Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah — Hotel in Al Jazirah Al Hamra

With Dubai’s summer heat in full swing, many are escaping abroad for their holidays. But for our first summer getaway, we decided to take a short road trip just over an hour from Dubai Marina to Ras Al Khaimah. And we’re so glad we did. 🚗☀️

✅ What We Loved: • The hotel is stunning elegant, classic, and spacious. The design beautifully blends Arabic and European styles, offering a timeless charm while still feeling modern and fresh. ✨ • Our room was impressively large, very clean, and had breathtaking ocean views 🌊 with a glimpse of the under-construction casino building, which added some interest to the skyline. • Breakfast was good, with a decent variety and quality, though not especially exceptional. 🍽️ • There are multiple pool zones; even though the adults-only pool was under renovation, other pools were open and functioning perfectly. 🏊 • The fitness center was excellent very clean and fully equipped with a wide range of machines. A great spot for guests who want to keep up with their workouts during their stay. 💪 • The spa and sauna facilities were surprisingly impressive spotless, well-maintained, and equipped with everything you need to truly unwind and relax. 🧖‍♀️✨

🍣 Restaurants to Try: • UMI: A lovely Japanese restaurant offering authentic flavors in a cozy, upscale setting. A special shout-out to Joy and Yumi for their warm, attentive, and personalized service truly made our evening. 💕 • Lexington Grill & Bar: A luxurious steakhouse, ideal for meat lovers looking for premium cuts and a refined dining experience. 🥩 • Qasr Al Bahar: A buffet-style restaurant serving a wide variety of both local and international dishes. 🍛

🧼 Staff Appreciation: Many thanks to Guru Prasad, our housekeeping attendant, who provided excellent, professional, and attentive service throughout our stay. Also, sincere appreciation to the rest of the team while we can’t mention every name, we are truly grateful to everyone who contributed to our wonderful experience. 💖🙏

⚠️ Suggestions for Improvement: • During our stay, I found a water bottle mixed in with the clean ones that had already been opened and contained an unusual liquid. 🤢This was quite unexpected from a hotel of this standard. I hope the hotel tightens hygiene protocols and checks in-room amenities more carefully in the future. • I ordered a croissant at the hotel café, which seemed old and a bit tough, as if it had been sitting out for some time. 🥐 For a hotel of this level, I’d expect fresher pastries and baked goods an easy fix that would make a big difference to the guest experience.

🔄 Final Thoughts: Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah is an ideal destination for a relaxing getaway, whether you’re traveling as a couple or with family. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The atmosphere is peaceful, the location is quiet, and the overall service is warm and attentive. We truly enjoyed our stay and would love to return again hopefully with a few small improvements that could elevate this experience from “very good” to “truly...

We recently returned from a stay at the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah. It is an absolutely stunning resort. From the moment we arrived, we were struck by the grand architecture and intricate detailing of the building.

This hotel is fantastic for families. The kids’ pool area has two fun water slides, a toddler splash area and a second sheltered pool, ideal for younger children or for a break from the sun. There’s also a large main pool perfect for families and for those seeking peace, an adults only pool offers a peaceful escape and the most breathtaking sunset views in the evening.

The beach is another highlight with its pristine white sand, which stretches out just steps from the hotel, with clear, calm waters ideal for paddling or simply soaking in the view.

The kids club is immaculately clean, with a full schedule of activities throughout the day. However, it did feel a little bare inside, more toys or soft play features would enhance the space. The outdoor area has a climbing frame and we loved the idea of the ‘passport’ activity, where kids complete tasks to earn a cuddly toy at the end, such a thoughtful touch! In the reception area, children are even treated to their own kids’ check-in area, which is full of sweets and instantly makes them feel special.

We booked half-board and although the buffet isn’t the biggest, the quality of the food was excellent. Everything was delicious and packed with flavour. We genuinely looked forward to every meal. The kids have their own little buffet section, which could be improved. The rooms were stunning!! They are incredibly spacious, with elegant interiors and our balcony offered views of the golf course. The only downside during our stay was that there were ongoing construction works and unfortunately, we could hear some noise from our room at times, so I’d request a room on the other side.

The service throughout the hotel was outstanding. We want to give special thanks to Moe and RJ from the dining team and Rick, one of the lifeguards, for their warm hospitality and going above and beyond every day.

We booked a package deal through Travel Republic We also saved £150 using TopCashback, which was a nice bonus! The drive from Dubai was around 1 hour Ras Al Khaimah itself is very quiet, and there’s not much to do outside the resort, which suited us fine as we wanted to relax. The resort itself was very peaceful, which made for a very chilled-out stay. We did venture out one day for a safari (I’ll post about that separately). Overall, the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah is a beautiful resort that perfectly balances luxury and family-friendly charm. We would absolutely return as it’s a wonderful escape with outstanding service and unforgettable surroundings. We left feeling very relaxed and well taken care of.

*Request a room away from the construction noise and the...

I have not been in any 5 star hotel and book the best room in property with this many problems! Unbelievable lack of professionalism from the very beginning, check - in desk! We booked this very expensive room ( compared to nearby hotels!) to celebrate our anniversary. What a bad idea! Upon arrival to the room the room temperatures was set on 17c but actual temperature was 24 degrees! And there was a cake set on the table as a compliment from hotel to congregate us on the occasion! Cake was melted …. We called every 15 minutes and asked for maintenance guy because room was unbearable and we wanted to use the facilities before loosing day light. Sure enough nobody showed up or even called to update why it’s taking an hour to respond to a broken AC. And outside temperatures in this of year in UAE is hot! So we went back to front desk to the supervisor named Andrew and his attitude was not apologetic or understanding or considerate with even a simple word such as “sorry”! He was acting very inattentive and ignoring and after we got very direct with him that this is very hot and we have not paid that much money to be in a hot room he start responding… We left to be in pool and they check the room or another room to accommodate us! When we were finally were able to get to new room at 7.30 pm was 21 c also set on 17!!!! Reception send the ENGINEER to check the AC and he told us the policy of hotel is room temperatures are around 20 something! Means 20-29.5 ( I guess!!!!) and we need to keep the curtains closed!!!! So we paid for a room with sea view and most expensive tier on property to suffer for over 4 hours to be told rooms are going to be hot and there is nothing no body can do! What a deceptive catch for Waldorf Astoria world wide chained property for charging people arms and legs to get them to an outdated room which can not get cool enough to be comfortable and livable or get TVs which at least connected to Netflix or YouTube!!!!! Very shabby towels and bedding. Not sure if staff are trained either. We could have been told in the beginning when complained about room temperature that HOTEL POLICY IS 10th floor best rooms of property are HOT ROOMS! We wouldn’t bother them and never check in. Or change to lower categories that have working AC. Swimming pool has an algae line which shows had not been cleaned properly for a long time… I can go on with my list how ran down and expensive this place is… we used to come to Alhamra area for over 15 years and this has been the most disappointing, dissatisfied and unhappy we have ever been. Terrible…. This hotel does not deserve the prestigious name of Waldorf Astoria or affiliation with...