Introduction

Sharjah is another fine example of how the British managed to butcher any word that isn’t plain old English. The city commonly referred to as Sharjah is actually pronounced as Ash-Sharkhiya, which literally mean The Eastern One and is loosely translated as The Eastern City. So there you have it.

Modern Sharjah is located in the opposite direction to Dubai – you guessed it – due east of Dubai Airport. It’s the third largest city in the UAE after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is also, I would say, the most oriental one of the three cities.

Location

The Chedi Al Bajt is located on the Sharjah Corniche. On foot it’s “only” 45 minutes to the beach. That is, if you don’t mind walking in the blistering sun with temperatures hovering around 38 degrees Centigrade in the shade. Al Bajt means a house. That’s because the hotel is housed in what used to be a family residence that was built around a series of courtyards. The buildings are close to each other with narrow alleyways that the sun cannot reach into. It’s a really lovely hotel and the first impression is quite magical when I arrive at around 22h30 at night when the place is beautifully lit up.

Check-In

The car pulls up to the curb and the bellman comes to open my door, while his colleague takes out my luggage. He asks me to follow him to the reception room, while he promises me that once I’ve stayed here once, I will for sure want to return again and again.

Inside the reception room, he asks me to take a seat and brings me my bag for the check-in formalities. Another member of staff welcomes me to the hotel and brings me a glass of an icy cold lavender tea which is refreshing. Once we’re done with check-in, the young lady shows me to my room.

The Servive & Staff

The staff at the hotel are excellent! Everyone is just so friendly and helpful. For example, on my last day, the waitress comes to take my order for breakfast and I tell her that I’ll be leaving early the next morning. She tells me that in that case they’d like to do “something special” to say good bye. A short while later she returns, explaining that they all noticed that I would order something Indian for breakfast every day. So, as a farewell gift, they thought they’d serve me one of each dish. I mean, I couldn’t finish it all, but I appreciate the gesture. Before I exit the restaurant, the waitress tells me that they’d be happy to fix me a breakfast delivered to my room, even if it’s at three in the morning.

Of course, it helps that there are hardly any guests staying at the hotel. At least, I don’t see that many guests. To be honest, it’s rather nice because it feels private. But it’s also a bit weird because you keep wondering where the heck everyone has gone.

The Chedi Grand Patio Room

I’ve booked a Grand Patio Room in the Al Gharb building. There are only four guest rooms in this building that are arranged around a peaceful courtyard.

The room opens into the living area. Next to the door is a low sofa and coffee table. Opposite is a desk and next to it is the mini bar unit.

A narrow hall leads from the living room to the bedroom, the walk-in wardrobe, and then the bathroom. The bed is a four poster and the mattress is divine. This is such a blessing for my damaged back.

The bathroom has twin sinks, a separate toilet and a walk-in shower with a pebbled floor. It’s gorgeous. Whenever I have a shower during my stay, I find it exceedingly difficult to bring myself to turn off the water.

The patio is spacious and quite large. It’s also very private, as it is enclosed by a high wall on all sides. It’s just a shame it’s too hot to spend any length of time outside.

Amenities

The room has a kettle and a capsule type coffee machine. There are also several bottles of still water. The fridge is empty except for another bottle of water and two home made granola bars. On the coffee table there’s also a bowl of dates and walnuts.

The bathroom is also well stocked with amenities, things like dental kits, shaving kits, etc. There are also bathrobes and slippers that are quite floofy.

Dining

The hotel has two main restaurants that are open throughout the day. Nomani is a Japanese Korean fusion restaurant, whereas the appropriately named The Restaurant is the main eatery where breakfast is also served. In addition, there are two cafés and a pool bar.

The breakfast is only à la carte. A breadbasket, fruit, juices, tea and coffee are brought to every table. Additional items can be ordered from the menu, which is quite extensive. On my first morning, I have scrambled eggs and bircher müsli, which proves to be a bit too much. The müsli is good, but very sweet.

My favourite is the Indian breakfast – a masala omelette served with Idli with Sambar, mint sauce, and tomato chutney.

One evening I eat at Nomani, which is also very nice. Instead of having a starter and a main, I order several starters:

Pickled vegetables, green asparagus salad, a delectable miso and lentil soup, and a cucumber roll served with an unusual black sesame dressing.

Conclusion

The Chedi Al Bait Sharjah is a lovely hotel with great staff. It’s location right on the waterfront in Sharjah’s old town, is lovely. I must say, I’m quite surprised by Sharjah in that I rather like it. Generally speaking, Sharjah tends to be a bit neglected and overlooked. It’s not as clean as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and not so flashy. But it has character, which is not something you can say about Dubai, which is just flashy and new.