How the Johnson Family Spent Two Weeks in Our Marina Penthouse
When my husband and I decided to escape the grey London winter, Dubai was at the top of our list. We had three kids aged 4, 8, and 12, so a hotel room was out of the question — we needed space, a kitchen, and enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own corner. That is when we found Hamman Vacation Homes and arranged a stay at the Marina Penthouse for two weeks.
From the moment we walked in, the kids were speechless. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the entire Arabian Gulf, and the wraparound terrace quickly became our favourite spot. Mornings started with breakfast on the balcony watching the boats below, and evenings ended with the kids spotting the twinkling lights of the Palm Jumeirah. The kitchen was a real kitchen — not a token hotel kitchenette — so we could cook proper family meals when we wanted a night in.
The location was perfect for exploring. We walked to JBR Beach almost every day, took the tram to the Marina Mall, and made the short drive to the Dubai Mall for rainy-day activities. The Aquaventure Waterpark was the highlight for the older kids, while the youngest was happy building sandcastles on the private beach at Palm Jumeirah. We also did a desert safari, which the whole family agreed was the single best experience of the trip.
What made the biggest difference was the support from the Hamman team. They arranged our desert safari, recommended family-friendly restaurants, and even had a high chair and baby monitors ready when we arrived. When our youngest got a mild fever, they had a paediatrician recommendation within 20 minutes. It felt less like renting an apartment and more like having a local family looking after us. We have already arranged our return trip for next December.
