Beyond Dubai: The smallest emirate wants to be your next stopover

The school holidays have started in Dubai and, in the foyer of the InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort, a throng of guests is checking in. Children are being tamed by nannies, a group of Russian men give off bachelor-party vibes, and different accents intermingle incoherently.

The InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort.

Finally, I get to step out onto my room’s balcony. Before me is the lagoon pool and deep blue ocean, one of Ras Al Khaimah’s most significant lures. Despite the temperature being 38 degrees in the UAE autumn, the jet lag begins to melt away.

A text from friends who live in Dubai and are staying next door at the Anantara beckons me downstairs. They’ve arrived for a swim. Slathered in SPF50+, we float in the cool depths, avoiding the kids with blow-up toys and couples barnacled to one another in awkward (for those around them) PDAs.

Beaches at the ready at the resort.

At the infinity edge, cocktails acquired at the pool bar in hand, we look out over the lapping ocean and at the construction – a new hotel – happening next door, where the workers also appear to be extending the beach.

“You really have to give it to them,” I say to my friend as we sip margaritas.

Anantara’s overwater bungalows.

“Give them what,” she asks.

“They don’t take no for an answer. Not enough beach? They build one. No islands off the coast? No problem. Just put them there yourself.”

Jebel Jais mountain trekking.

The smallest and most northern emirate, Ras Al Khaimah – RAK to the locals – hasn’t always been a luxury beach haven. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority pushed the region as a nature destination as far back as the ′90s. In the soaring, rugged Jebel Jais mountains, the highest in the UAE, there are hiking trails and the world’s longest zipline.

The new, and the old ... Dhayah Fort.

Elsewhere in the emirate, the desert is home to bedouin camps and ancient sites like Dhayah Fort, which dates to 1600 BC. On the coast, there are pearl farms, dive sites, and family-friendly beaches. Here, protected mangroves are home to migrating flocks of flamingos. These leggy beauties spend their time sifting for crabs and other tasty bird food. Only in winter though, which is a blessing since kayaking to see them is hard yakka, even during the coolest months.

The Jebel Jais zipline.

When the InterContinental opened in 2020 on man-made Hayat Island, it was an outlier. There were a couple of five-star properties about 10 kilometres away, but little else. In the five years since, development has increased at a rapid rate. There’s now a flush of high-end resorts, with the Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah, boasting the UAE’s first overwater bungalows, opening in January last year.

The biggest change, however, is still to come. Despite gambling technically still being illegal, in October last year, Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts was granted a licence to open the $US3.9 billion mega resort it announced in 2022.

When it is completed in 2027, Wynn Al Marjan Island will have 1500 rooms, 24 restaurants and bars, a beach club, spa, events facilities, multiple pools, a luxury retail precinct and, of course, a casino.

In 2024, the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority announced its strategy to grow the 1.2 million visitors who arrived in the emirate in 2023 to 3.5 million by 2030. Many of those will come for Wynn, with guests from India, the Middle East and Europe, as well as foreign residents (Emiratis are not allowed to gamble), expected to flock to the property. The tourism development authority and the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority have also signed a memorandum of understanding with Skyports Infrastructure to have an electric air taxi service in place by 2027.

Stopover showstopper … a guest room with private terrace.

According to travel website Skift’s Middle East correspondent, Josh Corder, RAK will be the test bed for casinos in the UAE.

“I think this is one of the biggest shifts in tourism going on in the world right now, or ever,” he told the Skift Travel podcast.

“When we look back at Dubai putting itself on the map with the world’s tallest building and biggest artificial islands, this is an even bigger move than that.”

So, if you’re planning an extended stopover to enjoy some beach bliss and mountain magic, it might be worth doing it soon, just in case this emirate turns into RAK Vegas.

THE DETAILS

VISIT
Ras Al Khaimah’s Mina Island is a 55-minute drive north of Dubai. A taxi to or from Dubai Airport costs about $110.

FLY
Emirates flies non-stop from Melbourne, Sydney and other Australian cities to Dubai at least once a day. See emirates.com

STAY
Every luxurious room at InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa overlooks the expansive pool, white sand and ocean. It has a spa, tennis court, health club and three restaurants, including Levant & Nar, a beachside eatery for Turkish and Lebanese food. From $255 a night. See ihg.com

Neighbouring Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah is set on a private peninsula with a natural beach and surrounding mangroves. It has an extensive program of recreational activities for guests. From $327 a night. See anantara.com