InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa

This was our third stay at InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah in the last seven months and we already have another visit booked for April, with another one likely in the summer. That probably says everything. We’ve stayed at quite a few five-star resorts across the UAE over the years and I’m not normally someone who writes TripAdvisor reviews. I usually prefer to stay fairly under the radar. But when I realised this was our third visit in such a short space of time (soon to be four) I thought it was only fair to share how good this resort actually is. This time we stayed in a Seafront Villa which works really well for us as a family of three. Plenty of space, great privacy and lovely sea views. It makes the whole stay feel very relaxed. The sun loungers around the resort and at the Club Lounge pool were also excellent quality and genuinely very comfortable, which might sound like a small thing but when you’re spending long lazy days by the pool it actually makes a difference. We also used the Club Lounge quite a lot on this visit and really enjoyed both the lounge itself and the pool area there. It’s calm and peaceful but still connected to the energy of the rest of the resort. A quick mention as well for Haris, one of the attendants at the Club pool, who did a great job looking after guests. He always seemed one step ahead making sure water, towels or anything else you might need was already taken care of. Another nice touch we noticed was that the resort provides complimentary SPF sunscreen by the side of the Club pool, which was a thoughtful detail and very handy during the day. We also noticed the resort hosted a couple of Indian weddings while we were there, which I’ve seen mentioned in other reviews. Personally we actually felt it added to the atmosphere and fun of the trip. It was lovely seeing families celebrating such an important moment together and brought a real sense of occasion around the resort. In many ways it’s also a good sign that people choose this place for such special occasions. What really makes this place stand out though is the Team who work there! On our first visit back in July 2025 we had a couple of small hiccups early in the stay. Cameron McNeillie, the General Manager, took the time to come and speak with us personally. We ended up chatting for well over an hour and it was obvious straight away that he has a genuine guest-first approach. After that conversation we left with a very different impression and actually booked our next stay within a few weeks of getting home. Since then, hiccups resolved, and we do have to say that the consistency has been excellent. Henry (Chaiwat Billahteh), the Front Office Manager, is always around and incredibly helpful. Nothing ever seems too much trouble and he takes time to check in with guests. At Saffar restaurant the managers Milan and Abhishek do a great job running things and Chef Shibin is often out speaking with guests and clearly enjoys what he does - seems he really enjoys the interaction with the guests and ensuring their satisfaction is clearly important to him and his Team. We’ve stayed at some fantastic resorts in the UAE (including Top-Tier) but the service here really stands out. The team are friendly, genuine and very consistent and that’s probably the main reason we keep coming back. A big thank you to Cameron, Henry and the whole team for always making us feel welcome. We already feel like we have a bit of a “holiday family” there. Highly recommended and we’re looking forward to our next visit! Read less

