Review - Ras Al Khaimah Hotel

We drove to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) last 18-19 January, 2013 for a quick and short weekend getaway. Ras Al Khaimah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is a sleepy town compared to the bustling cosmopolitan city of Dubai. However, it has that certain quiet charm that lures city-dwellers  for a quick escape to the fast-paced life in Dubai.

Ras Al Kkaimah Hotel is in the Beachfront, RAK (P.O. Box 37755, RAK, UAE). I am not sure when the hotel was constructed but looking at the old fixtures in the room and lobby gave me the notion that it might be an old hotel.

It is not a big property though. It has 92 rooms, 2 serviceable elevators, an accessible ramp for the handicap, a restaurant in the lobby and near the pool area, a fitness centre with sauna, a big swimming pool and wading pool for the kids, a bar and some mini-offices in the lobby.

It is in a quiet area, I think the nearby community is a residential area but it also few minutes drive to the RAK Mall and the Al Manar Shopping Mall in the city proper.

The price:
We booked 1 night for a triple bedroom (3 adults) for AED 249.00 (approx US$68) inclusive of the 10% service charge.

The amenities/services:

• Free parking
• Free wi-fi in the lobby
• Pool
• Gym/Sauna
• Restaurants and bars
• 24-hr front desk/Concierge
• Ramp for handicap access
• Elevators
• Safety deposit box in each room
• Air conditioning
• Hair dryer
• Toiletries
• Laundry/dry cleaning service

Some of our photos:

View from our room to the right. You can see the mountains' vista.

Driveway leading to the front door of the hotel. See the mountains behind me? Beautiful on a clear day!

Pool view from our room

Toilet amenities

Old light controls

Empty mini-bar. It's just a small ref but hotel's policy says we cannot bring food/bev from outside.
I wonder why they have this in the first place.

What I like:
Situated in a quiet place, just in front of the main road. If you're billeted in the higher floors then you'll have a good look of the nearby beach and on the right side is the mountains (if your room happens to be pool-view).

There's a free wi-fi connection in the lobby. The caveat on this one is that, we have to go down and sit in the lobby to connect. Otherwise, I have no complaints since the connection is actually good.

The beds are very comfortable and our room has a pool-view. So, we can see the beach from a distance and to our right are the mountains. The mountain-scape look so pretty with the contour of the peaks and dips in great detail because they seem so near.

Very comfy beds

The room is just about right with enough walking spaces to go around without bumping on the chairs nor edges of the bed. It's quite roomy.

The cabinet is spacious.

The bathroom is spacious.

They have free slippers and other basic amenities to go like toiletries, shoe wedge, laundry bags, a pen and stationery and too many soaps. I think we have  4 in the bathroom and I say, that's too generous!

The staff are very friendly and accommodating. I should have taken their names to commend them for their excellent customer service support. And that includes their housekeeping staff and waiters and waitresses.

Our package came with free buffet breakfast. The breakfast was continental and I am amazed by the wide selection. Their selection is better than the one in Ibis Hotel in Deira, Dubai.

There's an ample free parking for guests in front of the hotel and you get a good view of the neighborhood too.

Ample free parking for guests

What I don't like:
The lobby is a smoking-area. I find it disturbing to do my online business without someone's cigar's smoke wafting to my face.

The hotel's strict "no outside food/beverages" policy. We are practical travelers and we cannot afford to blow our budget dining in the hotel's in-house restaurants. And we all know that in-house bars and restaurants' meals will cost a fortune. We had to drive to the nearby mall to eat.

The fixtures in our room are all antiquated except for the flat TV screen.

The toilet seat is broken and if you're lucky, you'll get your skin pinched by accident (I had the misfortune of getting my leg skin pinched when I sat on the broken toilet seat).

The broken toilet seat that pinched my leg skin.

The tub did not have any rubber stopper if you want to soak. We requested as soon as we checked-in and got the stopper in the evening.

The bathroom sink and mirror are dirty. Dirty in a sense that even if they've been wiped clean, the sight of dirty grouts with mildew or stain is just unappealing. Well, I'm sure they've been wiped and sanitized but the overall cleanliness is just not at par with other 4-stars hotels.

No, they're not designs nor borders. The mirror is practically chipping from behind.

The bathroom is actually clean and freshly scented but the grouts need to be steamed in the bathroom. All over!

The carpet looked like it was not washed for sometime but I can live with that. We used their free slippers anyway.


My recommendation:
For the non-fussy, practical, short-staying guests - This is a great hotel with value for your money. If you don't mind staying in an old hotel with basic amenities and outdated fixtures then you can stay here.

For the meticulous and finicky ones - No. This hotel will not be ideal for your discerning tastes.

For family with older/smaller children - Yes. I do recommend the hotel as they have a big pool and a children's pool too for the kids to enjoy. They have a big grassy area near the pool where the kids can play ball or run around to their liking.

And for the hotel management - I think it's high time to do an overhaul or refurbishing.

(This is not a paid post for the above mentioned property. All opinions and photos are 100% mine and personal.)