During our Dubai adventure, we booked a few days in the Doubletree Ras Al Khaimah and here is my review of the property.
Initially, I was going to book the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, which has been on my radar since it opened, but after reading the reviews, it seemed that there were more options for children in the Doubletree. So I went for it instead.
We booked during one of the busiest weekends as it was around UAE’s National Day holidays.
You can read my other hotel reviews as part of this 2 month Dubai stay below.
The Doubletree Ras Al Khaimah is also a popular property with British holidaymakers, I have seen many hotel promotions on British Airways holidays.
The hotel is situated on the Marjan island, a human-made island, about 20km away from the actual Ras Al Khaimah city. There are several hotels there, and I noticed a significant construction boom with many new hotels coming up.
I think it will be like the Palm in a few years. I am excited about that!
For some reason, the GPS took us on a different road rather than the main highway, and we ended up being stopped by some camels which were freely roaming the road.
It was a cool experience.
The Hotel
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the property since I never went there before and didn’t have high expectations.
The hotel has over 700 rooms across several buildings and a few restaurants, a beach and pools.
I booked the stay using my earned points as it was much cheaper than using cash, especially for three adults and a child.
About a day before check-in, I saw on my reservation that they had upgraded us to a Deluxe sea view room Since I’m a Diamond member.
The check-in was efficient although our room wasn’t ready yet, we were told it would be an hour, and after about two hours I went to check with them they told me our room had an issue, and they moved us to a different one.
Apart from the upgrade, they also offered complimentary breakfast to the third person on the reservation. Unlike Marriott, they do provide complimentary breakfast for elites if they are on the reservation.
The Room
Our room was very spacious, and it did felt new. I loved the bright yellow interiors and the balcony. It had a nice seclusion which is excellent for me as a hijabi.
In the evening, we would sit there and enjoy the night while the baby slept.
Although we were three adults, it didn’t feel crowded, and the beds, which were two doubles, had plenty of space for two people.
The bathroom was also spacious with a bathtub and a shower.
Overall, I think the rooms are designed in mind with large families, so they function for that purpose.
Even if you stay with two children for a week, it will not feel cramped.
The view from our balcony
Activities
Because the property is split into different buildings and set up around the beach, it gives a resort feeling.
They also have a small aqua park for adults and children, water sports, a slide into the sea and shops with the various pools.
In the evenings they even had an inflatable castle for the older children to play in. I found, in general, these were all very nice touches for a family-friendly holiday.
The beach is clean, there are plenty of sunbeds, and the water is shallow so perfect for children to splash about without always having to worry.
Overall, you can enjoy a lovely holiday and spend a lot of time on the beach.
Food
We only had breakfast included as part of my Diamond status, but I know some of the other families were on a half board basis.
They serve breakfast in the main restaurant. It had a good variety of food options, and with the COVID-19 regulations in place, staff helped us instead of us doing it ourselves.
Even though the breakfast area was busy, they handled it well, apart from the bread counter where there was always a queue.
They didn’t change their breakfast options much for the five days we were there, so I find that it gets boring after a couple of days.
I cannot comment on the food in the main restaurant for lunch and dinner as we never had it.
We had dinner one night in the Italian restaurant, and the food was good. It wasn’t wow, but how wrong can you go with pizza? Although, my tortellini got returned as I found it undercooked.
On our first day, we also had lunch by the villa’s pool bar, and I am not sure if it was a busy time or just average food, but it came almost 50 min later, and it was cold. They do bring it from the other restaurants so it might have been cooked and just sat for an extended time.
Overall, if you were to visit the hotel, get breakfast and order ala cart or order on Talabat if you want more variety.
We ordered several times from Talabat (the UAE version of Just Eat), and it was good.
The Area
One of my favourite things about the hotel is a large promenade and a food truck parked just outside.
You can spend your evenings walking around enjoying the sunset as well as some excellent burgers and milkshakes from Salt. I’d recommend the hybrid milkshake.
I found that the property has a lot to offer and that a week in Ras Al Khaimah when on holiday will fly by.
I always wondered why British holidaymakers visit Ras Al Khaimah instead of Dubai, but now I can see why.
The Doubletree Resort and Spa Ras Al Khaimah are on the lower end of the pricing; It has plenty of activity options for kids and adults. You can enjoy the lovely beach, the spacious rooms and the incredible views.
With a promenade outside it, you can walk for hours and enjoy your evenings.
It is a fantastic option to spend a week in the sun on a budget.
My other hotel reviews while we stayed in Dubai