Sunday, September 7, 2014

AL LIWAN - MARJAN ISLAND RESORT & SPA - RAS AL KHAIMAH

[caption id="attachment_3302" align="aligncenter" width="705"]On our way to Marjan Island Resort Our way to Marjan Island Resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3303" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Getting close to the Island Getting close to the Island[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3304" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Marjan Island Resort - First view from our car Marjan Island Resort - First view from our car[/caption]

Nothing like a vacation. Sometimes you catch a flight on a long leave but if you have a short leave and a tight budget then you take a short trip away from your busy space to some lovely resort in UAE, to get that change of mood and be totally immersed with your family :) This time we visited the Marjan island resort located in Ras Al Khaimah. It's not really inside Ras Al Khaimah, probably at the beginning of Ras Al Khaimah. This vacation happened on the last week before ramadan.

[caption id="attachment_3324" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Floor view from the lobby Looking above - Floor view from the lobby[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3323" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Marjan resort lobby Marjan resort lobby entrance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3339" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Marjan hallway Marjan hallway[/caption]

The exteriors of Marjan Island resort looked more like a building found in Dubai International city but when I stepped inside the resort, the interiors at first glance is more a replica of the Burj Al Arab interiors. Check in time is at 12:00 here and if needed they can extend the check out time for you depending on the availability of the rooms. The friendly lobby boy took us to our room and theme has been arabic all over. It get's exciting as your reach your room as the whole surrounding looked very elegant and inviting.

[caption id="attachment_3347" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Marjan bed ready to welcome the guest Marjan Island resort signature bed design[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3306" align="aligncenter" width="705"]One of our two televisions One of our two televisions[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3305" align="aligncenter" width="705"]welcome goodies found on arrival welcome goodies found on arrival[/caption]

Our suite was a one bedroom having a separate living room with 2 big LCDs in each room. We had a balcony of our own where we could comfortably sit and dine if needed. We also had a view of their swimming pool, fountains and straight was the sea. We then did a quick check of our new room. Everything was in there like the in-room electronic safe, personal electronic scale, mini fridge, bathroom speakers etc. Tea, coffee and 2 bottles of water was complimentary and anything else you touch is going to cost you some.

Marjan Suite which would be a one bedroom along with a separate living room would cost around Dhs 1050.

[caption id="attachment_3338" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Enjoying his bath Enjoying his bath[/caption]

DSC_0271

DSC_0279

 

[caption id="attachment_3348" align="aligncenter" width="705"]The view from the Emirates suite balcony The view from the Emirates suite balcony[/caption]

The bathroom had little bit of everything we needed. My son enjoyed his bubble bath for sure. The toilet was loaded with all that you needed like tooth brush, tooth paste, shower gel, moisturizer body lotion, shower cap, vanity set, soap bar etc. Mind you all these came from an organic brand called DAMANA.  The bathroom scale in here gave me a reminder that I am gaining weight at a fast pace :(

[caption id="attachment_3330" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Grilled meat for dinner - Al Liwan Grilled meat for dinner - Al Liwan - dinner buffet - Dhs 135[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3331" align="aligncenter" width="678"]My plate of desserts after dinner at Al Liwan My plate of desserts  at Al Liwan  - dinner - Dhs 135[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3329" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Grilled meat for dinner Grilled meat for dinner buffet - Dhs 135[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3328" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Salads at Al Liwan Salads at Al Liwan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3326" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Desserts at Al Liwan Desserts at Al Liwan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3325" align="aligncenter" width="705"]fresh meat to Grill fresh meat to Grill[/caption]

We had our dinner, lunch and breakfast at the All day dining restaurant called Al Liwan. We were quite impressed with their food considering the fact that it was a buffet and the food in here be it desserts, starters or mains they all tasted great! Al Liwan can never disappoint you, I can assure you that. I remember we first went into this restaurant for dinner and I was so much impressed with their cheese cake, arabic baklawas and a turkish dessert that they packed me some to my room :D now that's what I call customer service!

Al Liwan breakfast buffet is 100 Dhs whereas their lunch/dinner buffet is Dhs 135 + service charge.

[caption id="attachment_3317" align="aligncenter" width="705"]DSC_0402 Private beach of Al Marjan Resort Island[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3316" align="aligncenter" width="705"]DSC_0380 Jet Ski in action[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3315" align="aligncenter" width="678"]DSC_0335 Walking towards some fun at Private beach of Marjan Island Resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3320" align="aligncenter" width="678"]Watersports available Watersports available and their pricing[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3318" align="aligncenter" width="705"]DSC_0409 The Water sports administration office[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3313" align="aligncenter" width="705"]DSC_0318 Complimentary rides for guests from hotel to their private beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3319" align="aligncenter" width="678"]You can rent Enjoying his little steps at Al Marjan Island beach[/caption]

They have a private beach which surprisingly was situated in front of the hotel and not behind. I guess since it's pretty deep on the back side of the hotel they've decided to create one in front of the hotel. It's got a 5 mins walking distance from the Hotel to the beach. They can even take you there in their buggy(a complimentary ride). The most interesting part was the water sport activities they had lined up for you. Ofcourse you need to pay for your rides :p . The day I was there, there were lot of banana boat rides and jet ski happening. You could even opt to go for a 4 hours fishing trip for Dhs 2200.

