Ras Al Khaimah

Travelling to Ras Al Khaimah

Airport lounge

The plan was simple: start the holiday in style at the Premium Plaza Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5, for the bargain price of just £75 for two. Thanks to British Airways running check-in with military precision, we sailed through security so quickly we barely had time to mentally prepare ourselves for the “luxury” ahead.

To be fair, the staff at the lounge were absolutely lovely. The ladies on reception welcomed us warmly, escorted us to a reserved table like VIPs, and throughout our stay the waitresses tirelessly checked if we needed another drink. Honestly, the staff deserved to be working somewhere far fancier.

Sadly, the lounge itself looked less “exclusive airport retreat” and more “motorway service station that had once watched an episode of Grand Designs.” It was one long room with a partial runway view — although we spent most of the time admiring it through our winter coats because the place was absolutely freezing. Nothing says premium relaxation quite like sipping wine while dressed for an Arctic expedition.

Now, onto the food. The selection was what can only be described as “minimalist.” Guests could choose from:

• one meat dish,
• one vegetarian dish,
• pasta,
• potatoes,
• a basic salad,
• one lonely cheese,
• crackers,
• and chocolate brownies doing their best to carry the entire dessert section.

The drinks selection was equally underwhelming. No sparkling wine, no cider, no Baileys, and — perhaps most traumatically — no hot chocolate included. Apparently these luxuries required an additional payment. At this point we half expected to be charged extra for napkins and central heating.

Having travelled extensively and visited many airport lounges over the years, we can confidently say this was the least impressive lounge we’ve experienced. It wasn’t terrible… it just felt like someone had taken the word “premium” and interpreted it very loosely.

That said, the staff genuinely worked incredibly hard and could not have been more helpful throughout. They were the shining stars in what was otherwise a rather chilly, beige experience. A real shame we couldn’t access the BA lounges instead — we spent most of the visit peering longingly in their direction like airport lounge orphans.

Flight

We flew to Dubai with British Airways on one of the three daily flights they operate from Heathrow. Wanting sunshine without the sensation of slowly roasting like a rotisserie chicken, we wisely chose to visit in January — arguably the perfect time to go. The temperatures are lovely and warm without feeling like someone is aiming a giant hairdryer directly at your face, which is more the experience during Dubai’s summer months.

As we were travelling on BA staff travel, the flights were delightfully cheap for us (one of the few occasions in life where you feel like you’ve beaten the system). However, for mere mortals paying full price, economy return flights are typically around £730 including a generous 23kg luggage allowance — plenty of room for holiday outfits you’ll never actually wear.

Our flight departed Heathrow at the very civilised hour of 21:35 and arrived in Dubai at 08:30 local time the following morning. The flight time is around seven hours, which in long-haul terms is practically just a quick hop. Dubai is also four hours ahead of the UK, meaning by the time you arrive your body clock has absolutely no idea what’s going on.

Shortly after take-off the cabin crew appeared with snacks and drinks, including alcohol, soft drinks and hot drinks — and, refreshingly, they didn’t guard the drinks trolley like it contained the Crown Jewels. There was no awkward “one drink per customer” policy here. If you fancied another drink, they happily obliged, which certainly helps make seven hours in a flying metal tube feel more glamorous.

Before landing we were served breakfast, which was exactly what you’d expect from economy class dining at 35,000 feet: scrambled eggs of mysterious texture, sausage, mushrooms, beans, a bread roll, yoghurt, muffin, cheese, biscuits, water and orange juice. Was it gourmet? Absolutely not. Did we eat every last crumb because it was breakfast and we were trapped on a plane with no other options? Also absolutely.

Customs

Passing through customs in Dubai was incredibly quick and easy. Despite the plane being completely full, the queue moved so fast we barely had chance to look tired and jet-lagged. Dubai Airport clearly has the process down to a fine art — unlike some airports where you begin questioning whether you’ll ever see daylight again.

Baggage

When we arrived at baggage reclaim, the cases were already coming through. One of ours appeared almost immediately, giving us false hope that the second would follow shortly after.

