Banyan Tree Al Wadi Review

Not quite the Ritz Carlton experience. It feels like an abandoned Ritz Carlton property. The paint on the bath tub peeling and the water is yellow. The excuse is that there is a tank for each property and needs to be drained. My problem is, why was it not done prior to guest arrival? Due to paint (coating of the tub) peeling (and metal corrosion in the tub) and the condition of the water, we had to move the room and the whole checkin process and getting settled took 4-5hours. After moving to another room, still the paint on the tub was peeling with yellow water. At this point I did not want to even bother switching room again. Not just the condition of the rooms but the communication is horrible. We requested for adjustment of the reservation prior to checkin but the management was not aware of it and sorting it out took another hour ... no apologies ... I will never come back and will escalate to management.

The setting is superb, the service perfect, it lacks a 'soul'.

The hotel is good and the rooms are large
But there is a weakness in the service of their employees.
Staff give them a single star

The external atmosphere of the hotel needs to be arranged more, especially the view of the rooms.
Breakfast restaurant is very bad two people serve food only and the restaurant is big
The ratio to the room rate should be better

Best place to be , middle of desert comes a luxury hotel

The pool is not private as other villas can view your pool
We arrived through the private entrance with animals on the side of the road which was really nice. Unfortunately, to our disappointment there was no valet parking or buggy waiting for us so we had to walk in the heat with our bags to the entrance - the parking was a little far especially in the heat so this wasn t a great first impression.

The check in took time as only two agents available and quite a lot of guests checking in at the same time, however the agent we spoke was nice enough to provide us cold water. We were then taken to the villa and again I must admit the road is nice with many small castle like lights along the sides of the road and the drivers are very nice - specifically, Parasant and Bogabe (I hope I m spelling his name correctly) - what lovely, professional, genuinely nice guys.

Now, for the villa... I ll be honest, the room was a bit of an anti climax, and lower than expectations. Firstly, there were used in-dining trays at the front door from the guests that had been in before and hadn t been taken away before our arrival. The villa is lovely however for the amount you are paying each night, don t get your hopes too high!

Unfortunately, the bathrobes were not clean and had dirty marks on them. The toilet didn t flush well at all - so much so we had to call room service to assist (which as you can imagine wasn t a great experience). Also, the AC was quite low in the villa, and again especially in the heat at night time with big duvet covers it was really hot and a little uncomfortable. The comfort of the bed really is 10/10. Of course I understand we were in the desert however the chairs and big sofa next to the pool were really really dusty.

The pool was great, however please note that pool is not private from other guests. Meaning other villas can look to you in your pool (we booked private under the impression we would only be viewing into the beautiful wilderness of the wadi desert - it was very disappointing that this was not the case.

The staff who serve are really nice and helpful but I didn t appreciate the reception staffs reaction when I spoke to them regarding the private pool as advertised.

As expected the turn down service was great and the Egyptian gentleman who did this for us was lovely.

The villa comes with 2 bikes for you to use at your leisure, this was a lovely bonus and we really enjoyed using them around the resort at night time.

Unfortunately, if you are looking to go to dinner or breakfast in the resort restaurants and are not able to use the bikes, you have to call fr a buggy to pick you up, this comes with a a wait of about 20-30 min.

To our surprise, neither restaurants in the resort have any views of the beautiful wadi surroundings. This was a little disappointing.

The breakfast is tasty but it s very standard and no much varieties, also they mention there is salmon and cheese boards complimentary at breakfast which we never seen or were offered.

If you are looking for private and five star (especially at the rates of this place) I would recommend looking else where

I came here in our anniversary with my husband for 2 nights. We arrived around 4 which is was later than the check in time. After waiting for 45 minutes they inform us that there is a problem with the pool.As there is a white color in the pool which will need time to clear but oh it s ok to swim in! The main reason for staying here is for the private pool experience. And to make us happy they will give us complimentary drinks! I m paying in thousands and they are giving me a 50AED solution. After having arguments with them they said they will offer us in upgrade ( which is misleading as it s the same size room) but in another corner of the hotel. And for them to get it ready, we waited for another hour for that room! They ruined the entire experience we wanted which is unacceptable in a 5 star hotel like the Ritz Carlton!

If you're a person who appreciates the nature more than anything else. This is your best place to actually appreciate the beauty of the desert.

But of course, the best thing about this place is their relaxing rain forest experience where you'd totally feel very much refreshed afterwards.

