Where do you want to travel first once all travel restrictions are lifted? I’m an avid traveller and enjoy planning my trips and exploring new places, however I don’t think I will go on a trip abroad as soon as travel is allowed. I would rather play it safe and go on a staycation within the country first.
One of the most tranquil and serene staycations for me was a trip to Ajman in October last year. Ajman is located just over half an hour drive from downtown Dubai right after Sharjah and so it’s a perfect weekend getaway destination. Did you know that Ajman is the smallest out of the 7 emirates?
I chose to stay at The Oberoi Beach Resort Al Zorah because of its seafront location and excellent reviews. I needed a quiet place to recharge and relax so the scenic Al Zorah was the perfect setting for my staycation.
Al Zorah is famous for its beautiful mangroves, lagoons and white sand beaches and it offers a variety of activities, such as golfing, kayaking, sailing and kite surfing, inter alia. It is also a popular spot for jogging and taking long strolls to enjoy the nature. As I had to go back to Dubai the next day I didn’t have enough time to explore the area and decided to limit my staycation to just enjoying what The Oberoi Al Zorah had to offer.
Arrival and check in
As soon as you arrive you feel like you are miles away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai when in fact you are just a short drive away, so this place is great if you only have one day to spare. The hotel was fully booked that day but it didn’t feel like it at all as the lobby was pretty empty and there were very few people wandering around.
Upon arrival I had to wait a bit before I was able to settle into my room so I was shown to The Library, a cosy library/café space filled with artworks and books. It was empty so I immediately took residence on a comfy sofa to flick through “New York – Portraits of the City” by Taschen (I love these series!) and enjoy my flat white.
Terrace room
Before long, I was taken to my room with an amazing sea view terrace. It’s worth noting that ground floor rooms have little patios instead, while only higher floors have terraces, so please bear this in mind when making your booking.
The room was very spacious at 872 sq-foot with a massive walk-in closet and a sizeable bathroom that even had a vanity desk. The best part about the bathroom was the deep soaking bathtub from which you can see the terrace and the sea view! It is difficult to show how spacious both the room and the bathroom are so if you interested, please watch my videos of the place on our Instagram page @thegoodlifeindubai – there is a link to it on the right hand side.
The best feature of the room is, of course, the sea view terrace which has see-through panels so you have a great view even when sitting in your chair. WiFi works fine on the terrace so I was able to do some work while enjoying the fresh sea breeze and listening to the sound of the waves.
Make sure you don’t miss incredible sunset views from your terrace!
Room service
There are several restaurants at the resort, however I did not feel like leaving my room so I ordered room service – a spicy seafood pizza. It was delivered promptly by a very courteous female butler and I appreciated the extra touch of bringing a few dark chocolates for dessert. Small details like these make you want to come back again and again.
Breakfast
I woke up very early to enjoy the serenity of my terrace. Whenever I’m staying at a sea front hotel, my favourite thing is to spend my morning on the terrace while listening to the birds chirping and the waves gently brushing the shore.
After a good few hours I went to have breakfast at Vinesse which was only a short walk from the lobby. You do need to go outside though to reach it and it’s not very well signposted so you may have to ask for directions. There is a choice to sit inside the restaurant or outside on the terrace. The weather was great as it was late October so I settled on the terrace with a nice water feature behind the glass.
It’s the usual breakfast buffet with a decent choice to cater for most tastes. My favourite breakfast always includes berries, however I was disappointed I couldn’t find them among the choices offered. Fret not, all you need is to do is ask! The lovely Vinesse staff kindly brought me a nice bowl full of berries, just the way I like it.
Resort grounds
The resort grounds feature walkways along artificial pools so it’s nice to have a stroll around the property. There are also two rows of villas on the beach which are great if you have a family or a group of friends. You can also stroll along the white sand beach on the sand or the paved area and enjoy the sea breeze.
Check out and final thoughts
The check out was quick and easy and you can wait in the lobby for your car to pick you up while flicking through some great books. I love shoes so was thrilled to find “For the Love of Shoes” with amazing illustrations of all kinds of shoe designs imaginable.
I really enjoyed staying at the resort and the service was excellent so I didn’t want to go back to Dubai. This place is perfect for a quiet getaway when you want to switch off, relax and do nothing. I’m definitely going to visit Ajman and the Oberoi for another staycation again in the future.
I booked the hotel though one of the hotel booking websites and saved approximately AED 400 using my booking website membership privileges and a discount courtesy of one of my travel cards. If you want to know more how to find the best deals for hotels in the UAE and worldwide and save money, please let me know in the comments below and I will write a post about it.
Bisous
Yasmina
