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Rixos Bab Al Bahr, Ras Al Khaimah: All Inclusive, But Luxury?
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Rixos Bab Al Bahr: Ras Al Khaimah All Inclusive, But Luxury?
Rixos Bab Al Bahr, ultra all-inclusive, classic twin room provides 2 separate beds with a garden view of the resort landscaped garden, AED1000 (US$272, £214, €234). Rixos Bab al Bahr, Street# 11, Al Marjan Island, Ras al Khaimah. +97172020000, Rixos Bab Al Bahr's Website.
Written by Liam Collens // Find other reviews here.
The Rixos Bab Al Bahr, Ras Al Khaimah, is positioned as an all-inclusive luxury hotel. But is it really luxurious?
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
Rixos Bab Al Bahr
Breaking out into open road cruising through the UAE desert, I adore this time watching sand dunes undulate peppered with a smattering of rugged vegetation and the occasion feral camel. Each time I wish I spent more time out here and not just for taking drone shots.
The good news is the UAE offers on a wealth of hotels that draw in residents and visitors alike. 2020 proved to be the year of staycations for people longing for residents looking for a slice of what used to be. I stayed in a few Dubai hotels in the last year including FIVE Palm Jumeirah and Hatta Sedr Trailers.
Ras Al Khaimah positions itself more as the Adventure Emirate (my words). Hiking in the mountains, the coastline for sailing, fishing or diving and who could forget the world’s longest zipline soaring between peaks in Jebel Jais. For Dubai-based residents, Ras Al Khaimah is barely an hour from Downtown Dubai with a straight drive through the desert. Leave your work from the home office and make it to Rixos Bab Al Bahr in time for dinner. You get to enjoy the road trip.
Off the bat, I am wary of all-inclusive resorts. Years of growing up in the Caribbean gave me a skewed impression of all-inclusives coupled with unfulfilling experiences in Cuba and elsewhere. A wonderful Mauritian all-inclusive surprised me and, therefore, told me to give the model a chance.
Fueled up and ready to go, my scenic drive on this occasion was inspired by a stay at Rixos Bab Al Bahr to meet friends for a sunny weekend on Al Marjan Island armed with an overnight bag and a modicum of hope.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr is self-described as a luxury beach resort and all-inclusive. Luxury beach resorts conjure images of exclusivity, privacy and the sort of white-gloved fastidious attention to detail that causes a pedant to salivate.
Humblebrag: I am no stranger to luxury beach resorts so I come with a point of view.
The good news is the UAE offers on a wealth of hotels that draw in residents and visitors alike. 2020 proved to be the year of staycations for people longing for residents looking for a slice of what used to be. I stayed in a few Dubai hotels in the last year including FIVE Palm Jumeirah and Hatta Sedr Trailers.
Ras Al Khaimah positions itself more as the Adventure Emirate (my words). Hiking in the mountains, the coastline for sailing, fishing or diving and who could forget the world’s longest zipline soaring between peaks in Jebel Jais. For Dubai-based residents, Ras Al Khaimah is barely an hour from Downtown Dubai with a straight drive through the desert. Leave your work from the home office and make it to Rixos Bab Al Bahr in time for dinner. You get to enjoy the road trip.
Off the bat, I am wary of all-inclusive resorts. Years of growing up in the Caribbean gave me a skewed impression of all-inclusives coupled with unfulfilling experiences in Cuba and elsewhere. A wonderful Mauritian all-inclusive surprised me and, therefore, told me to give the model a chance.
Fueled up and ready to go, my scenic drive on this occasion was inspired by a stay at Rixos Bab Al Bahr to meet friends for a sunny weekend on Al Marjan Island armed with an overnight bag and a modicum of hope.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr
Rixos Bab Al Bahr is self-described as a luxury beach resort and all-inclusive. Luxury beach resorts conjure images of exclusivity, privacy and the sort of white-gloved fastidious attention to detail that causes a pedant to salivate.
Humblebrag: I am no stranger to luxury beach resorts so I come with a point of view.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr: But Is It Really Luxury?
Beyond the glossy lobby entrance, Rixos Bab Al Bahr is showing signs of age together with wear and tear. Warped fraying doors on the outside hotel bathrooms to well-used storage containers in the bedrooms, these telltale signs erode the superior luxury proposition.