By far one of the best getaways in the UAE. Bit pricey though

If you are looking for comfort, recreation and the wonderful desert nature, you will choose this hotel with its characteristics and features that make it distinctive and unique from the rest of the hotels in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah
It has all the vital facilities and the privacy one needs, as well as the family, where the complete villas are in the middle of the desert

Beautiful Resort in a fantastic location. But it needs more attention to details (lack of towels, paper tissues, malfunctioning toilet, ...). Not tolerable in a hotel of this standard. 111

Magical place! Exeptional and bespoke service that will definitely make your stay unforgettable!

Lovely restoration. High quality decor. Great place private swimming pool and service. Highly recommended .

He was largely behind in the check-in procedures, we spent more than an hour and sat at the reception, what was in respect for us

Very nice resort good place to get away from the busy lifestyle of the city. I gave it 4 starts because they should maintain the facility better.

This hotel should be on everyone's bucket list. It is a unique experience in every sense. Informative, interesting, helpful, enthusiastic staff; freely roaming gazelles and oryx; huge variety of colourful musical birdlife, and the best croissants in the UAE

This is an exquisite resort that offers the Bedouin lifestyle in a modern way. This is evident in the variety of activities done here, ranging from camel rides, horse riding, Stargazing (with a view on different colours of stars, the moon with its craters, constellations, nebula, Saturn Jupiter and Mars), with a view of Arabian animals freely roaming around the resort.

I very rarely write reviews but on this occasion I felt I needed to as I was really disappointed with this property. I have a Platinum status with Marriott so I am familiar with other Ritz properties but this one really doesn t hit the mark / standard expected.
Overall the villas are looking very worn and in clear need of some TLC. The location is great for a quiet escape from the city and it s really relaxing but this was one of the only plus points.
The check in was very slow, it was over 30 minutes wait as there did not seem to be enough staff, once at the room we had to call twice to get our bags so we could get our swim gear to use the pool. Again - very slow.
They only provided one bike at the property, so I had to call (twice) for them to bring another. Both phones in the room were not operating so I had to use the phone in the toilet every time.
Unfortunately the service is not up to scratch at all, it was sloppy, and things getting missed.
The upkeep of the property is not great, the lunch time restaurant had bird droppings all over the cushions etc. I understand this is nature but they need to keep on top of it by cleaning it. When going for lunch the majority of the tables hasn t been cleared, maybe they don t have enough staff as they mentioned the property is full.
On the check out day I took the 15 minute walk to the pool only to find they had closed it for maintenance, I was not very happy so walked back to the room and called the front desk to ask why I hadn t been informed the facilities were shut. I got the response it was on your welcome letter I thought, ok.. fair enough, not great but I clearly missed that. After I put the phone down I checked the letter and there was no mention of it. I called back and spoke to someone else who advised it was emergency unplanned maintenance this morning. When I advised them that lifeguard told me that the chemicals were put in yesterday their customer resolution was to go to their sister property to use the pool which is a 45 minute drive away. If I had been informed that the pool was going to be closed I would have been ok with that & I wouldn t have walked 30 mins round trip
The farmhouse restaurant had great attentive staff and the food was tasty.
I would not return to this property, nor would I recommend it to anyone unless you are looking just to reconnect with nature and are not bothered about the facilities / accommodation.

Xmas weekend at this heaven in desert property,101 villas spread over 300 hectares. Fantastic activities in the hotel itself & great service , GM Tracey Oliver & team go out of the way to make sure you enjoy your stay & I guess this is because it must be hard to pull guests away from Dubai. Our party of 20 had a wonderfully memorable stay, however it s not an inexpensive place. Recommended places are Farmhouse, Zipline, Desert Safari, Archery & Falconry. Highly recommend this property !

Excellent food. Great kids club. Nice villas with private pool. Highlights of the stay were the Birds of Prey show, the Farmhouse restaurant (try the Wagyu Brisket) and the kids club.

Lovely place quiet and very peaceful. Great service. Will be back when weather is cooler definitely

There are literally no words that can describe this place.
It is in the middle of the desert, an oasis just inside what seems like an old military fort, but that isn't to say that the decor is old, it is high class and calming.

Every part of the hotel feels private, secluded, and gives you a feeling of royalty.

We only came for the rainforest spa, so we don't know what the rooms are like, but, judging from the decor and feel of the rest of the hotel, they will not disappoint.

The rainforest spa itself is actually one of the best values for money I have ever seen for a spa. At the time of this review it was 500 dhs for 2 people, for 2 hours, which compared to Dubai is also a fantastic deal.

The rainforest spa itself is astounding, it looks exactly like the pictures on the website, maybe even better. We went midday and we were the only ones inside for 1 and a half hours.
The facilities are immaculate, intimate, and unbelievably relaxing.
We will be returning here anytime we need to relax.

Heaven on earth. Especially sound of wildlife and nature!!!

