an intimate nighttime swim, when there was just a hint of a breeze in the air

Hotel hall view

Couple in hotel hall

My husband, Ingus, and I wanted to check out the sea in Dubai and luckily, our hotel could accommodate our wishes. After a quick 20-minute trip in a complementary shuttle, we were lying in the sun on the private beach at Oceana Beach Club on Jumeirah Palm, Ibn Battuta Gate’s sister property. The club comprises of a breathtaking 500m stretch of private beach, an infinity swimming pool and a lazy river, all against the backdrop of the hazy Dubai Marina skyline.

Movenpick hotel interior

Executive room view

Hotel amazing swimming pool

The hotel is located just 15 minutes from the Marina Bay area and just a 2-minute walk from Ibn Battuta Gate Mall. We had planned to check out the mall in 15 minutes, but we ended up spending a lot more time than that there! The mall doesn’t look like any other shopping centre we’ve ever visited. It’s more like a museum and is also designed to follow Battuta on his historical travels. After walking through Persia, Tunisia, China, India, Egypt and the Andalusian Courts, we felt like we’d been on a globetrotting adventure ourselves.

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When I was a child I had a dream of visiting Australia in order to see Sydney’s Opera House and the red sands of the desert, to pet kangaroos and dive into the powerful waves of the ocean. When I turned 20, I went on my first long trip – a trip to Viña del Mar in Chile.

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