It didn’t.

Slowly the crowd disappeared until only a small group of us remained staring hopefully at the carousel as if our luggage might magically appear out of sympathy. Eventually an airport staff member scanned our baggage ticket and informed us that our missing case was still enjoying life in London and had not made it onto the plane.

We were sent to complete a lost luggage form where, interestingly, there were four women reporting missing cases while all the men in the travel parties had received theirs without issue. Typical. Clearly the universe decided men only need one pair of shorts and a phone charger.

Transport from Dubai Airport to Ras Al Khaimah

We had booked our transfers through Booking.com at a cost of £104 return. The journey to Ras Al Khaimah takes around an hour depending on traffic.

Our driver, Ahmad Bilal, was waiting for us with a sign displaying our names. Unfortunately, due to the luggage drama we were delayed leaving the airport and Ahmad sent several messages saying he may have to leave as he had already waited longer than expected. Thankfully he stayed, and eventually we were on our way.

Just as we thought the chaos was over, we discovered the roads near our hotel were closed due to a triathlon. Apparently while we were battling missing luggage, other people were voluntarily running and cycling for fun.

The driver could go no further, so we grabbed our cases and walked the remaining short distance to the hotel — our own unexpected final event of the triathlon.

Accommodation – Rixos Bab Al Bahr

Check in

We arrived at the hotel at around 11am, fully expecting the usual “your room will be ready at 3pm” speech along with several hours of wandering around looking dishevelled and sleep deprived. However, to our surprise, the reception staff were more than happy to check us in early.

Check-in was quick, easy and refreshingly painless. We were handed a leaflet explaining the hotel layout and the various services available — essentially a survival guide for finding pools, bars and restaurants without getting hopelessly lost.

Our check-in agent strongly advised us to book the specialist restaurants immediately to avoid disappointment, which sounded slightly dramatic at the time but turned out to be very sensible advice. As it was Debbie’s birthday, our restaurant for the first evening had already been pre-booked via email before travel — because nothing says romance like organising dinner reservations months in advance.

Finally, our cases (or more accurately Mike’s collection of luggage) were whisked away to the room by the concierge while we attempted to look relaxed and sophisticated despite having survived a night flight, missing luggage drama and an unexpected triathlon obstacle course.

Rooms

We had booked a premium room at a cost of £210 per night, which thankfully felt more “premium” than our Heathrow lounge experience. The room itself was huge, with a king-sized bed, desk and seating area — plenty of space to spread out all the holiday clothes we probably didn’t need to bring.

The bathroom was equally spacious and included a large walk-in shower, along with two sinks and mirrors which is a relationship-saving feature when two people are trying to get ready at the same time. Even better, the toilet was in a separate room, allowing one person to maintain at least a tiny bit of dignity while the other attempted to apply makeup or shave in peace.

Some parts of the room were starting to show their age a little. The wallpaper had several square patch repairs which looked like the room had survived a minor DIY emergency, and the desk had water stains that suggested previous guests may have either enjoyed a lot of coffee or attempted small-scale scientific experiments.

Our balcony overlooked the service road, so sadly we weren’t treated to sweeping sea views or dramatic sunsets — unless you particularly enjoy watching delivery vans. However, the balcony itself was extremely spacious and included a seating area and sun loungers, making it a pleasant spot to relax. If you prefer your holidays with an actual scenic view, sea-view rooms are available at an additional cost.

Pool scene

The hotel has four outdoor pools, three mainly aimed at families and children, and one peaceful adults-only pool for those wanting a break from inflatable toys and constant splashing.

The lifeguards took the adults-only rule very seriously and were quick to politely escort out any families attempting to sneak children into the area. It was like watching airport security, but for peace and quiet.

The family pools were much livelier, with one featuring several water slides. Naturally, despite being fully grown adults, we felt obliged to test them out ourselves. Purely for research purposes of course — although maintaining dignity while flying down a water slide at speed proved slightly challenging.