Just the prettiest place in the desert and the rooms are plush & super luxurious with a large private pool in each villa. The bathrooms are surrounded by a private garden. And lots of activities on site.

Quiet romantic private place in the wild dessert with friendly staff.
Ask for activities.
Must try the welcome healthy drink.
Beautiful views, private pool, very clean atmosphere

I am baffled by the level and incompetence of the reservation staff. After calling the hotel, and then a friend calling a few minutes later as I probably spoke to a member of staff who just did not understand the hotel she works at (claiming she's the supervisor), we both experienced appalling conversations with the Ritz staff at the knowledge of the resort, the rooms and the policy.
This is completely surprising from a chain like the Ritz. Both staff repeated the same conversation like parrots with ZERO ability to answer SIMPLE questions clearly showing the incompetence of knowledge amongst the resort's staff.

a beautiful wadi resort, you will love everything here . it is must for romantic gataway

Beautiful desert resort with wild animals roaming around. Quite an experience

Oh wow. Amazing place. So well thought out. 5 star luxury in the desert. Oryx, antelope, birds. Your own private infinity pool looking out over a desert landscape. Food was excellent, several restaurants to choose from. Treat yourself, you deserve it!

Nice but you need to add in the students a closed basin and a box for fans and self-give you an open basin and try to approach the children's garden at 6:30 when the sprinklers start work and in my experience I did not know and started sprinklers and wet and wish a pleasant trip

Exaggerated prices, we go to tourism and go back and sit down for a week at the night of the hotel and on a lake and beautiful scenes must support domestic tourism, but the tourism sector must support us as well, with a reasonable ceiling for the guests, especially the country s citizens, to encourage them, and you do not intend to defame one of the destination of interest to all the tourists and the service provider from Tourist sectors

Beautiful desert resort with wild animals roaming around. Quite an experience

nice place but the food was not that good enjoyed my stay there

Excellent to relax and enjoy. private pool and surround sound for relaxing music

Really excellent place and services would like to go back to it

Mr. Suneil did a great job of handling our concerns and we are very happy with hotel treatment and facilities during our stay.
Great hotel service quality.

One of the best hotels I ever stayed in. The two private villas Rimal and Khaimah (larger villa) are over looking a beautiful nature reserve. With paddock for horse riding and camel rides, a wellness centre with yoga and trainers available, couples massage, rain forest spa experience. You will not be bored in this hotel, you can cycle around, dine in the room or in one of the amazing restaurants. The ambient, tranquility you experience whilst being here. The staff are going the extra mile to help and be there when ever you require anything. Amazing!! 10/10

One of the most beautiful places to stay !
Fantastic experience!
definitely We will be back!
We Recommend to rent villa with privet pool on the desert view.
Food is extremely delicious and staff very well trained caring and loving.
In Spa u will find rainforest and range of different treatments, very l relaxing!
We extended our stay For extra night!
warm regards to all of you and thank you again
Paulina and Ali

Not wow service anymore, when it use to be managed by Banyan Tree group it was much better .

1st the positive.. the villa was huge lovely spacious.. it is a real big resort in the desert.. 2nd the negative the view from the villa pool wasn't good.. there were lots of branches on the ground pilled up nd not cleaned near the pool.. lots of house flies around every where nd we cudnt even sit out.. I think the management shud see to all this. or else the property will loose it's glory

Checked in Al Rimal enclosed villa, it was recommended by the hotel. Supposedly more private, but it really is not 100% private. And was more expensive due to the privacy aspect.

The pool area is terrible and the furniture looks worn out.

If you re planning to go to this resort. DONT BOOK THE ENCLOSED AL RIMAL VILLA, it s not as nice as the tent villa.

Super clean, beautiful and spacious room. The staff here were exceptionally amazing, I have never been to any hotel that their staff were this friendly, every single person here was doing a great job and truly left us speechless. We were celebrating a special occasion and they made sure it was super special to them as well. Excellent management and highly recommended.

The hotel is located among the golden dunes of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has many relaxation programs and it has several restaurants and is fairly close to Al-Hamra Island
The restaurant has meeting and banquet rooms, swimming pools and everything the resident wishes for

A Resort Property of Ritz Carlton located in a desert with excellent Service and facilities one is supposed to get from a Ritz Carlton property...

An ideal place to relax just for a day out in the villa and enjoy a swim in the tub

Its a beautiful resort!!!! had a great time at Ritz one of the best resort in UAE!!!! With a private pool so many activities to do!!! Desert was perfect escape from the city!! would love to visit again.

