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.

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🌴 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.

We visited the Rixos The Palm in November 2023 with a newborn (3 months old) and a toddler (20 months old). This stay quickly set the bar for the ultra all-inclusive family experience in Dubai.

The Game-Changing Suite Upgrade

Upon arrival, we were immediately upgraded to a spacious suite—and it was truly perfect for our stage of family travel. The layout included a separate lounge, dining area, a second toilet, and a huge master bedroom.

• The Sleep Hack: The separate rooms meant we could set up two cots in completely different areas. This was critical, as our little girl was still waking in the night, and the separation ensured our toddler wasn’t disturbed.
• The Trade-Off: The only slight negative was the lack of a balcony for evening drinks, but the sheer size and separation of the suite easily made up for it!

Unrivaled Water Play for Little Ones

The Rixos pools were, in a word, brilliant. There’s an adults-only pool, a large main pool with a swim-up bar, and a shallow pool with a gentle gradient entrance, which is perfect for timid toddlers.

• The Kids’ Pool Highlight: The biggest win was the dedicated Kids’ Pool located within the gated Rixy Kids Club area. It features multiple slides and spray features perfect for our 20-month-old. We spent virtually every day here.
• Rixy Kids Club Area: In this same gated zone, you’ll find a great playground and a little indoor kids’ club with toys. Inside the main buffet restaurant, they even have a soft play area tucked away in the corner, allowing parents a few extra minutes to eat in peace!
• Weekend Woe: The only downside we experienced was the sunbed scramble on the weekends. The resort obviously attracts many local visitors, so if you’re out late after a nap, finding a prime spot near the pool can be tricky.

Ultra All-Inclusive & The 5 PM Problem

Rixos truly delivers on its ultra all-inclusive promise, but we quickly discovered one logistical challenge for young families.

• Premium Drinks & Perks: The drinks selection was fantastic, including branded spirits and good quality beers—a huge pro that definitely made us feel we got our money’s worth. Plus, the free ice cream and free fresh fruit by the pool were a massive perk!
• Dining Quality: The a la carte restaurants were all good—a nice change of scenery from the buffet—but not amazing. The buffet was solid, often featuring themed nights like a BBQ where you could select meat or fish to be cooked fresh.
• The 5 PM Dinner Gap: Our biggest challenge was finding dinner for our toddler around 5:00 PM, as the buffet didn’t open until later, and the lobby snack bar options weren’t great for kids.
• The Hack: We solved this by heading to the beachside restaurant around 4:45 PM to get our toddler some early dinner while we enjoyed a cocktail. This worked perfectly.

The Rixos X-Factor: Free Atlantis Tickets

One of the best value inclusions of this hotel is the complimentary access to the Atlantis Waterpark. We took the free shuttle over for the day, and our son absolutely loved it! It has more than enough slides and attractions to keep a toddler thoroughly entertained (our little one was a bit too small for most of it, but that’s what the Rixos kids’ pool is for!). We also enjoyed the weekly Rixy Festival with giant inflatables, free food, and drinks—a super fun and unexpected bonus.

Category	Pros	Cons
Accommodation	Suite Upgrade provided crucial separate sleeping rooms for two cots.
All-Inclusive	Premium Brands Included (branded spirits, good beer).	No 5 PM Kids Dinner Option (requires parental ingenuity/hacks).
Kids’ Fun	Brilliant Dedicated Kids’ Pool with multiple slides & at a kid-friendly height.	Very Busy Weekends can lead to difficulty securing sun loungers after lunch.
Value & Perks	Free Atlantis Waterpark Tickets and free poolside fruit/ice cream.	À la carte restaurants are good, but not amazing (limited wow-factor).