Kiwi Shawarmas: Ramada Beach Resort

Our room at Ramada Beach Resort - the bed was super comfy

One of the best parts of living in the UAE is all the great bargains you can get through online sites and credit card offers. We were looking for a short weekend getaway, and hubby managed to score an awesome deal on Cobone for Ramada Beach Resort, Ajman. For AED 320 we got a one-night stay in a deluxe room with sea-views, got access to the private beach, the indoor pool and saunas, and got served buffet dinner and breakfast. The rack-rate for the deluxe room is AED 800 per night... not a bad deal eh?!

This was our first time at the hotel, and we didn't know what to expect. The lobby was a bit of a let-down as it looked cramped and a little dated. The service desk was also a little slow at processing our booking (even though it had been done a few days prior on the phone - this is what you get for using a discounted online deal!).

But my dissatisfaction soon vanished once I was let out of the dingy lift... the room was enormous! The best thing about the room was the view - we could see the private beach right outside our window lying on the bed. It was also the only hotel room in the UAE (that we have stayed in so far) to have a microwave handy. The air-conditioning was a little too chilled for our liking and made me wish I'd brought along more snuggly clothing. The bathroom was also a wee disappointment as it had an average-sized tub and a little squishy in comparison to the rest of the room.

The hotel seems to cater mainly to Russian clientele. Given we are in September and this not being a real tourist season, I was surprised by the number of Russians around. It is also rather surprising that the hotel does not seem to have staff who are well-versed in Russian. A rather upset elderly Russian woman was left babbling in her own tongue at the reception upon our arrival.

We had dinner at 'King's Grill'. It was a buffet dinner, and as the name would suggest, there were quite a few grilled meat and fish dishes on offer. However, we found these to be rather bland and wouldn't really go there to dine if it weren't for the whole package deal. Breakfast was a better affair and the variety was adequate to satisfy most palettes (no smoked salmon though!).

Overall, it was a fun and relaxing stay. We enjoyed the room and its lovely sea view, and spent most of the afternoon at the private beach. Didn't get around to using the private pool. For AED 320, it was a perfect package - best to keep checking in on such deals!

Here's a few clicks from our stay... Sorry I didn't get around to taking clicks of the food!

xxx Big Sis.