Dubai Post 64: The Banyan Tree

The distance between Dubai and Ras Al - Khaimah.

Samantha and I decided that we wanted to go on a weekend getaway during one of the two weekends she was here.  We were first going to visit India but due to a few complications we decided against it.  In the end we decided to stay in the UAE and head to another Emirate, Ras Al-Khaimah. (There are 7 Emirates, Dubai being one)

Ras Al-Khaimah is known for their beach resorts so I started to do some research.  Samantha had told me to look at the Banyan Tree because her sister had stayed there for part of her honeymoon. Since it was a “honeymoon” hotel, I figured it would be too expensive.  However, to our surprise, the price was not too bad and they were having a promotion, buy one night, get the second free.  So we booked our private beach bungalow and headed to Ras Al-Khaimah.

Rather than try to describe the resort, I will let the hundreds of pictures guide you through the Banyan Tree.  (I did take hundreds but trimmed it down for the blog). 

We arrived to a boat dock where a pontoon awaits to whisk you away
to the sandy resort. 

The Banyan Tree is located on a narrow private white sandy
beach off the coast of Ras Al-Khaimah. 

Walking up into the lobby, we knew we were truly in paradise. 

The bar outside the lobby. 

The resort's infinity pool over looking the sea. 

Inside our private beach bungalow. 

The view from our private infinity pool in our villa. Our private
beach cabana is up to the right. 

There was only about 30 or so beach bungalows on the entire resort. It
was also empty since it was off season. 

The beach resort is a sister property of the Banyan Tree’s desert resort in Ras Al-Khamiah.  Located only twenty minutes away, the remoteness as well as the luxury of the Banyan Tree Desert property makes it one of the top 100 hotels in the world (depending on what list you look at). Fortunately, there was a free shuttle between the properties so Samantha and I were able to check out the desert property.

The landscaping made you feel like you were in a little
oasis, smack in the middle of the desert. 

A view from the Moon Bar overlooking the resort.  

We were both in awe the minute we walked in.  Had it not been too
hot we might have stayed at this property.  However, due to the heat,
we wanted to be on a beach.  There are private pool villas at this
resort as well. 

Every so often, we saw gazelles roaming the grounds freely in the resort. 

Since the resort is in the middle of the desert, patrons have the ability
to try out numerous desert activities such as sand boarding and camel
riding. 

 Samantha and I were lucky that it was off season due to the heat.  Had it been October - March, I do doubt the price would have been so low with such a great promotion.  If you are thinking exotic locations for you honeymoon, this resort would be  a great choice depending on the time of year.