I woke up before the rest of the family and checked in on the load of laundry from the previous evening. I was hoping it was dry, but unfortunately it was still soaking wet. I double checked the instruction on how to turn the drying mode on again and I took some of the larger wet clothes out to let them air dry on the balcony and turned the dryer on again.
After the family eventually got up we went down to breakfast while the laundry hopefully finished drying. By the time we got back to the room the clothes still weren’t much better so we called down to the front desk to see if they could send someone up to take a look.
While we waited the we began to pack the rest of our stuff. This was harder than usual because the room was so big and our stuff had spread out so much. We didn’t want to forget anything but there were so many places to check!
The repair man came by in about 20 minutes and took a look at the machine. After about 10 minutes of fiddling with it and taking it apart it was working again. YAY!
I was in charge of packing and even without the clothes in the dryer, it was a tight fight. Somehow our stuff had “grown” but I was able to pack things more tightly to get everything to fit with enough space left over to hold the stuff that would come out of the dryer.
Marina Walk
With everything packed that was ready, we decided to walk down by the marina adjacent to the hotel to try to find something quick for lunch. The marina is a destination in itself within Dubai but we realized the night before that we hadn’t been there yet, despite being within sight of the hotel. The marina is quite large. Signs said the path around it was 7.8km long and it’s lined with shops and restaurants. There are also great views of the unique skyscrapers in the area.
We walked for about 10 minutes and settled on an Italian restaurant to eat lunch at. It was windy outside so we decided to eat inside rather than on the patio. Lunch was good and the views were even better.
As it was getting closer to our checkout time we headed back to the hotel to finish packing and check out.
Hotel Transfer
Back in the hotel the clothes weren’t quite dry, but they were close. I put them in for a few more minutes while we triple checked for things we were forgetting. Just after 1:00pm we got a call from the front desk that our taxi had arrived so we quickly got the clothes out of the dryer and into our suitcases. After a final jog through all the rooms to make sure we hadn’t missed anything we down to check out.
We checked out with no incident having had a truly great time at the hotel and loaded our bags into the taxi for the 90 minute ride to the next hotel. I was glad the hotel had requested a taxi for us as the driver already knew how to get where we were going and knew how far away it was. The drive was scenic in that there were desert vistas in every direction and before we knew it we were seeing signs for our next hotel.
Check in
As we arrived at the Ritz Carlton Al Wadi Desert resort, we knew we were at a special place. There was a gate with a guard that took our name so they would be ready for us when we arrived at the lobby which was a half mile drive from the gate. At the lobby they unloaded our bags for us while I settled the fare with the taxi driver.
The main lobby was small yet beautiful and as the only group checking in, all the staff was there to help us. They offered us some spiced ice tea and coffee as well as water to drink while we got checked in.
They recognized my wife’s Titanium status and said that came with free breakfast for all four of us. In the Marriott loyalty program it’s notorious that status gives you something at all the brands except Ritz Carlton, so getting this benefit was unexpected and very welcome.
In addition, they said we could get a “full board” option which would allow each of us lunch and dinner during our stay as well as one “activity” per day. It was 1000 AED per day which worked out to be just over $400. We (I) passed on that option without much thought and they processed the rest of our checkin.
We had hoped we would get upgraded to a larger villa which is close to 3000 sq/feet, but would have to settle for one that was “only” around 1800 sq/feet. It seemed the resort either wasn’t offering that upgrade, which is something Titanium status does offer at Ritz Carlton resorts, but lower status does not, though given the choice between free breakfast and an upgrade, the breakfast was worth more to us anyways.
From the lobby they took us on a golf cart, or “buggy” as they referred to them to give us a tour of the property. The driver took us to all the highlights including the water hole, kids club, falconry deck, resort pool, and the equestrian center before bringing us to our room. We got the full tour of the room which was simply amazing.
The kid’s favorite part was of course our own infinity pool. It was as warm as bath water and overlooked the desert area. We saw wildlife walking by ever few minutes. It was quite peaceful.
Falconry Show
The driver had told us the falconry show was at 4pm and it was getting close so we made the short walk to the Falcory Deck. On the way we quickly stopped at the kids club to check it out. While the club is free of charge, it was definitely aimed at younger kids even though it claimed to be for 4-12 year olds. There was very little our 7 year old was interested in, much less our 10 year old. They could do arts and crafts or play board cakes. There were some planned activities like a tour of the equestrian center, but it was mostly just free play. We’d keep that in mind but the kids didn’t seem very interested it going back.
There was a playground next to the kids club that the kids enjoyed for a few minutes before the show was to begin.
We arrived about 10 minutes before the show and we were the first ones there so we settled into a couch in the shade. The show started on time and a crowd of about 20 gradually filtered in.
The staff came out with three different birds and explained the origin and history of falconry in the Arab world. The first bird was a hawk (falconry apparently isn’t only about falcons) and guest volunteers could hold the glove and the bird would fly down, land, and pick off a piece of meat off the glove. Tomatico was excited to volunteer!
The next bird up with an eagle and volunteers also got to interact with it. Tomatico was first in line for that. Finally an actual falcon was brought out with a hood on it’s head, which they explained as a way to keep it calm. The hood is only on during the beginning and end of the show and isn’t something it has on all the time. It helps keep the birds from being agitated by the crowd.