At weekends the adults-only pool suddenly came to life with dancers performing around the pool area alongside a DJ, creating much more of a holiday atmosphere. Unfortunately, this only seemed to happen at weekends, which was a little disappointing during the rest of the week when the vibe returned to what can only be described as “luxury meditation retreat.”

The music was definitely better when the dancers were there, but during the week even with the DJ present the playlists were extremely subdued. Rather than lively poolside tunes, the music sounded more like something you would hear while having hot stones placed on your back in a spa.

We completely appreciate that hotels need to cater for all tastes, but after chatting to several guests of different nationalities around the pool, there seemed to be a general international agreement that the music could have done with being a little more upbeat. Nothing too wild — just something slightly more energetic than “relaxing whale noises at sunset.”

Pool side drinks

The cocktails at the adults-only pool bar were genuinely excellent and quickly became one of our favourite parts of the holiday. Our personal favourites were the Pina Coladas, Strawberry Daiquiris and Whiskey Sours — mainly because they tasted dangerously good and made it seem perfectly reasonable to order “just one more.”

The drinks were served in plastic glasses, which is understandable around a pool unless the hotel wants guests diving for broken glass alongside inflatable flamingos. To be fair, the glasses still looked quite stylish and far nicer than the usual flimsy plastic cups you often get at all-inclusive resorts.

The pool bar staff were absolutely fantastic and seemed to work non-stop all day in the heat. Special mention has to go to Panjit, who somehow developed a sixth sense for empty glasses. More than once he appeared at our sun loungers with fresh drinks before we had even realised we needed them. Honestly, if he’d offered life advice as well, we probably would have taken it.

Being British, we naturally stood patiently waiting our turn at the bar like polite queue-loving citizens. Unfortunately, not all guests shared this approach. There were quite a few complaints around the pool about the rudeness of some people who seemed to treat ordering cocktails as if they were competing in an Olympic event. Thankfully, the staff remained calm, professional and impressively patient throughout.

Dining

Buffet restaurant

There was so much choice at this restaurant that attempting to describe it all would require its own separate website and possibly a small map. The restaurant featured numerous food stations serving a huge variety of dishes, meaning every lap around the buffet revealed something else you suddenly “needed” to try despite already balancing three full plates.

Each evening also featured themed nights with food from different countries around the world. One night you could be enjoying Italian dishes, the next sampling Asian cuisine, followed by desserts that somehow convinced you there was always room for more.

As the hotel catered for guests from many different nationalities, the food selection reflected this brilliantly.

Breakfast

If you’re from the UK and panic at the thought of going too long without a full English breakfast, fear not — you could sort of recreate one here. There were always hash browns, chicken sausages, beans, toast, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs and freshly fried eggs from the outdoor cooking station. It may not have been exactly like your local greasy spoon café back home, but it was close enough to keep British tourists emotionally stable.

There was also the usual selection of cereals, pastries, breads, fruit, meats and salads for those wanting to pretend they were being healthy before immediately returning for pastries.

The outdoor cooking station also served excellent freshly made omelettes, cooked exactly how you liked them. And for anyone wanting to start the day with a bit more excitement, there was even curry available for breakfast — because apparently some people wake up and think, “You know what would really help me relax by the pool today? A spicy curry at 8am.” Even though we did do this some mornings.

Lunch

At certain times during lunch the buffet restaurant could become a little hectic, with people wandering around clutching plates while trying to decide if they really needed another dessert (they did). Despite this, there was always somewhere to sit and eat.

The restaurant also had an adults-only section along with a lovely outdoor seating area, which quickly became our favourite spot. There was something very relaxing about sitting outside in the sunshine, eating far too much food while pretending calories don’t count on holiday.

As previously mentioned, the choice and quality of food was so good it’s difficult to fully do the restaurant justice. However, one area consistently defeated all our good intentions — the Indian food station. Both at lunch and dinner we would arrive determined to “try different things today,” only to somehow end up back at the Indian section loading our plates like it was our final meal.

