'I found a luxury island resort with an "indulgence hour" I couldn't resist'

Fly Emirates - Harry Leach finds an perfect premix of luxurious relaxation and thrills successful the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah

While sitting having lunch, overlooking the highest highest successful each of the United Arab Emirates, my presumption from Jebel Jais upland is truthful breathtaking I’ve forgotten to instrumentality a wound from my poke vessel successful implicit 5 minutes, delicious though it whitethorn be.

Ahead of me, adrenaline junkies sprout crossed the world’s longest zipline, Jais Flight, reaching hair-raising speeds of up to 100mph connected the 1.75-mile journey. Suspended successful Superman positions, 4,869ft supra oversea level, I tin conscionable marque retired their gleeful shrieks arsenic they scope information aft a three-minute dopamine hit.

To my close is the Jais Sledder: a 1.14-mile mountainside toboggan connected a low-slung track. It’s surely not for the faint-hearted, and I’d reason acold much exhilarating than immoderate rollercoaster astatine Alton Towers. This is Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) – the northernmost of UAE’s 7 emirates, lone a abbreviated 45-minute thrust distant from Dubai airport. It’s a thrillseekers’ imagination destination portion simultaneously a relaxing godforsaken paradise.

From a spot connected a microlight aircraft, operated by formation schoolhouse Jazirah Aviation Club, I tin spot wherever I volition beryllium staying for the adjacent 4 nights: the luxurious and imposing Mövenpick Resort. The edifice is located connected man-made Al Marjan Island – a nirvana of 4 coral-shaped islands, lapped by the Persian Gulf’s turquoise waters.

When I arrived successful precocious November astatine the five-star resort, (which has a striking resemblance to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel), temperatures were inactive reaching 30C and above, contempt being connected the cusp of winter. Thankfully, a chill oversea breeze prevented the sunshine from ever being thing different than pleasant; and that’s coming from idiosyncratic who needs to use origin 50 astatine each times successful British summertime time.

From the balcony of my spacious sea-view room, it was a joyousness watching families and couples enjoying the hotel’s 300-yard agelong sandy achromatic formation 10 floors below. Children smiled ear-to-ear arsenic they negotiated a floating h2o parkland a abbreviated aquatics from the enactment portion adventurous adults raced past connected rented pitchy skis, motorised kayaks, and mini speedboats.

The edifice is surely not abbreviated of amusive activities to try. There’s besides a spa (where I had a full-body massage truthful bully that I fell into a heavy trance), an online gaming cave, an arcade, a children’s play centre and regular unrecorded performances.

I followed up a pugnacious gym league by treating myself to the champion post-workout repast available: Mövenpick’s “chocolate hour” – 60 minutes of complimentary eclairs, truffles and choccy fondue. It’s axenic indulgence. There’s a batch going on, a batch to see, a batch to do, but it ne'er feels overwhelming.

It goes without saying that Mövenpick, a well-established Swiss edifice absorption marque successful Europe, has exceptional eating options – with 4 first-rate restaurants connected site, each focusing connected sustainability and caller food, and each with their ain unsocial style, quality and draw.

There’s “The Market” – a nutrient hallway unfastened for breakfast, luncheon and dinner, and the beating bosom of the edifice with the odor of the caller ingredients it uses enticing you in.

“It’s astir creating meals from the heart,” cook Rajiv Ranjan Singh told maine 1 evening portion teaching maine however to navigator Switzerland’s nationalist dish, rösti. Passionate astir food, successful his younger days helium travelled crossed 4 continents, soaking up the champion flavours they had to offer. He believes bully nutrient is an “art”, and he’s surely susceptible of culinary masterpieces.

There’s besides The Beach House, a relaxing California coast-inspired hangout wherever soil nestles betwixt your toes, the blase Boons Brasserie, and Ula, an exotic eating spot and the go-to spot to unwind astatine the extremity of the day.

By day, Ula is simply a chilled retired Ibiza-style formation club; deliberation laid-back DJ tunes and negronis delivered to your sunlounger. But by night, depending connected the occasion, and besides the time of the week, it tin either beryllium a romanticist eating flight oregon a full-blown party.

I besides enjoyed 1 excessively galore cocktails astatine the hotel’s Neo Sky Bar portion watching a honey-glazed prima dip beyond the horizon. From this spot, it’s hard to miss the agleam lights beaming from the 24/7 operation of UAE’s archetypal casino – acceptable to unfastened its doors successful 2027.

Work connected the £3billion improvement is moving astatine pace, and Mövenpick is well-placed to benefit, being lone a abbreviated car travel away. As we are successful the build-it-bigger-and-bolder UAE, it volition beryllium 1 of the biggest, and undoubtedly 1 of the astir glamorous successful the world. Its opening is expected to beryllium a immense boost to tourism connected Al Marjan Island, which astatine lone 12 years old, is inactive comparatively caller and undiscovered arsenic a vacation destination for westerners.

I wasn’t definite what to expect erstwhile I arrived here. But aft 5 days, I near feeling revitalised and refreshed. The warmth and friendliness of locals and the tranquillity of the land made it a pugnacious goodbye connected the last morning.

Dubai gets astir of the attention, and grabs the headlines, and possibly that volition ever beryllium the case.

But I’m good with that due to the fact that Al Marjan Island is presently the country’s champion kept secret.

Book the holiday

• Fights from the UK to Dubai are disposable with Emirates, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from astir £420 return. Ras Al Khaimah transfers instrumentality astir an hour.
• Rooms astatine the Mövenpick Resort Al Marjan Island successful Ras Al Khaimah commencement from astir £152 a night. movenpick.accor.com
• More info astatine visitrasalkhaimah.com