A few days ago, I asked for feedback on where I should spend the night in Kuwait, as part of my current review trip. After weighing the pros and cons shared by OMAAT readers, I ended up deciding to book the Waldorf Astoria Kuwait (mainly because spending the night at a mall sounded oddly appealing).
While I’ll have a full review soon, I wanted to just briefly talk about what a pleasant stay I had — I couldn’t have been happier with the hotel choice.
The Waldorf Astoria Kuwait is dazzlingly beautiful
Kuwait has seen several new five star hotels open in the past couple of years, with the Waldorf Astoria being among those. I love the design of the Waldorf Astoria — it’s luxurious and modern while still feeling classic. How beautiful is this lobby?!
And this atrium?!
And these hallways?!
And this pool?!
And this gym?!
Between my Diamond elite status and booking through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, I got upgraded to a one bedroom suite, which was more than spacious.
Breakfast buffets in the Middle East are on a different level
When it comes to over-the-top breakfast, it doesn’t get better than what you’ll find in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Even within that competitive set, the Waldorf Astoria Kuwait had an especially generous breakfast.
For one, the breakfast restaurant literally had an interior view of the mall, which couldn’t help but make me chuckle.
Breakfast included a buffet that was as high quality as it was extensive, with everything under the sun. As if that wasn’t enough, there was an additional menu you could order an unlimited number of items off of.
On top of that, there were freshly squeezed juices and barista coffee, with one of the best cappuccinos I’ve had in a long time.
Who knew staying at a mall could be so fun?!
Now let me explain the main reason I chose to stay at the Waldorf Astoria — it’s connected to a mall. Okay, in the United States, a hotel being connected to a mall would be a way to guarantee that I avoid it. However, in the Middle East it’s a different story, as malls are very much where people meet and hang out.
Not only that, but given how hot it can be in the Middle East (and how high the UV can be during the day), I appreciate the opportunity to do some strolling indoors. Furthermore, since I was staying on a Friday night, I knew it would be a total scene, since that’s where locals tend to hang out in the evenings on weekends.
The Waldorf Astoria is connected to The Avenues Mall, which isn’t just any random mall. It’s the largest mall in the region (yes, even bigger than the Dubai Mall), and it’s also without a doubt the most beautiful mall I’ve been to.
This mall was filled to the brim with locals, and had quite some lively energy. I enjoyed an evening stroll — you can’t beat getting 20,000 steps and doing lots of people watching. Below are some pictures, just to give you a sense of how beautiful this mall is (they were taken the following morning at 8AM, when it was much less busy — I went back for round two).
Bottom line
While I doubt too many OMAAT readers will be planning a vacation in Kuwait anytime soon, I had an excellent stay at the Waldorf Astoria Kuwait, and appreciate all the tips that OMAAT readers provided. I never thought I’d find a Waldorf Astoria connected directly to a mall, let alone that I’d enjoy it this much. I almost want to return to Kuwait just to stay at this hotel again…
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