7th June 2017: On a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hayley, Manager at our Nailsworth branch, explored two emirates; Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. Hayley soon found out that whether you’re looking for a long weekend away, a beautiful stopover location or a longer holiday, their warm temperatures and abundance of leisure activities make either of these places well worth a visit.
Why Dubai?
First, it’s worth mentioning Dubai is much more densely populated than Ras Al-Khaimah, home to just over 2.7m people. In contrast, just 2.6k people live in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. For this reason alone your experience can vary greatly between both locations.
From my experience, Dubai offers the perfect combination of world famous beaches alongside a contemporary city centre, all the while intertwined with the offering of amazing desert adventures, making it truly unique. Dubai is all about being the biggest and the best so there's quite a lot of construction going on at the moment. If you're enticed by the hustle and bustle of a growing city Dubai will suit you completely; it has everything!
Top Tip
If you're leaving Dubai for a flight from 9am onwards I strongly recommend leaving plenty of time for your transfer as the main motorways in Dubai get full quickly and move very slowly during rush hour.
Why Ras Al-Khaimah?
Travel just 70 miles along the coast and you’ll arrive at the slower paced emirate Ras Al Khaimah. Here you’ll find fascinating wildlife, dazzling night skies and a more traditional approach to Arabic culture. While both offer amazing resorts, it can often be 20% cheaper to stay outside of Dubai; definitely worth thinking about if there’s a large number of people travelling together or if you like a drink or two as the price of alcohol can be eye-watering, especially if it's imported.
Not yet as established as Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah is much more chilled out and very close to nature. One of the resorts we stayed in had its very own stables and falconry, this is relatively unheard of in Dubai. Its rugged mountains and historic forts make for the perfect place to ignite your inner explorer whilst being budget friendly; that definitely does not mean you compromise on quality!
Don’t be fooled by the slower pace though; Ras Al Khaimah also has plenty of breath-taking activities to try too including sand-boarding and a multitude of water sports. In my opinion, Ras Al Khaimah is the perfect place to recharge your batteries but due to its relaxed pace, some may find a week is too long here.
Families
Families are welcome within both of these emirates and many resorts offer children's and teens clubs as well as child friendly pools. Interconnecting rooms are wildly available and very popular with families. In my opinion, those who are seeking a more family orientated holiday would be best to choose Dubai as it has an abundance of places to discover. Dubai’s zoo, Wild Wadi Water Park and indoor skiing experience are just a handful of the amazing activities available here. Whatever resort you choose, you’re sure to have an action-packed holiday in Dubai.
Both resorts offer its holidaymakers a large choice of board basis with the hotels in Dubai largely offering bed and breakfast or half board options, while resorts in the Ras Al-Khaimah offer much of the same but there’s a wider choice of all-inclusive resorts.
Final Thoughts
For me, both emirates can definitely offer something for you whatever holiday you’re looking for. The fast-paced luxury lifestyle of Dubai coupled with its multitude of shopping malls, unique market stalls and beach options will provide the perfect holiday for some and, as it’s well known, many people consider Dubai before choosing elsewhere in the UAE.
I’d highly recommend talking to one of our travel specialists when considering Dubai as there are just so many things to consider when booking. For me, the perfect holiday would combine both locations as they're both so starkly different. Even the smallest detail could make the biggest difference to your holiday experience, so please don’t hesitate to contact one of us for a chat.
