Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort

We have just enjoyed the best buffet dinner … ever. The food was wonderfully eclectic, from sushi to paneer - and everything between; as pescatarians there was no issue in satisfying the entire family - from 4 to 74! Food was incredible - and everything was fresh and delicious. And the entire team came out to wish one of our party a happy birthday! Me! Read less

I have just returned from a wonderful weeks holiday at the Sofitel. I have never visited Ras Al Khaimah, nor Dubai only Abu Dhabi. The area is quite quiet, which I liked. It’s not built up like Dubai, although I think in 2-3yrs it may be a different skyline. Buildings are being built and money is being poured in. The Sofitel is gorgeous, the hotel looks almost brand new. It was very quiet when I visited which was middle of Jan. Weather was gorgeous, albeit a bit windy at begin of the week but 25C, which was perfect for me. I traveled solo and on arrival they checked me straight into my room, which was great as I arrived at 10.30am. Ilyas on reception was ever so helpful. My room was huge, the bed was amazing, massive and soooo comfy. I wish I could have taken it home. The pillows were too soft for me, I told reception and house keeping who brought alternatives, which worked perfectly. Shout out to Noor and Akshay. I was on the half board dine around package (excluded drinks). It was brilliant, breakfast and dinner were in the East restaurant, so many options, omelettes cooked to order. The staff are brilliant, they remembered my iced latte order everyday (it’s a little specific). They always made sure I had a table by the window and made such an effort to chat with me. When you’re traveling solo, it makes a world of difference having these chats. A big shout out to Thilini, so friendly and kind. All of the servers are so lovely, they even presented me with a piece of cake for breakfast on my last day, see pic below. I was really touched. Dine around package means you can also eat at restaurants within the Ritz Carlton and Waldorf Astoria. You request a voucher from reception and are given a AED200 credit towards the cost of your meal. That worked well for me, as I like to experience other foods. I ate at Lexington (steak house) and Beach Deck (Seafood), both were very good. I didn’t visit Reunion the French restaurant onsite. Waka was also not open yet, renovation completion due end of Jan. The beach was closed, as they are doing work to extend it. They have an allocated area on the ritz Carlton beach for guests but I stayed around the pool, it was so quiet, I had my pick of the loungers. The pool area staff were all lovely, again they remembered and chatted to me. Set up my sun loungers everyday in the same spot, I’m a creature of habit. The pool is stunning and was a great temp. Poolside drinks and snacks are yum, I had quite a few of the Berry Go Round smoothies, which were yum. Big shout outs to Swarmi, Ryan, Abin and Mumoodo. They have a big kids area, all shaded plus a water activity park, with a few slides. I used the gym a few times, mainly for running, 2 treadmills, couple of ellipticals, few weights and some other machines. You can definitely get a decent work out in. I also had a 60 mins massage with Kiki, which was great. The spa area staff are lovely, ever so helpful. I had to move my booking a few times and they accommodated everytime. I went on a desert safari trip using the tour operator Bedouin tours, the hotel provided contact dets. It’s a very purpose built set up with camel ride, fire and belly dancing, sand boarding. It was pretty empty in terms of people but probably due to the time of year. The best part for me was the dune safari, seeing the desert was amazing, it’s stunning. Worth doing for that but I would take or leave the rest of the excursion. If you are looking for R&R I can highly recommend this hotel. I sound like a broken record but the service was fantastic, the hotel is gorgeous and so well maintained. I had a wonderful holiday and will 100% visit again. I want to say a big thank you to everyone for being so kind to me. Read less