To be fair, the food was absolutely delicious, so we felt no guilt whatsoever sitting outside, taking our time, admiring the view and eating enough curry to potentially concern our digestive systems later in the day.

All of the team in the restaurant worked tirelessly to ensure it was kept clean and tidy. They also watched out for when your drink was almost empty and cam to offer a generous top-up. One of the waiters in particular paid a lot of attention to ensuring guests had everything they needed – his name was Javaan.

Evening meal

We only went into the buffet restaurant on an evening once as we wanted to try all of the specialist restaurants. Again there was so much choice it was difficult to know what to choose.

Turkish Restaurant

This was our favourite of the speciality restaurants. We had booked this prior to arriving at the hotel due to it being Debbie’s birthday and we were not disappointed.

The Mezeen was absolutely the best. This consisted of hummus, busda badem (overnight soaked almonds), kopoglu (deep fried eggplants, yoghurt and tomato sauce), atom (roasted eggplants, dry red chilli and yoghurt), yaprak sarma (stuffed grape leaves, cherry and olive oil) and muhammara (roasted bell peppers, walnuts, bread crumbs, pomegranate molasses, virgin oil). We could have just eaten this as it was so nice. We then had slow-cooked Tandoori Kabab and the Hunkar Begendi (mashed eggplant bechamel, sauteed lamb) for our main courses – again this was delicious. Our mains were followed by baklava with ice cream and kazandibi (caramelised rolled pudding with Turkish ice cream).

Steak House Restaurant

At the restaurant we had the goulash soup and dynamite shrimp (spring onion and sriracha sauce). For mains we had beef tenderloin with creamy spinach mushrooms and jacket potato, and parmesan cheese with au jus and beef asado with the same sides. For desert we had passion fruit cheesecake and brownie.

There were so many amazing dining experiences at the Rixos Bab Al Bahr that it is hard to put in words what makes each place special as each restaurant provide a different experience. There were live musicians playing music every night in and outside of the restaurants which made for a fitting accompaniment to the tasty food.

Asian restaurant – Aja

The menu at the Aja restaurant is inspired by the flavours of China, Japan and Thailand. This restaurant around the corner and away from the main stage for the entertainment and therefore the dining experience was not quite the same as the other restaurants. Having said that the food is fantastic and the service was very attentive.

Toast n Burger

This is a lovely little place hidden away from the other facilities, overlooking the sea. The restaurant is open during the day and serves burgers, fries, hot dogs, chicken and onion rings. You can bring your own drinks from the beach bar or pool bar but they also serve alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Please be aware though that although the restaurant is practically on the beach and you are sitting outside you will still need to wear a top, both males and females. The only downside to this restaurant is that sometimes the service was extremely slow. We had to ask many times if they would come and take our orders.

Jeep Safari and Evening Meal in the Desert

We booked this excursion through Viator https://www.viator.com/tours/Ras-Al-Khaimah/RAK-Desert-Safari-and-BBQ-Dinner-with-pick-up/d25313-105187P1 at a cost of £76 for two people.

We were picked up from the front entrance of our hotel at 3.30pm in a modern comfy mini bus. There were two other pick ups from other hotels (a couple and a lady and her 7 year old daughter).

Camel ride

When we arrived at our destination we were given a drink of tea and some dates whilst we waited for others to arrive. Following this we were taken for an extremely short camel ride, with a photographer taking professional photos of the experience. They did not appear to be too happy when we took our own photos and the man handling the camel told us not to do so.

Sand boarding

After this we were given the opportunity to try out sand boarding which unfortunately proved to be a complete waste of time as when you stood on the boards they barely moved at all and remained stuck in the sane. However it was quite funny trying it out because it was so bad. At least we burned some calories climbing the rather steep hill.

Jeep safari

We were then taken back to a jeep for the jeep safari. This was great fun but not as hair-raising as some of the other jeep safaris we have been on. There were stops along the way to allow people to take photos of the scenery. The sunset was spectacular and well worth stopping for.

