Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah

the best property in middle east.. super quality and the amenities are just awesome. Each rooms are big and balcony view is just mind blowing. clean beach is the icing in the cake!! must visit with family

We have stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in RAK on four different occasions now and will be returning again in November this year we like it so much. From start to finish this hotel is one of the best we have visited in the UAE, having visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi on numerous occasions, we feel we can make this distinction by comparison. Having stayed in many of the high-end hotels in Dubai in particular, and seeing the change over the years, to come here is very refreshing and relaxing. The level of service and attention to detail are both excellent. The hotel has a charm about it that in our opinion many have lost in Dubai over the years. Knowing both Lizyl and Angelina from previous visits made our booking process easy. Their customer service skills are testament to this fabulous hotel, and nothing is ever too much trouble. Our favourite room number was allocated with no questions asked by Angelina, and due to our late arrival, food was sent to the room as a gesture for our repeat custom by Lizyl. If only every establishment around the world could have team members like this. Lizyl even found time during a very hectic schedule of events going on at the hotel, to track my wife and I down during breakfast to say hello and catch up. I don???t know of any other hotel that would offer this level of recognition. Such lovely people. Moving onto our stay, if you read my previous reviews about Waldorf Astoria RAK, you will see that I cannot speak highly enough of the facilities and staff members at this hotel. Having not got to the hotel until about 03:30am, we decided to have a lie in and surfaced nice and refreshed just after lunch. We had read how wonderful the new Siddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar was on the internet and were eager to go for a lunchtime drink and catch up with Jay our friend at the bar. We turned the corner and Jay came over with a beaming smile to welcome us back. Again, how many other establishments around the world would have such caring and kind people as Jay. His cocktail making skills are exemplary and we sampled many during our stay (pictures included). The very impressive addition of ladies??? night on Monday evening is also a great event and my wife enjoyed this very much. Again, it was Jay that mentioned this to us and booked us in. I cannot speak highly enough of Jay, and again, this is another reason why we return to this hotel year after year. Certain staff members go over and above and Jay is one of these people. A truly nice guy with a lovely personality and superb at his job. Next to see us was Bright, another member of the hotel team that stands out for a personal mention. Bright looked after us for many years on the beach and has since moved across to the Siddharta Lounge and welcomes guests and ensures they have a great time. His communication skills are excellent, and always has a lovely smile on his face which makes you feel welcomed. It was lovely catching up with Bright and finding out about what he has been up to since our last visit. For Bright to again remember my wife and I by our first names, just highlights how much the job he does means to him. He really cares about the guests and wants everyone to have a fantastic vacation. Most of our vacation time is spent lazing on the beach if I???m honest. We generally arrive around 11:30 am and stay until sunset. Access to sun beds is never an issue. Dilip looked after us this year and had done the same on our previous visit in April 2018. Dilip did a wonderful job, making our loungers up and providing us with a pager to call him if we needed anything at all. It was nice to see additional items added to the drink???s menu such as sangria jugs which we sampled most days. Dilip always brought us nibbles and fresh water and ice during the day which was very much appreciated. It is these little things that make the holiday special. Dilip was brilliant and we couldn???t have asked for more from him. Another wonderful team member at the hotel. For many years we had had the pleasure of having Rehman and Junaid take care of our every need on the beach, but it was nice to see they had moved across into other areas within the hotel and enhanced their skill sets. Again, when they saw us, they came over and gave us both a hug and welcome back. Again, how many other hotel members of staff would do this? Two lovely guys, that again need another special mention. The Azure pool bar was our next destination, and again it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Akram, Vivek, and Mohan all noticed us immediately and again a welcome back and a catch up all round ensued. Such nice people, and again well-done Waldorf Astoria RAK for getting such a great team together. Another special mention goes to Anudeep who has looked after us on every occasion over the last four years. Again, Anudeep has always greeted us with a smile and been so pleased to welcome us back. This occasion was no different. It was really nice to catch up with him and see how he is doing, likewise, he is always so friendly asking how we have been and how long we are staying for. Nothing is ever too much trouble for Anudeep. He booked us in for our evening meal at UMI and told us all about the new chef at Azure and how good the food is, even offering to arrange booking our evening meal on our last night, ensuring he secures a nice table by the pool for us. These extra special added touches are what makes us want to keep returning to the Waldorf Astoria RAK ??? friendly, helpful people who genuinely want to make your stay as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Anudeep, Jay and Bright make it easy for my wife and I to decide where we want to go on holiday, and we are very appreciative of their outstanding customer service/friendly approach. Likewise, Lizyl and Angelina go above, and beyond which makes our decision for our vacation destination very easy ??? Waldorf Astoria RAK every time! You never feel like just another guest, which we have experienced often in overcrowded Dubai, the personal touches and genuine staff members make you feel like they really do care about their guest???s experience. The restaurants in the hotel are all very good. We sampled Lexington Grill, UMI, and Azure during our stay on a HB basis. It was a shame that Lexington has closed the outside seating area at the moment due to the canopy issue, however this didn???t spoil a fabulous meal. The beef here is wonderful and a must try, especially the Kobe and Wagyu steaks. The Amarone Masi too from the wine list is a lovely addition to the steak we both had. UMI was equally as good and having eaten at all the aforementioned restaurants on previous visits, we knew we would be in for a treat. The food is some of the best we have experienced on holiday and we would thoroughly recommend a visit. Azure was also very good. We sampled the beach food, which was great, and also had dinner here on the last night (served by Mohan and Anudeep). It was nice to see the new chef Matteo Dayem also come to most tables including our own and ask if everything was good with the meal, then provide dessert free of charge for us as it was our last night! The portion sizes here are huge, but lovely all the same. Vivek and Vishva also came and saw us during the meal at Azure, again welcoming us back and having a catch up. All in all, we were very impressed with the food during our stay and couldn???t fault anything. In conclusion, this hotel goes over and above in ensuring customer satisfaction. Congratulations to Alan Stocker for running such a fabulous hotel, and we will see you all in November for our fifth visit. Bryan & Samantha

Hotel Staff: 1. Not all but I would say 95% of staff are rude and care about taking attention from white people. We felt that the Hotel staff are racist to arabic and Muslim. 2. Even though we went for our anniversary, we received from the staff the worst see view with balcony room ???422???. Other guests receive a better room and a special surprise wait them in the room such as cake, fruits, message card, etc.. But our surprise was the worst room which had the following problems: - bath tub water blockage - fridge not cooling enough - ihome connection for music needed maintenance guy - bed sheets had a hole - amenities missing - light flicking (not working properly) - water boiler had rust inside - Dirty pillows - Dirty tables 3. Again Hotel Staff: -Near pool area staff are distributing free juices to all people and kids, however even though our eyes crossed and the staff looked at us he didn???t come to give us a drink and went the other way around, I had to following him and ask for it, and we saw his frustrated face. - Checking out time: first time in my life I receive a phone call on my mobile to be told you got to go out from the room. Even though I requested from the concierge the luggage guy to come before the checkout time they still kept calling my room first then my mobile. - How Staff look at us and how they look at other European guests. You can feel from their eyes that you are not welcomed. - Manager of Customer service didn???t care about our frustration and kept asking me for a voucher with crossed legs, even she didn???t look us in the eyes and talk like someone who cares.