You wouldn’t guess this was Rotana’s first property located in the UAE.  Many hotel outlets tend to get better and better with each location, building upon experience and customer feedback, but Rotana succeeded with its first.  Located in Ras Al Khaimah, a Northern emirate of the UAE, The Cove Rotana rests on a hill overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the famous pristine beaches.  During our time here in the UAE, we’ve stayed at various Rotana hotels and resorts, each offering their own unique experience, Arabian influence and family friendly hospitality.  From Al Ain to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island to Ras Al Khaimah, Rotana has made sure there is a style for everyone and every type of vacation.

The Villas – Plenty of Space for This Traveling Family

The Cove Rotana offers two styles of vacationing, hotel rooms and villas.  Both are spread throughout the resort alongside the hill, but only villas will get you up close and personal with the lagoon or lush green hills and easy walking distance to the beach. Each villa offers spacious living rooms, kitchens perfect for the family, LCD TVs and two levels of living space. The architecture is reminiscent of the Mediterranean from the gorgeous ceilings and accents to the small and winding pathways throughout the resort. If you choose a two-bedroom or three-bedroom villa, you’ll be pampered by your own plunge pool, plenty deep to allow the children to swim and play, with supervision. While the villas are a special treat and a major draw to The Cove Resort, if you’re dependent on Internet, you’ll need to plug in as Wi-Fi in the villas is not available as of yet. You can, however, access wi-fi in the main building and restaurants as a guest.  The two-bedroom was perfect for my family of five, allowing us private space on the main level, and a bedroom and bathroom upstairs for the kids.

The Amenities

Dining:  Seven options await you at The Cove Rotana when it comes to satisfying your hunger. From room service to fine dining, they’ve got you covered.  We had the pleasure of eating breakfast at the Cinnamon restaurant, which feature an International and Asian buffet. The kids loved the crepe and waffle station, while I chose a selection of mini appetizers and hors d’oeurves, and my husband indulged in the rack of lamb and salmon.  Cinnamon is also very well known for its Friday Bubbly Brunch!  For dinner, we dined at Basilico, a fine dining atmosphere featuring Mediterranean and Italian influence courses. I tried the Ladies Cut Fillet, accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes…cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth.  I went as far as to tell our friends living here in the UAE that Basilico is my new fine dining locale.

Flipper’s Kids’ Club:  Looks can be deceiving.  Don’t be fooled by the small indoor space or the seemingly lack of entertainment options.  As we dropped our kids off, we walked away thinking, we better enjoy our alone time quickly, as we’ll probably get a phone call from our kids within the hour to pick them up.  My husband and I swam in our villa plunge pool, then swam in the infinity pool, walked around the resort, watched some TV and three hours later, it wasn’t the kids who called, it was me calling the Kids’ Club — they were having a ball!  They were dancing, singing, playing games, face painting and just being creative kids.  It wasn’t until one more hour later that we finally picked them up so that we could go to dinner.  There is an outdoor area as well, but due to the heat, indoor they remained.

Bodylines Fitness & Leisure Club:  Rotana is known for its fitness and leisure clubs called Bodylines.  You expect the same great services at each location.  We chose a couple’s massage, indoors, as it is the middle of summer in the Middle East right now, but you can opt for one on the beach as well.  The room was peaceful and the massages were wonderful.  The jacuzzi room is quite large, offering a relaxing jetted spa and surrounding relaxation chairs.  The club also offers a gym for those looking to keep fit while on vacation.

Buggy Service:  Because the resort is spread out and on a hillside, a buggy (golf cart) service is offered to help you get around. Simply call ahead, ask for a buggy, and within five minutes, they are there to take you wherever you need on site.  Our kids loved this feature, as you can imagine, because is there anything more fun than riding on the back of a golf cart?

Parents and Kids Agree

Kids’ rating?  Six thumbs up from my family. They can’t wait to go back.  Parent rating? 4 out of 4 stars.  How could we not?  The Flipper’s Kids Club gave us peace for four hours!  Seriously though, this is a great family getaway no matter if you live in the UAE or you’re just passing through.  With the proximity to central Ras Al Khaimah for shopping or Al Hamra Village for golf, you’ll have everything you need close by.  If I’ve peaked your interest, be sure to check out the Rotana Times for your favorite Rotana destination.  They are always having specials year round.