Travel Counsellors "Gold" Conference Dubai
Included in Time magazine’s "World’s Greatest Places of 2022", Ras Al Khaimah offers visitors a unique mix of pristine beach resorts, adventurous mountain landscapes and stunning terracotta desert escapes. With year-round sunshine, making it the perfect winter-sun destination, RAK is easily accessible and offers great value for money. From great family friendly resorts to luxury honeymoon retreats, and an array of fascination historical attractions and popular adventure activities, there is a perfect holiday destination waiting in Ras Al Khaimah for all kinds of travellers.
We arrived at the luxurious 5* Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah at around 3am, which wasn't too bad considering the 3 hour time difference from the UK, and the fact I had a little sleep on the flight! The room was palatial, with a walk in dressing room, enormous bathroom with separate shower, double sinks, the best bathrobes in the world - available online for USD165 - and 2 queen size beds. There was also a lovely large balcony with furniture. The hotel itself was originally built as the Sheik's guest house - the extravagant façade immediately sets the tone with its gold domes, fortress-like roofs and Arabesque arches. Inside, the attention to detail continues with local elements such as mother of pearl referencing the UAE’s pearl-diving history, Arabic calligraphy artworks and a grand clock, a Waldorf Astoria signature made from champagne gold, displaying the five daily prayer times.
Ten restaurants and lounges offer global flavours from traditional, colourful Arabic mezze at Marjan to afternoon tea at the signature Peacock Alley. With a nod to the original Waldorf Astoria, Lexington Grill is a New York-style steakhouse serving air-dried beef cuts, while sophisticated UMI is the spot for first-class Japanese fare - we ate here and the teppanyaki set menu did not disappoint with the chef providing fantastic entertainment.
The pools are temperature controlled - coming from Scotland I never thought I would be glad to get into a chilled pool!
After a quick 2 night stay, we headed back to the bright lights of Dubai - and met up with colleagues at Caesars Palace Dubai - set on the manmade Bluewaters Island, accessible by both road and foot bridges. It was a hot 20 minute walk to Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach, but in the cooler winter months, this would be very pleasant.
You may recognise the name Caesars Palace from Las Vegas, and this is their first venture outside of the US - but no casino here. They do however have a trendy beach club, cutting edge spa and a 500m private beach, which is lovely in Dubai to have an unobstructed view out to sea rather than other buildings. There are 5 outdoor pools, Michelin Star Celebrity Chef dining and the resort has been recognized by Forbes Travel Guide 2022 with Five Stars. We had a lovely drinks reception around the Neptune pool on the first evening - but in early Sept the humidity is still ridiculously high and most dining is taken inside! After our conference, we headed for the Venus beach Club which is an adults only area with swaying palms and loungers - lively beats and delicious Italian cocktails set the mood for a chic pool day.
From Michelin chef restaurants like Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen and Demon Duck by Alvin Leung (listed on inaugural 2022 Michelin Guide for Dubai), multicuisine dining at the resort takes you from the sun kissed Amalfi-coast at Venus Ristorante & Beach Club to the streets of 1920s Cuba at Havana Social Club and authentic Japanese at TakaHisa. The Sunset Terrace at the Roman Lounge offers cocktails, Moroccan Tagines, shisha and scrumptious Arabian desserts over spectacular views, while Neptune and Fortuna Pools offer refreshing drinks and delectable poolside bites. The dining choices are endless, catering to every mood and palate.
All in all, a fantastic few days in one of our top selling cities in the world - Dubai is constantly changing and it was good to experience an new area, as well as visit Ras Al Khaimah for the first time.