I will start this review with a caveat – that this isn’t going to be a luxe option for many travellers and it doesn’t necessarily fly high in the scoring below, but what the XVA offers is something so different and hard to find in a city like Dubai – and that in itself is something that is worth considering. This isn’t an alternative to the Burj al Arab for those reasons!

However if you want to stay in somewhere small, with personalised service and entirely different price tag, somewhere very unique and part of the less recent history of Dubai and which is a haven of peacefulness and calm, then do read on! The opportunity to stay in a guest house in such unique surroundings, and in perfectly adequate comfort is a luxury in itself and a marked change from many of the block build hotels that make up the 4-5* offerings in Dubai!