Once the hood was off the falcon they let it fly back and forth trying to attack some fake prey the other staffer was whipping around on the ground. Apparently they don’t let the falcon catch it too easily because in the wild 90% of a falcon’s attempts fail so they made the bird work hart to “catch” the prey.
It was very educational and the staff was very good about answering the questions. It was really neat to see. And Tomatico also got to hold the falcon as well. He says the eagle was the heaviest which isn’t a surprise because it was clearly the biggest of the three.
Full Board Option
As we were getting settled and watching the show, we started reconsidering the full board option they had offered during checkin. While it was expensive, it also included “experiences” which were the activities like archery, camel rides and things like that. We could each choose four of them. Plus, being in the middle of the desert without a car it wasn’t like we could easily go anywhere else for dinner. We were a somewhat captive audience and prices were not going to be cheap, so the price of the package was actually a pretty solid deal.
After the show we took a relaxing 10 minute walk back to the lobby on the paved paths winding past other villas and sand dunes and asked for more details about the package. Since we were leaving first thing on our last day, we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the full package which was initially why I passed on the deal, but they said we could do a 4 day full board (with 4 activities) instead of 5 and with that I was sold!
We made dinner reservations for that night. The earliest was at 9:00pm which is very late for us but we figured we’d make it work. They also gave us a listing of the activities available to us. We started walking back to our villa to decide what we wanted to do for activities but the kids already had their mind made up before we even got down the steps from the lobby so we turned around to set things up.
Since we had 4 activities each during our stay we didn’t have to do one per day. We decided to do Night Archery as a family that evening since there was an opening. The following day the kids would do the fishing catch and release program in the water hole and we’d all do a camel caravan ride in the afternoon. Then on our third day we’d do a nature drive. That would leave the adults with one activity TBD.
Our own Pool
With the full board option and the activities settled we made the relaxing walk back to our room. The kids really wanted to try out the infinity pool on our patio. When you have a pool in your room you want to get the best use out of it!
They quickly changed and jumped right in. The pool was nearly as warm as a bathtub and it was deeper than expected at around 5 feet deep. It was about 10 x 20 feet in size, so not huge, but more than big enough for the kids to enjoy.
In the background we had some trees and we looked out at the desert and towards the Wadi Tower. The tower is one of 3 on the resort and is the biggest. You can apparently buy a “destination dining” package to eat a romantic dinner on the top.
Right in front of our room there were countless birds and owls we could see and hear. We also saw some gazelles and oryxes walking by every few minutes. It was so peaceful!
Night Archery
It was quickly coming close to time to do our first activity that was part of our full board package. We somehow convinced the kids to get out of the pool and walked over to the adventure center which was a short 3 minute walk from our room.
We checked in and soon it would be our turn for the one hour session with archery under the lights. While the kids had done archery at summer camp, neither my wife or I had ever held a bow. We were the only group so it was a private lesson for our family. The instructor was very patient and clear with his instructions and very helpful guiding use with our technique. The kids enjoyed being the “experts” compared to us!
Dinner at the Farmhouse
We had made reservations at the restaurant called The Farmhouse which is a steak and seafood place that they claimed was the best steakhouse in the UAE. Since we made reservations late in the day, the first availability was at 9pm so we had an hour between the archery and our reservation time. We hung out in our room for about 45 minutes before heading to the restaurant which was only a 3 minute walk up the hill.
We could have called for a buggy to go to any of these places but we really enjoyed the walks. I can’t stress how peaceful it all was.
We arrived at the restaurant and it was nearly empty. There were only two other tables occupied and finishing up so it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
When we were seated we told the waiter we had the full board option and asked what that included. We could get an appetizer, main course and dessert while the kids could get a main course and dessert from the Ritz Kids menu. The kids menu was more varied than most kids menus. While it had pasta and chicken it also had things like salmon and steak on it. Interestingly the “burger” on this menu was chicken, not beef though we found find at other restaurants at the resort they did have a beef hamburger.
For the adults there were a half dozen seafood options and another half dozen steak options. With the steaks you could choose a sauce and a side. The steaks were about $90 each and they were all about 6oz cuts so I was very happy to have the full board option!
My wife ordered a couple appetizers and her seafood main course. I chose one of the steaks and the kids chose from he Ritz Kids menu. Service was relaxed as it was though most of our trip. The boys are always wanting to be doing something so this was a little frustrating fo them. It’s not a critique of the restaurant, it’s just how they operate and how we found things in the UAE worked. Think “island time” in the desert. That said, they did bring the kids meals out as soon as they were ready which did bridge the gap a little.
Overall the meal was excellent. My wife really enjoyed her fish as well as the appetizers (one of which was octopus). My steak was a ribeye and was a lot better than I expected it would be. While it wasn’t the best steak I’ve ever had it was very, very well seasoned and cooked to perfection so I had no complaints.
Bedtime
After dinner we took a short buggy ride back to our room since it was windy and surprisingly cold. While I had long pants and a sweatshirt on, I was still a big cool. It was probably in the 50’s. As we found, it gets cool in the desert at night.
We quickly got ready for bed. Housekeeping had made up the couch into two twin beds. It wasn’t the expect double or queen sized pull out mattress which was great because it kept the kids separated. We had asked about a rollaway bed, but we didn’t need it with these beds.
It had been a long and event-filled day and we all went right to sleep.
Tomatico Travels 
You must be logged in to post a comment.