Rixos Bab Al Bahr – Ras Al Khaimah | Staycation

Staycations are always fun. Just a couple of hours away from home, they let you escape to a completely different side of the country and indulge, unwind and relax – all over one grand weekend. Well, this staycation at Rixos Bab Al Bahr definitely qualified as grand, thanks to its Ultra All Inclusive Package! We head off to Rixos located at the Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah on the 8th of Feb. Our check in was at 2 pm, and we left home at about 1 pm owing to the 40 minute drive.

The property is located on a vast span of land adjoining other properties on Marjan Island and with a direct access to the beach. Apart from the multiple accommodation options, they have numerous restaurants (meals at which are free and included in your stay), three different pools, a nightclub, children’s activity center and a small souk – all within the property. As soon as we arrived, we were swiftly checked in and given a printed map/guide that highlighted the different areas on the property, the different restaurants, how to reserve a table and whether they have a menu that incurs additional charge. We asked if we could reserve a table, since reservation is highly recommended and we booked ourselves at their steak restaurant for dinner. I will talk about the additional charges in a bit, but first let’s have lunch.

Lunch – Meal 1

The lunch buffet is open only until 3, so as soon as we checked in, the concierge asked us to first have our lunch or it would be closed. I found this slightly odd, since it creates a kind of havoc situation especially if you are travelling with children. You don’t really get much time to get freshened up. The best option would be to arrive at the hotel slightly earlier, get yourself checked-in, leave your bags at the check-in desk and head over for lunch while your room gets prepared. On the other hand, if you miss the lunch, you could also go to their 24/7 restaurant to grab a quick bite.

As for us, we asked the bell boy to take our bags to the room while we headed to the Seven Heights restaurant for lunch. The first thing I noticed as soon as I stepped in was the crowd! There were so many people, it was honestly surprising. We somehow managed to find a table, but the service was slightly slow at this point and we found it difficult to ask for plates or cutlery. The food was quite good though, and we weren’t looking at filling up anyway, because we had so much more to explore.

Room

Following lunch we checked in to our room which was supremely big. We were given a double room apartment which had one room with a king bed and attached bath, and another room with two single beds, and one additional bathroom in the hallway. This made for the perfectly comfortable stay. I must admit, I did spend a few seconds running around the entire apartment like a little girl.

The bathrooms were clean, and extra spacious. The only thing missing though was a nice bathtub. I am all for standing showers, they make life simple, but if the apartment has got two baths, having one as a lovely tub to soak in won’t hurt.

In terms of amenities, everything was right on point. Wardrobes, toiletries, hot beverage stand, TV, etc, – you know the drill. One thing about Rixos Bab Al Bahr All Inclusive is that the mini bar is also complimentary, but before you get too excited let me tell you, you won’t find any of that premium stuff in here. Just a couple of casual chips and a couple of beers in addition to juices and soft drinks.

Watch a video of the room tour here:

Pool Time

The pools at Rixos Bab Al Bahr are beautiful. My only two issues – 1. The adult pool was a tad too deep for me and 2. It was freakishly cold which made it almost impossible for me to stay put on the lounger without shivering like a damp kitten. We somehow managed to spend some time in the pool to check that off our list, but while we were there we noticed quite a few people with foam on their legs – indicating they had gone for some sort of spa thing. We missed on checking out the spa, but as far as I am aware, the massages are not complimentary, but spa access is. Would be a good option to call the property and check it out for yourself.

Sitting by the pool, we also sipped on a couple drinks from Su Bar – the poolside bar – that serves cocktails, mocktails and snacks.

Snacks – Meal 2

After the relaxing (and freezing) pool stint, we obviously felt hungry again. But we needed to make sure we didn’t eat too much for we already had dinner plans too. But it’s a human tendency, when you pay for something all inclusive, you are bound to overeat. We stopped at Toast’n Burger, which is a 24/7 diner, for some quick bites. We ordered a hot god sandwich and fish & chips to share, mainly because we didn’t want to fill ourselves up before dinner.

To settle all that food, we took a walk through the property and arrived at the petite and colorful Istanbul Bazaar which sells lovely souvenirs from Turkey, along with a little of UAE specialties too (like the sand glass).

Dinner – Meal 3

We had been advised by a friend to make sure we reserve our dinner table as soon as we arrive. Luckily we had booked ourselves for dinner at Meat Point while we were checking in. After the evening snacks, we went back to our room for a quick shower, some TV time and then got dressed for the evening. I wore a floral skirt which I bought from Splash Fashions and paired it with a nude top. The stole was a real savior thanks to the chilly weather and sea breeze.

We stopped by for drinks at Mojito Bar and seated ourselves opposite the stage where we enjoyed live dance performance and acrobats. After a couple of drinks, it was time to head to Meat Point. The steak edition of Rixos Bab Al Bahr’s multiple restaurants, this spot offers an all inclusive menu along with certain items that are charged separately. This usually includes premium steak cuts. Call me a miser but we just opted to go with the items that were a part of the inclusive options. We started with a creamy potato soup and shrimp ceasar salad, followed by lamp chops and chicken mushroom for mains. We honestly had no place for dessert, so this was all we could manage.

My initial plan was to head over to the Inferno night club after dinner, but call it old age or whatever, we just decided to call it a night.

Breakfast

Like all hotel stays I have been too, I was really excited for breakfast at Rixos Bab Al Bahr as well. Breakfast was served at Seven Heights and the buffet spread was nothing short of impressive. Again, my only let down was the massive crowds. And also the fact that after having eaten so much the previous day, I was not really up for looking at any more food. But a breakfast is what it is and there was no way we were going to skip that. We stacked up on the usuals – omelette, toasts, potatoes, cereals, my favorite foul medammes, some pastries, juice and hot beverages. And we managed to eat most of this!

Finally, before heading back to D-town, we decided it was time for one last dip in the pool (which was much warmer now), and a refreshing Pina Colada by the poolside.

Here are some more pictures from Rixos Bab Al Bahr. The property at day and night, a box of complimentary macaroons, and the performance in the evening

Rixos Bab Al Bahr Overall Rating: