Beach, desert & Dubai

Our Highlights:

• All inclusive: includes meals & drinks
• First class Hilton
• Free shuttle buses to Dubai and to the Hilton Beach Club
• Superb beach club set on a white sand beach

This holiday offers a great opportunity to combine relaxing in a very well-managed Hilton, with its superb Beach Club just 5 minutes away by free shuttle bus. One of the 7 Emirates which make up the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Ras al Khaimah, is most northerly and runs up to the border with Oman's beautiful Mussandam Peninsula. Whilst Ras al Khaimah's infrastructure is rapidly improving to match that of it's more famous neighbour, Dubai, life remains generally quieter and slower here. The town itself is split into the 'old' (fort/museum, soukh) and the 'new' (port, Hilton). The two are linked by a bridge across the creek. There is also the opportunity to visit Dubai for shopping, exploring and sightseeing.

Apart from the soukh area in town, there is a modern shopping mall - small by the region's standards - which is a great place for people watching, particularly in the late afternoon and early evening. Shops range from traditional to a large Carrefour supermarket and there is a small food court with a range of styles of food, including Lebanese.

Camel racing, which is seasonal, tends to take place shortly after dawn, and is well worth seeking out as an unusual highlight.

Car hire is easy to arrange and fuel is cheap, although the lesser roads can be rough (always travel with plenty of water in case of a breakdown) and the standard of driving can be described at best as 'different'!

Our favourite excursion (bookable locally) is to the Mussandam peninsula, just over the border in Oman, approximately an hour away from Ras al Khaimah town.

You spend a full day aboard a traditional dhow enjoying the spectacular landscape, punctuated by hundreds of fjords. There is lunch on board and time for swimming and snorkelling. Look out for the dolphins: common, spinner and humpback are all found here.

If you would like to experience the local way of relaxing in the evening, why not try a 'Shisha' - this is the name for the traditional water pipes popular in the region: you will find a special outdoor 'café' area at the Hilton, strewn with carpets and cushions. The staff will be delighted to help you get started...

For a round of golf, the new 18 hole/par 72 Tower Links Golf Course is just a few minutes' away by car or taxi.

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