Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort: Our Second Family Trip Verdict
This was our second visit to the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, and we’re happy to report that the resort delivered just as brilliantly the second time around. Traveling with friends and our four similar-aged kids, this resort is perfectly geared up for a relaxing, fun-filled family holiday.
The All-Inclusive Advantage
A huge benefit for families arriving early after a night flight is the immediate access. While our rooms weren’t ready until 3 pm, the Westin allowed us to use the all-inclusive meal plan and all facilities straight away. That meant we headed directly to the kids’ pool, and the holiday started immediately—a massive perk!
The delay in room readiness actually resulted in an unexpected upgrade: two connecting ground-floor rooms with an outdoor terrace. Our room was a standard King setup, but we successfully configured the sleeping arrangements for our family of four: we added a pop-up bed for our oldest, who loved sleeping right next to us, and utilized the spacious bathroom for the littlest’s cot. This clever trick meant both kids got a solid night’s sleep without waking each other. The terrace quickly became our perfect evening spot to socialize with our friends over drinks once the kids were asleep.
Endless Activities & Foodie Highlights
This is incredibly helpful and adds fantastic detail regarding the all-inclusive dining options, especially the distinction between adult-only and family spots, and the value of ordering poolside.
I have meticulously integrated all these new restaurant and poolside details into your review, primarily by restructuring and expanding the “Endless Activities & Foodie Highlights” section for maximum clarity.
🌴 The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi: Why We Came Back for More
This was our second visit to the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, and we’re happy to report that the resort delivered just as brilliantly the second time around. Traveling with friends and our four similar-aged kids, this resort is perfectly geared up for a relaxing, fun-filled family holiday.
The All-Inclusive Advantage
A huge benefit for families arriving early after a night flight is the immediate access. While our rooms weren’t ready until 3 pm, the Westin allowed us to use the all-inclusive meal plan and all facilities straight away. That meant we headed directly to the kids’ pool, and the holiday started immediately—a massive perk!
The delay in room readiness actually resulted in an unexpected upgrade: two connecting ground-floor rooms with an outdoor terrace. Our room was a standard King setup, but we successfully configured the sleeping arrangements for our family of four: we added a pop-up bed for our oldest, who loved sleeping right next to us, and utilized the spacious bathroom for the littlest’s cot. This clever trick meant both kids got a solid night’s sleep without waking each other. The terrace quickly became our perfect evening spot to socialize with our friends over drinks once the kids were asleep.
Endless Activities & Foodie Highlights
One of the best features of this resort is the three-hotel complex access. Being able to use the facilities across all three properties kept the trip dynamic, even though we were mostly focused on pure relaxation this time. Our itinerary included plenty of beach time, splashing in the numerous kids’ pools, and frequent visits to the on-site waterpark. (A practical note: It’s ideal for younger children but might be a little tame for older adrenaline-seekers, as it only features a few major slides.) The boys also enjoyed the new resort golf facilities and took the little ones to start them early on becoming golf pros.
The food on the all-inclusive package is truly amazing, with a huge variety of dining spots across the three resorts. The buffet breakfast is vast, offering incredible variety.
🍽️ Where We Ate (The All-Inclusive Dine-Around)
The biggest perk of the all-inclusive is the dining flexibility across all three hotels, offering options for every time of day:
| Restaurant Name & Focus | Key Feature & Vibe | Family / Adult Focus |
| Pool & Beach Service | A real perk of the all-inclusive! You could order food and drinks at any time right from your sun lounger, with no set menus. We often sat by the pool having a cocktail while the kids had dinner, or took food down to the beach. | Family Convenience |
| Bussola Pizzeria (Rooftop) | Perfect for kids with a great pizza menu. We went early (6 pm) so it wasn’t busy. Kids loved watching the chefs make the pizzas. | Family Early Dinner |
| Sui Mui (Asian) | Excellent food and service. We went on a non-weekend evening (avoiding the Friday/Saturday buffet) to have the amazing à la carte menu, which included a separate veggie menu for our friend. | Adults Only (Highly Recommended) |
| Fish Beach Taverna (Le Méridien) | Lovely fish restaurant located right on the sand. Good options for both kids and adults. Needs booking, especially for a beach table. | Family Dinner (Reservation needed) |
| Bounty Beets | Our healthy eating favourite! Food felt fresh, and we loved that it was open all day until 7 pm. Crucially, it has a small outdoor area where the kids could play. | Family Lunch/Casual Dinner |
| El Sur (Spanish) | Opened early at 5 pm, so we had an early tapas-style meal with the kids. Good standard Spanish food, but not our favourite spot. | Family Early Dinner |
| Bussola (Adults Only) | High-end Italian dining. Great ambiance, especially on the terrace. Note: Quite a lot of the menu was not included on the all-inclusive. | Adults Only |
| Baba Steakhouse | Lovely steak and service (tried on a previous trip). Note: Again, quite a bit was not included on the all-inclusive package. | Adults Only |
| Ginger Moon (W Hotel) | Rooftop experience at the neighbouring W hotel. Offered a great change of scenery and felt much more sophisticated than the other two hotels. | Adults Only |
Important Family Tips & Changes
- Sun Loungers: Generally, reserving loungers isn’t necessary, though weekends can be busy with local visitors, meaning you might not snag a spot right next to the pool.
- Evening Drinks: This is the one tricky spot. Due to recent all-inclusive changes (the lobby bar is no longer included), getting in-room drinks once the kids are down is difficult. We had to get creative, but it’s something the hotel could make easier for parents! Smoothies were also removed from the included drinks list this year.
- Staff Excellence: Despite minor policy changes, the staff are genuinely friendly and attentive, ensuring every aspect of our stay was smooth.
Our favorite holiday memory? Enjoying sundowners—mojitos and pina coladas for us, and pizza for the kids—either by the pool or on the beach. It was the perfect family atmosphere.
We highly recommend the Westin for families with young children. While we mostly stayed on-site this time, Dubai has so much to offer, and we’ll definitely explore more as the kids get older!
Quick Verdict: Pros & Cons
| Category | Pros | Cons |
| Dining | The food quality is consistently amazing, with a huge dine-around variety (Sui Mui, Fish Beach, Bussola Pizzeria). Poolside service is included. | The all-inclusive package saw two small exclusions this year (no smoothies, no lobby bar access). Some restaurants have significant supplements/exclusions. |
| Facilities | Excellent perk of being able to eat and use facilities across the three sister hotels. | Some reserving of sunbeds happens right next to the pool—a common frustration at many resorts. |
| Kids’ Fun | Use of all the pools is great; the Westin kids’ pool is shaded and has slide into a perfect shallow depth. The on-site waterpark is a huge bonus. | While the Kids’ Club has an outdoor play park and soft play, the physical facilities need updating. (We didn’t use the staffed activities.) |
| Convenience | The ability to get food delivered right to your sun lounger means no interruption or need to get the kids dressed for lunch. | Getting drinks back to the room for a quiet evening drink is unnecessarily difficult for parents with sleeping children. |
| Service & Location | The staff are universally amazing, friendly, and helpful. The hotel’s location is excellent for exploring the wider sights of Dubai. | We hope the all-inclusive doesn’t continue to shrink, but currently, the offering is still excellent. |
A to Z Family Travels 