Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
Al Marjan Island
Ras Al Khaimah's coral-shaped resort island for UK package travellers: which of the four 'fronds' to base on, the real drive from Dubai airport, and what's actually open before Wynn arrives.
In short
Al Marjan Island at a glance
Al Marjan Island is four man-made coral-shaped 'fronds' of reclaimed land jutting 4.5km into the Arabian Gulf off Ras Al Khaimah, and it's the emirate's headline beach strip — a calmer, better-value alternative to Dubai's resorts an hour up the coast. Almost everyone arrives via Dubai (DXB), a 50–70 minute transfer north, not the tiny local RAK airport. It's a pure resort base: a row of all-inclusive and five-star hotels (Rixos, Mövenpick, DoubleTree, the Marjan Island Resort & Spa) on white sand, with very little to walk to off the island itself. The single thing shaping its future is the Wynn Al Marjan Island, the UAE's first licensed gaming resort, due to open in early 2027 — until then this is a quiet sun-and-sand week rather than a nightlife destination. Pair it with a day at Jebel Jais, the UAE's highest mountain and home to the world's longest zipline, 90 minutes inland.
Al Marjan Island is Ras Al Khaimah’s answer to the Palm — four reclaimed coral-shaped fingers of white-sand resort jutting into the Gulf, an hour up the coast from Dubai and pitched squarely at travellers who want the warm sea and the five-star hotels without Dubai’s prices or pace. For now it’s a genuinely quiet sun-and-sand strip; the thing that’s about to change it is the Wynn Al Marjan Island, the first licensed casino resort in the UAE, due to open in early 2027 and already reshaping the newer fronds.
The mistake first-timers make is twofold. They assume there’s a nearer airport to use — there isn’t a useful one, so you fly into Dubai and transfer north — and they treat the island as somewhere you can stroll out of for dinner. You can’t, really: this is all-inclusive resort territory where the nearest proper streets are a 20-minute taxi away, so book half-board or AI and accept that the days are about the pool, the beach and the odd run inland. Do that one escape to Jebel Jais — the country’s highest mountain and the world’s longest zipline — and the week stops feeling like just a lounger.
The route
Al Marjan is a base, not a touring region, so this is built as a relaxed beach week with two escapes that stop it feeling one-note. Drive times are from the island; the Jebel Jais run and the Dubai day trip both head off-island, so budget a taxi or a booked tour either way.
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Days 1–3
Settle into the resort strip
Land at Dubai, transfer 50–70 minutes north to your frond, and do nothing for two days: the Gulf is shallow and warm, the beaches are raked white sand and the resorts are built for it. Walk the island's single connecting road to scout the other hotels' beach bars rather than assuming yours is the best stretch.
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Day 4
Jebel Jais
Drive or take a booked tour 90 minutes inland and up to Jebel Jais (1,934m), the UAE's highest road-accessible point. The Jais Flight zipline is the world's longest at 2.83km, hitting up to 150km/h; if heights aren't your thing the Sledder toboggan and the viewing decks at sunset are the easy version. Bring a layer — it's noticeably cooler at the top.
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Day 5
Al Hamra Village and old RAK
Twenty minutes south, Al Hamra Village has a marina, a golf course and the Manar Mall for an air-conditioned afternoon, and a short drive on takes you to Ras Al Khaimah's old town and the National Museum — the reminder that this was a pearl-and-trading emirate long before the resorts. Half a day is plenty.
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Days 6–7
A Dubai day or a slow finish
Either run down to Dubai (about 75 minutes) for the Burj Khalifa, the Mall and the old-town souks as a contrast day, or simply slow down: a final beach day, a spa afternoon and an early transfer back to DXB. Time the Dubai trip for a weekday — the E11 clogs badly on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Where to base yourself
Pick one or two bases rather than moving every night.
Al Marjan Breeze / Treasure (resort fronds)
££ mid-rangeThe two fronds with most of the established hotels — Rixos Bab Al Bahr, the DoubleTree and the Marjan Island Resort & Spa sit here on west- and north-facing sand. The safe choice for a first stay: working beaches, sunset orientation and the shortest transfer to the island's one road of restaurants.
Best for: All-inclusive beach weeks, families, first-timers
Al Marjan Dream / View (newer fronds)
£££ premiumThe fronds nearest the rising Wynn resort and the newest hotels, including the Mövenpick. Smarter and quieter now, but check construction status before booking — these are closest to the 2027 building works and some plots are still active sites.
Best for: Newer hotels, travellers who'll accept some building noise
Al Hamra Village (off-island, mainland)
££ mid-rangeTwenty minutes south on the mainland, with the Waldorf Astoria, a marina, golf and the Manar Mall on the doorstep — more to walk to than the island itself, and often better value. The trade-off is you're not on the Al Marjan sand, so factor a short taxi for the headline beaches.
Best for: Self-caterers, golfers, travellers who want shops and restaurants nearby
Getting around Al Marjan Island
There's no public transport to or around Al Marjan Island, so plan on taxis. The realistic arrival is Dubai International (DXB): a metered RAK taxi or a pre-booked transfer is AED 250–350 (~£50–70) and 50–70 minutes north up the E11 motorway, far cheaper as a booked transfer than an airport-rank cab at peak. The local Ras Al Khaimah airport (RKT) has very few flights and almost no UK service, so don't plan around it. On the island, a single road links the four fronds and you can walk between neighbouring hotels, but anything off-island — Jebel Jais, Al Hamra, old RAK or Dubai — means a taxi or a booked tour; ride-hailing apps (Careem, Uber) work but cars can be slow to arrive this far north, so your hotel desk is often quicker. Hiring a car makes sense if you plan to do Jebel Jais and Dubai under your own steam; remember they drive on the right, and the E11 to Dubai is fast but busy at weekends.
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