After 36 hours of mistreatment from Emirates before flying meaning we were rushing around finding substitute flights with British Airways (they were our saviours), 16 hours before leaving for Dubai, we were frazzled. Due to fog near Heathrow and Bahrain air closures we arrived late in Ras Al Khaimah, getting to the hotel around 4am. We were exhausted, stressed, and hoped the hotel would be everything we hoped it would be. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. They gave us a lovely 5th floor room (Infinity Sea View) with a massive bath, walk-in shower, fridge, tea & coffee, water etc. The room had a great balcony with a large circular seat but we moved the occasional seats in the lounge area out onto balcony as we like to spend a lot of time on our balcony. The room had a comfortable bed and furniture - my one criticism is that their 'All Inclusive' doesn't include soft drinks or cans of beer in the mini-bar; we've never been to an All Inclusive hotel with a mini-bar containing just water. The hotel grounds are lovely - plenty of sunbeds around the pool, gardens and beach so never a problem getting one. Staff were always on hand putting towels on your sunbed. It was lovely listening to and watching the birds – it was lovely to see them. The pool was lovely and warm which meant I could swim – the only downside was a DJ from 4-6 with music blasting out 'thump thump thump' music. Some areas in the bottom of the pool where tiles had been removed did cut my toe but it wasn't really an issue for me. Speaking to other guests they felt the same as us and came to the conclusion that the loud music was a ploy to get people to leave the pool area. It was loud in our room with the door closed and really needs looking into by the management. I recorded the noise from inside our room and shared it with the hotel; the duty manager said they'd look into it! During our 4 week stay they had two Indian weddings and yes they are joyous occasions, a bit noisy but wonderful to watch and didn't disturb us as the celebrations stopped by 10pm. The joy was infectious and the guests loved it. The hotel certainly know exactly what they are doing and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for any celebration. They did also hold corporate events as many hotels do; again that didn't affect us in any way. The hotel is understated modern elegance and is really clean and easy to get around with lifts or steps. With All inclusive you can only use the Saffar buffet restaurant - you can pay for 'all inclusive dine around' but due to my food allergies I like to stick to one restaurant. Food is varied, always hot, a lot of Indian, Arabic, Lebanese and Asian food. Pasta is freshly cooked as is pizza and the choices of sweets were lovely. The restaurant ambiance was lovely. Weekends got really busy with weekenders as most of the hotels do. Now for the best bit of the hotel - THE STAFF. It's not often that leaving a hotel brings you to tears, but the staff are without doubt the hotel's crowning glory. Always a smile, 'hello, can we help', from reception to gardeners to restaurant staff to bar staff are a true reflection of the hotel. We like to speak to the staff as most are away from home and family, and staff badges with name tags had their country flag on and we learned about them and their country which was nice. I have some food allergies, intolerances and this wasn't a problem in any way and they cooked food for me which in the UK doesn't happen very often. (Even last week in the UK at a hotel I asked for an omelette or poached eggs and was told 'no' as it's not on menu!) The staff in Saffar restaurant are amazing for their welcome - staff, waiters, waitresses, chefs to cleaning staff, always a smile, a 'hello can I help' without any agenda. We always tried to leave tips and to try to spread the money around amongst the staff. We put a lot of money into paying for the trip but we take some extra Dirhams not to buy items from the UAE but to leave tips. I see online constantly people asking 'do we have to tip?' - the reality is this goes a long way with staff working so just remember they work long hours and still care about you and your experience. I will name some staff and apologize to any of them for any mis-spelling or not putting your name as I tried to write everyone's name down while we were there. Doni the reception manager - thank you for going above and beyond and helping with my shopping - you know what you did / you are a star. All reception staff for their help and kindness. Housekeeping staff Mandeep, Sha Alam, Shaik - thank you for keeping our room clean and for the lovely flower / towel art on the bed, and the little gifts. Concierge Ahmed, the staff on duty at the entrance - Collins and the guys moving cars, luggage etc. Chef Shibin - what a caring kind man you are. Along with Chandra thank you for the cooking lesson, and to all the chefs behind the scenes who we didn't meet. Restaurant staff managers Milan and Avi, Kujeet, Sakshi, Sue Sandi, Falguni, Syam, Dianne, Mycah, Preetak, Hendra, Sanam; Waitresses Renu, Swe Zin, Eldray, Pema, Same, Abhi, and above all Moses - you are the light in any darkness - your smile is just so infectious. These are just a few of the amazing staff. The hotel is on a lovely beach with plenty of beds and space and with some games to play. If you are 'all inclusive' the only outside bar you can use is the pool bar (Sha Sha) and on a cool evening it's not great. I wish the hotel had somewhere to sit inside with a drink. The beach lawn has two fire pits which was a nice touch as it got a bit cool in the evening. Twice a week birds of prey are brought in which were amazing to see and hold. We stayed in an Infinity sea view room on the 5th floor - looks over the pool to the sea and beach. I'd love to upgrade to a Club room and lounge access but that was out of our budget. The beach villas look amazing as the rooms are overlooking the stream. Rooms 1-4 I'd choose them as they had sunbeds on the patio. Some ideas for the management: 1, our shower floor was like an ice rink when wet as it's made of smooth wall tiles - you need to replace them with anti-slip tiles or provide a mat. 2, stop the DJ blasting music out so loud around the pool – is it really necessary?, 3, To make the hotel completely accessible for disabled guests put electric access buttons on the doors into the hotel as they are very heavy – I use a mobility scooter and I couldn't have opened them on my own. 4, the minibar should have beer and soft drinks in when all inclusive. 5, like other hotels locally there should be a free bus to a local mall. We think the management need to know how wonderful the staff all are, as if they look after them they will stay., can't wait to return. Read less

AS IHG loyalty members this was our third time visiting the hotel, which we previously loved, but was highly disappointed during this stay. We normally stay in the club lounge rooms, which are great and come with a private pool and lounge area. This was unavailable to us on this occasion due to a large wedding that was taking place (in fact, the wedding noise/bustle really did permeate the whole hotel/stay). In addition to being unable to upgrade, we were told that the allocated room was a twin. We refused this room and was about to leave, when the reception then found us a double room. Upon arriving in the room, it did not seen set up for guests (but it had a spare temporary single bed that was 'made up' but had not been requested). The evening meal at Lavant/Nar was good in terms of food quality but service was awkward. The next day, the pool was noisy with large families, so we had to move loungers. Upon returning to the room in the afternoon, it had not been serviced (though we did turn the service request button on). The phone was not operational for us to report this issue, so we needed to call the reception via an external line. Upon going out later that evening, we requested for the room to be serviced again, but to no avail. That meant that in a 2 night stay, the room was not serviced at all. The meal at NoHo was average but service was again inattentive. The 'rare' chateaubriand was served on a hot plate, meaning the rare steak went on to be cooked to medium/well. The broccolini and bearnaise sauce were both served cold. Please note that throughout the stay, it was common for waiting staff to be unengaged/inattentive - so it was a challenge to request further drinks or the bill. Upon check-out, there was no discussion about the issues. A real shame. It seems that this hotel is unable to cater to the needs of loyal returning customers. Read less

As a black woman who has travelled to over 18 countries, INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT RAS AL KHAIMAH is my best hotel so far ✔️ The service from the staff was exceptional. Oh, don’t get me started on the breakfast and the variety it had 😍 I’d like to particularly commend the front desk staff Mr. Huy from Vietnam who assisted with all my request and ensured I gave my best friend the vacation of a lifetime. Mr. Esse from Nigeria (the concierge) gave me a tour of the resort and welcome us. I recommend this place a 100% and I can’t wait to be back again. Read less