Are the rooms otherwise fine? My twin room was spacious and large enough for a long weekend for two. The WiFi is fast, the bed is comfortable and the shower is hot but these features a luxury-labelled hotel does not make. My bad for not asking for a room with a sea view and, instead, greeted with an uninterrupted view of a car park from which hotel gardeners decided (on a Friday night / Saturday morning). You want the sea view; stump up for the difference.
The room decor lacks the opulence that luxury implies. It is more corporate Marriott than a decadent weekend retreat. You may want to check out further afield hotels like the Waldorf Astoria or the more tantalising Ritz Carlton tented hotel in the desert.
I drove barely over an hour. Discerning guests flying in from further afield curious about this Northern Emirate may feel more than a modicum of disappointment.
Are the rooms otherwise fine? My twin room was spacious and large enough for a long weekend for two. The WiFi is fast, the bed is comfortable and the shower is hot but these features a luxury-labelled hotel does not make. My bad for not asking for a room with a sea view and, instead, greeted with an uninterrupted view of a car park from which hotel gardeners decided (on a Friday night / Saturday morning). You want the sea view; stump up for the difference.
The room decor lacks the opulence that luxury implies. It is more corporate Marriott than a decadent weekend retreat. You may want to check out further afield hotels like the Waldorf Astoria or the more tantalising Ritz Carlton tented hotel in the desert.
I drove barely over an hour. Discerning guests flying in from further afield curious about this Northern Emirate may feel more than a modicum of disappointment.
The Rixos will need to make the choice between leaning into the luxury proposition or staying as it is, which is much closer to being a family, affordable all-inclusive resort.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr: Any “Luxury” Entertainment?
I admit that I am not the target audience for the sorts of things that resorts do in order to entertain their guests. However, I did appreciate the games room complete with a pool table and a sports bar vibe. You need to book these things in advance through a handy WhatsApp concierge service the hotel makes available to its guests.
However, for those of you who enjoy cruise ship-like entertainment, there is a live laser show that is vociferously promoted throughout the hotel each day. This is also complete with belly dancers, so there is that.
I do appreciate and recommend one feature available at the resort. Cabanas on an isolated strip of the resort’s beach are available for the reasonable price of AED400 per couple. The hotel provides a butler service complete with light snacks, fresh fruit as well as wine and a limited spirit selection.
As someone without children, I do appreciate the opportunity to be away in a more remote and quiet area. There are half a dozen cabanas available here but it will be considerably quieter than the other parts of the resort (notably the morning water aerobics class).
A little bit more of these touches please Rixos Bab Al Bahr.
However, there are more than just beaches and cabana available. The lively pool area features a DJ on a Friday afternoon pumping out remixes to go along with alcoholic drinks available around the pool. Social distancing is very much actively enforced.
The infinity-edge pool stretches out towards the beach and the ocean. You want to get here early to ensure that you grab the chaise lounges as they are snapped up quickly.
As with all inclusives, the restaurant menus list dishes and courses included in your package with a few additional chargeable items laid out tempting you to go the extra mile.
Overall, Rixos’ Turkish restaurant, Lalezar, offered the dining highlight of the stay. A selection of mezze of firey roasted aubergine Atom, fresh pomegranate-laced gavurdagi and my favourite was the herby Turkish pancake, Mucver.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr offers a selection of restaurants including the buffet-style all-day dining at Seven Heights which also doubles as the breakfast area. I recommend getting a seat out on the terrace to peer at the sea view.
The Meat Point is the resident steakhouse where the cunning starts and stays with the name. Dinner includes beef tenderloin, burgers, salads and steak tartare as the non-chargeable items. Chargeable items include hunky are more premium steak cuts including rib eyes, T-Bones and strip loins (starting around AED280).
I would encourage the Rixos to lean into this steakhouse concept more to build it as an excellent steakhouse should be the crown jewel of a luxury resort. There are some simple adjustments that could be made here to improve the proposition for hotel guests.
However, for those of you who enjoy cruise ship-like entertainment, there is a live laser show that is vociferously promoted throughout the hotel each day. This is also complete with belly dancers, so there is that.
I do appreciate and recommend one feature available at the resort. Cabanas on an isolated strip of the resort’s beach are available for the reasonable price of AED400 per couple. The hotel provides a butler service complete with light snacks, fresh fruit as well as wine and a limited spirit selection.
As someone without children, I do appreciate the opportunity to be away in a more remote and quiet area. There are half a dozen cabanas available here but it will be considerably quieter than the other parts of the resort (notably the morning water aerobics class).
A little bit more of these touches please Rixos Bab Al Bahr.
