The Ritz-Carlton, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach

We spent 8 days at Ritz Carlton Ras Al Khaima Al Hamra Beach. The rooms are pleasant, immaculately clean and the pool and garden were very nice as pictured on the website. Some of the curtains around the bed were hanging off the rail and could only be described as tatty. Despite having a private pool there is nowhere in the room to dry wet swimwear. The service is beyond fantastic and the staff are quite wonderful, especially Rani and Soufiane in the Shore House, as are all the buggy drivers and housekeeping. The manager of the hotel never appeared which was surprising. However, here come the ‘buts’… We booked the holiday and Full Board through the very efficient Emirates Holidays and because we chose the top accommodation of the Al Shamal Villa the price included a Welcome Bottle of champagne, Welcome Gift and Complimentary mini-bar (refilled per day). We never received the champagne or gift and the so called mini-bar was a small fridge full of tins of fizzy drinks and 4 tins of lager. We used one can of lager, one lemonade and two tins of soda but it was never re-filled. The so-called Full Board for which we paid quite a lot extra could most certainly not be described as ‘full’. On both the lunch and dinner menus quite a number items had a star against them indicating that they were not included and showed an extra price to be paid. There were also lists of non-included items like all steaks, shell fish etc. Both menus were disappointing, definitely not 5* quality, and remained unchanged all week. Looking at how worn they were they no doubt have remained unchanged all season. At the Shore House restaurant loud ‘music’ played constantly. This was just background noise, nothing related to ‘music’, and sounded like someone banging tins with a spoon. On request the noise was turned down a little but was unnecessary and intrusive both indoor and outdoor. During one afternoon we were disturbed by loud building noises, banging and metal grinding, in the next-door villa. When we complained we were told that it’s unfortunate when guests make loud noise next door! This was the hotel staff working not guests and I would suggest that Ritz Carlton do their maintenance and building in the low season when the hotel may not be full. The hotel at one time must have been an oasis in Al Hamra but is now surrounded by new buildings. The area of Al Khaimah is being intensively developed, including a huge casino, and building works and cranes are clearly visible everywhere. Whilst giving the overall impression that the hotel is on a sandy beach, it is actually not sand but imported grit. This hotel is very expensive for what it is and although all 5*international hotels charge more or less the same prices, this hotel is certainly not 5*. Read less

5 star boutique resort, we have visited both the desert and beach RAS Ritz Carlton resorts a few years ago, but most recently we had a wonderful 2 night staycation at the beach resort again as a couple, its small but luxurious, we had a couple of minor issues but they were fixed immediately, the foliage has grown perfectly and the privacy is amazing, I think any of the villas offer great privacy but the ones on the end are seafront but no one can walk in front because of raised rocks, but the rest are all still private and there’s a large beach area in front of all the villas so plenty of space for people to walk without anyone effecting privacy, the landscaping is also excellent and adds to the setting tremendously. The staff were wonderful The attention was spot on We loved the breakfasts and our dinner on the beach one evening was amazing We will be back soon with the kids, loved it! Read less

Just perfect resort, so quiet, with great service and attention to the guest. Brilliant team works here. Very thankful to all of them. I was not satisfied with the next issues only: 1. Once I ordered mashed potato from in room dining and it was so bad so I had to ask to change it to rice. Also I didn’t feel that salmon was so fresh, it was not spoiled but wasn’t great enough. When the price is overpriced you expect to get something perfect. 2. There are no Aspray brand soap, shower gel and shampoo as usually in Ritz brand 3. They couldn’t provide a late check out but they made a surprise for me what was so kind from their team. Hospitality is so so high. Bravo! I would like to say huge thanks to all the team, really everyone was so great. Most thanks to Mr Gopal, to Mr (don’t remember the name of the waiter, he is from Kerala, India) from in room dining who was so kind, to all the team of the Shore House restaurant. Read less

We stayed at Villa 20 for 10 nights, half board in February. On arrival we were greeted by a very friendly team and we immediately felt welcome. The villa is spacious enough for two people and plenty of outside space with the plunge pool, large cabana,seating area and a further two sunbeds at the entrance to the beach. It really is a gorgeous location, very private and relaxing. The general surrounding area has a lot of building work going on but you can not hear this from the resort or your villa. The food at Shore House and Beach Deck restaurant is so good, every meal we had was delicious. As with everywhere in the UAE alcohol is expensive but we found a bar nearby called Frisky Fox where the drinks were significantly cheaper! We still enjoyed drinks with our dinner at the resort but it’s nice to have a walk and change of scenery. The nearby mall (20 minute walk), Al Hamra mall, is still a work in progress but it has the essentials like a pharmacy, supermarket (Spinneys) ATM. All the team at the resort go above and beyond to make you feel welcome, apologies that we didn’t get everyone’s names but a big thank you to you all and Amr, Soulaine, Atul and a special mention to Rani ❤️….RAK will be the place to be in the next 2-4 years and it will get crowded so we highly recommend the Ritz Carlton Al Hamra if you prefer privacy, relaxation, outstanding service and a warm welcome….😎 🇦🇪 Read less