This resort is somewhat different from the rest of the resorts in the UAE. While the other resorts lean on the beach and pool experience, this resort is more about nature, wild life and calm villas. The suites are super well equipped with everything you need. We stayed in a one bedroom villa, which has a separate living room, super spacious bathroom with showers and bathing tubs. The villa had a private pool. The villa opens on the back to the open forest and on good days you will spot gazelles at very close distance from the pool. You will catch beautiful views of Sunrise and sunset from several locations in the resort. The commute inside the resort is through buggies which makes the whole experience a lot more fun. They have amazing spas; the rainforest experience with several different types of saunas, steam and showers offers once in a lifetime experience. The kids especially loved there equestrian club. They took some horse-riding lessons and the trainers were very kind to let them near several ponies and horses after the session. Staff is super courteous and is always willing to help. We obviously enjoyed a lot and would recommend this place for families.

Another mini staycation to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Absolutely loved our stay here. Completely relaxed vibe with our private pool which our little one loved as did I. We arrived via a short boat ride- which is always a good idea. Dinner and drinks at the restaurant were delicious. We only had 1 detractor during our stay which was breakfast which wasn't quite up to the mark when compared with other hotels at the same level. Please improve on your pastry and fruit offerings for breakfast. Thanks

Not too sure what to make out of this experience.

First of all, let me mention the good things:
- the staff running and maintaining the resort was really friendly and courteous
- the overall resort feels very unique and we had great moments (e.g. watching the sunset in the desert)
- the rainforest Spa is one of the nicest hotel Spas I have visited so far (although I do not understand why guests should pay separately for this as there is virtually no variable cost attached to guests using the facility)
- the quality, number of options and value of the dining options are very good
- the range of activities offered by there resort is great

Now we had a few things that irritated us:
- Many of the activities require pre-reservation well in advance of the actual stay. This is communicated at best unclearly by the hotel.
- Parts of the facilities seem very outdated and well above their acceptable lifetime (e.g. some of the bikes are in a nutritiously bad shape and two of my friends and I actually had minor accidents using them, the visitor center by the equestrian center clearly needs maintenance and looks somewhat abandoned , some of the pillows in the restaurants have stains)
- Management and concierge staff is unfortunately not living up to the high standards of the brand which left a confused and sometimes irritating impression. Let me elaborate on this further.
First, we wanted to reserve a dining experience. Management told us as that our first priority, Thursday was fully booked. Instead of checking for alternative dates, we had to ask one more time for availability on another day. We were then told, that we will check again and someone from the concierge desk will contact us. We have never received a call from them.
Second, a friend wanted to take advanced horse riding lessons. At first she was told the the trainer for advanced lessons was on holiday. By coincidence we later were told by another member of the staff the trainer was actually available and she could book lessons anytime. At the lessons - booked for advanced riders - the trainer told her that someone told her that she is riding at a beginner level and hence selected an unsuited horse for advanced lessons.
Third, as loyalty members the hotel usually offers late checkout subject to availability. We requested this and were initially told that the hotel was fully booked and could hence not offer this. A quick google search revealed that there were plenty of villas in our booking class available for the day in question. After double checking with the concierge desk we received the same answer, however they could now offer at least partly late checkout (2pm instead of 4pm). Why this was now possible but not at first remains a mystery to us. Rather it seems like the hotel would try not to grant this perk and only reconsider if guests were complaining.

Overall, all these points seem minor and wouldn t have bothered us as single incidents. However, in aggregate it leaves a bitter aftertaste, especially considering that the lowest booking class is somewhere between USD 600 and USD 1000 per night.

Especially the service, compared to other RC hotels I have visited definitely falls short of the usually high standards.

Was it still a great experience? Probably.
Would I recommend it to friends or colleagues? Probably not.

Good place to stay. Recommend to have Nature Walk activity. It could learn a lot about desert.

A lovely resort in the middle of the desert. Great opportunity to see lots of wildlife from lovely villas, food could be a bit better but overall great

The hotel totally lives upto it's name. Would say somewhat better than Maldives as you get to experience best of both the worlds (desert & beach). Guests staying here can acces Ritz Carlton Al Hamra beachside as well. Staff is courteous, will surely visit again.

One of the best hotels in UAE - loving the rooftop lounge

Beautiful place private Villa with private pool privacy number 1
I had speak with Egyptian guy is shade he helped me a lot
Really hes the best on the stuff
They all good but hes very helpful and he knows how to make you satisfied

Worst service ever encountered on earth!

We booked a villa to celebrate our wedding anniverdary. We waited 40 minutes at the restaurant The Farm House without being served. We tried to talk to the manager who ignored us and ended leaving without eating.

Perfect place for a family holiday in the UAE.

So many great activities for kids and adults. And a private pool for the middle of the day when it really heats up.

The staff, the food, the grounds... everything met and exceeded expectations.