[caption id="attachment_3346" align="aligncenter" width="678"]Our breakfast at Al Liwan Our breakfast buffet - Dhs 100 at Al Liwan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3345" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Natural honey and pancakes Natural honey and pancakes - breakfast buffet - Dhs 100[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3343" align="aligncenter" width="678"]Cornflakes at Al Liwan Cornflakes rush at Al Liwan - breakfast buffet - Dhs 100[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3342" align="aligncenter" width="678"]breakfast buffet breakfast buffet - Dhs 100[/caption]

For breakfast we woke up late and rushed into the All day dining restaurant at Al Liwan. I noticed the restaurant had the most occupancy during the breakfast hour. Guess everybody gets breakfast covered with their stay to this restaurant. Once again it was a delight to eat at Al Liwan. There was almost everything to excite you here. I remember their fresh honey, croissants, waffles which came out perfect that day.

[caption id="attachment_3356" align="aligncenter" width="678"]tickets he's earned playing inside the kids club tickets he's earned playing inside the Pirate kids club inside the resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3353" align="aligncenter" width="705"]kids club kids club[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3352" align="aligncenter" width="705"]kids club - car race kids club - car race[/caption]

They did have some good indoor fun. I loved their pirate club for the kids. Infact I enjoyed it as much as they did. The whole family was into it. It came around 6-8 dhs per game. They did have some offers like if you fill in 100 dhs credit then you get a kids meal from the pizza house located inside the kids club. They also had a section for toddlers to play in there. The Pirates club for the kids is a useful place considering the fact that it was hot that month to play outdoors and they likely would want to stay indoors. They had a full fledged game centre where they could never get tired of playing different games. One option I wish the resort had for us is to rent a playstation to our rooms so we could have them play inside our room. I have seen this option in Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai.

[caption id="attachment_3358" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Bicycles for rent Bicycles for rent[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3357" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Cycling around the resort Cycling around the resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3350" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Complimentary bicycle ride Complimentary bicycle ride[/caption]

At Marjan Island resort you could rent bicycles per hour. They had different types of bikes and you could pick any for the same price. Fortunately, we got a complimentary one hour ride free with our stay. I think they give it to everybody who stays in the hotel. They also have an outdoor play area in the grass for the kids which was a nice one for the kids to play.

[caption id="attachment_3322" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Outdoor Kids play area located inside Marjan resort Outdoor Kids play area located inside Marjan resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3360" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Having fun at the pool inside Marjan Island resort Having fun at the pool inside Marjan Island resort[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3355" align="aligncenter" width="705"]indoor swimming pool indoor swimming pool[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3354" align="aligncenter" width="705"]sauna sauna[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3359" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Enjoying his ball at the pool area Enjoying his ball at the pool area[/caption]

They have a small gym facility along with nice indoor pool and spa treatment facilities. Gym was pretty small and didn't look very encouraging to me. Normally I prefer to see more space in the gym along with many thread mills stretched across the floor but this was too small for the resort.

[caption id="attachment_3337" align="aligncenter" width="678"]Morning newspaper delivered to our family room Morning newspaper delivered to our suite[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3368" align="aligncenter" width="705"]Reading the newspaper from my balcony Reading the newspaper from my balcony[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3367" align="aligncenter" width="705"]sleeping tired after this fun filled time at kids club sleeping tired after this fun filled time at kids club[/caption]

Overall we had a nice peaceful time here. This is one resort totally disconnected from the city. It's just you, your family and their facilites around you. They've got many more restaurants in here you could try. You can find out more about this Al Marjan resort and their facilities in here. Click below to view pictures in full screen view.

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="3369,3368,3367,3366,3365,3364,3363,3362,3361,3360,3359,3358,3357,3356,3355,3354,3353,3352,3351,3350,3349,3348,3347,3346,3345,3344,3343,3342,3341,3340,3339,3338,3337,3336,3335,3334,3333,3332,3331,3330,3329,3328,3327,3326,3325,3324,3323,3322,3321,3320,3319,3318,3317,3316,3315,3314,3313,3312,3311,3310,3309,3308,3307,3306,3305,3304,3303,3302"]