However, there are more than just beaches and cabana available. The lively pool area features a DJ on a Friday afternoon pumping out remixes to go along with alcoholic drinks available around the pool. Social distancing is very much actively enforced.
The infinity-edge pool stretches out towards the beach and the ocean. You want to get here early to ensure that you grab the chaise lounges as they are snapped up quickly.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr: Is the Food Luxurious?
As with all inclusives, the restaurant menus list dishes and courses included in your package with a few additional chargeable items laid out tempting you to go the extra mile.
Overall, Rixos’ Turkish restaurant, Lalezar, offered the dining highlight of the stay. A selection of mezze of firey roasted aubergine Atom, fresh pomegranate-laced gavurdagi and my favourite was the herby Turkish pancake, Mucver.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr offers a selection of restaurants including the buffet-style all-day dining at Seven Heights which also doubles as the breakfast area. I recommend getting a seat out on the terrace to peer at the sea view.
The Meat Point is the resident steakhouse where the cunning starts and stays with the name. Dinner includes beef tenderloin, burgers, salads and steak tartare as the non-chargeable items. Chargeable items include hunky are more premium steak cuts including rib eyes, T-Bones and strip loins (starting around AED280).
I would encourage the Rixos to lean into this steakhouse concept more to build it as an excellent steakhouse should be the crown jewel of a luxury resort. There are some simple adjustments that could be made here to improve the proposition for hotel guests.
Would I Return to Rixos Bab Al Bahr?
There is a certain formula at the Rixos hotels having previously stayed at their Rixos Premium JBR hotel recently. You come here for a good time, you come here for escapism.
However, unlike the Premium JBR sister property, the Rixos Bab Al Bahr feels a tad less premium. It is not obviously luxurious and the JBR outlet is considerably more modern with a stronger restaurant selection and high-rise views looking out over the Palm.
I am personally not in a rush to come back to this hotel. If the Rixos is serious to advance itself as a luxury escape in Ras Al Khaimah, it is facing strong competition from very close neighbours. There is an opportunity here for the hotel to improve upon the foundations at her certain place. The Rixos, however, will need to make the choice between leaning into the luxury proposition or staying as it is, which is much closer to being a family, affordable all-inclusive resort with a dabble in being a party getaway for twenty-somethings. This seems somewhat diametrically at odds, however, the hotel does pull it off.
There is nothing wrong with being a family, affordable all-inclusive resort. These are needed, they have value and provide a service for the right group. However, for a guest like me that is indeed looking for the trappings and treatment that comes with a luxury stay, the Rixos Bab Al Bahr falls palpably short.
I highly recommend that the hotel focuses. The Rixos Bab Al Bahr would just benefit from some lights renovations and makeovers to freshen up its look and feel.
Young families looking for an affordable getaway staycation close to the mountains but also sitting on the beach. People looking for a sampler of travel. Guess they enjoy all-inclusive resorts particularly with the price certainty that it brings. Partying twentysomethings who want to spend the day on the beach are by the pool listening to throbbing music from the resident DJ.
However, unlike the Premium JBR sister property, the Rixos Bab Al Bahr feels a tad less premium. It is not obviously luxurious and the JBR outlet is considerably more modern with a stronger restaurant selection and high-rise views looking out over the Palm.
I am personally not in a rush to come back to this hotel. If the Rixos is serious to advance itself as a luxury escape in Ras Al Khaimah, it is facing strong competition from very close neighbours. There is an opportunity here for the hotel to improve upon the foundations at her certain place. The Rixos, however, will need to make the choice between leaning into the luxury proposition or staying as it is, which is much closer to being a family, affordable all-inclusive resort with a dabble in being a party getaway for twenty-somethings. This seems somewhat diametrically at odds, however, the hotel does pull it off.
There is nothing wrong with being a family, affordable all-inclusive resort. These are needed, they have value and provide a service for the right group. However, for a guest like me that is indeed looking for the trappings and treatment that comes with a luxury stay, the Rixos Bab Al Bahr falls palpably short.
I highly recommend that the hotel focuses. The Rixos Bab Al Bahr would just benefit from some lights renovations and makeovers to freshen up its look and feel.
Who Should Come to Rixos Bab Al Bahr?
Young families looking for an affordable getaway staycation close to the mountains but also sitting on the beach. People looking for a sampler of travel. Guess they enjoy all-inclusive resorts particularly with the price certainty that it brings. Partying twentysomethings who want to spend the day on the beach are by the pool listening to throbbing music from the resident DJ.
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