Camp

Following the jeep safari we were taking back to the camp. The camp is really well set up for the whole experience. There is also overnight accommodation if you wish to spend the night in the desert.

Food and drink

When we arrived back at camp we were able to sit where we wanted to to watch the show and have dinner. Here they sold both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks which were reasonably priced.

We were pleasantly surprised at the meal as the food was of a decent quality compared to which you usually enjoy as part of this type of experience. We had previously tried out a similar experience in Egypt and the food there was very poor. Here you could choose from a wide range of salads, vegetables, potatoes and rice, chicken nuggets and sauces. There was also a BBQ area with freshly grilled chicken, meats and skewers – these were delicious.

Evening show

Once most people had eaten their meal the show began with a female dancer who was then followed by a traditional male dancer. Both incorporated a light show in to their acts which added to the entertainment as it was getting dark by this point. However the highlight of the show was the fire act involving swirling burning ropes around. This made for a spectacular show, especially when he ran up to the top of the hill and spun the burning ropes around in circles – we have never previously witnessed such a spectacle.

Summary of jeep safari

All of the staff and fellow guests were friendly and welcoming including the people on our minibus and driver. Although there were some things that could be improved – the sand boarding and not being able to take photos of the camel ride) the experience was really enjoyable – good food and excellent entertainment, and hence well worth the money.

Water sports

The hotel does offer some water sports activities which are chargeable (paragliding and jet skis). They also offer paddle boarding free of charge. We booked the paddle boarding at the activity centre and were told to be there at 8.30 the following morning. The paddle boarding was not as easy as it looked and Debbie managed to fall into the sea several times. In the end we decided to kneel on the board rather than stand up as this seemed to be the easier option.

Summary of Ras al Khaimah

We have been to Dubai before, staying in the centre, and therefore we wanted to try somewhere different. There isn’t loads to do outside of the hotel although you can visit the local shopping malls and the desert experience was enjoyable. If you wish to visit Dubai it costs approximately £50 each way in a taxi which isn’t too bad if you can team up with other people to fill a car. The hotel itself has a chilled out feel to it which is very pleasant but we would have enjoyed a bit more entertainment around the pool.

We have travelled to many all-inclusive hotels throughout the world and we can honestly say that the Rixos Bab al Bahr has the best dining experiences we have enjoyed. The added bonus for the is the stage surrounded by water and musicians playing instruments while you are dining. The music is low-key which greatly enhances the eating experience.

The staff at the Rixos were amazing and they worked tirelessly to ensure we had an amazing holiday.

The Rixos Bab Al Bahr is a luxury hotel but there are areas that need a bit of TLC. In the room there were places where the wallpaper had been ripped and also there were patches where they had tried to repair damage. At the back of the hotel there are grounds that are overgrowing and full of weeds that could do with a bit of attention.

Things to do

• Try the world’s longest zip line Jabel Jais (we did not do it and regret this!).
• Visit Dubai centre and go up the Burj Khalifa.
• Visit one of the shopping malls.
• Do the Jeep Safari.
• Visit Suwaidi Pearl Farm.
• Visit Ghost village.
• Take a boat ride to see Dubai from the water.

Top Tips

• When packing split your clothes between 2 suitcases.
• Carry some beach clothes in your hand luggage if you are arriving prior to check in time.
• Book a la carte restaurants as soon as you check in.
• Book excursions before you travel as this can work out cheaper.
• Be aware of the culture in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
• Dress appropriately in public places (ladies need to cover legs and shoulders). This is not required within the hotels.
• Check out government travel advice prior to travel https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates
• Check out other places we have stayed in the United Arab Emirates. Please click on following link Dubai
• Check out the weather below before travel as in the summer months it can get extremely hot and unbearable.

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	23	24	27	32	37	38	40	41	38	35	31	26
Low Temp	14	15	17	20	24	26	29	30	27	23	19	16
Rainfall	10	40	10	10	0	0	0	0	0	10	10	20
Number of days	6	4	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4