What makes Dubai an exciting place is that we don’t have to go far and out of the country to enjoy resort type vacations. In this case, we don’t even need to be out of for a few days…enter “daycation” – a new term to add to the already trending “staycation”. We spent a daycation at the Ritz Carlton – one full day to sit back, relax and bask in the sun to enjoy the warm ocean water or the refreshing pools and waterfalls within their extensive gardens.

The resort sanctuary experience ideal for families who just simply need to unwind and relax without having to leave the city.

It’s getting really hot in Dubai lately and cooling off at this pool is a great respite from the heat. They also have a mini slide and fountains, making the pool look like a small water park. The kids almost didn’t want to get out of it!

RITZ KIDS
For young guests, the superb Ritz Kidz club, situated in close proximity to the sun-shaded children’s pool and play areas, allows parents the opportunity to unwind. This popular kids club is spacious, bright and clean.

I love that the staff at Ritz Kids are very friendly and professional. I wouldn’t worry a bit about leaving my kids here.

The Ritz Kids program offers daily supervised activities for children, including magic, ballet and swimming lessons, story time, and even cooking activities. Here are the kids learning to make fruit smoothies. They get to choose which fruit combinations they like.

Time flies when you’re having fun, right? It was already lunch before we knew it. We had lunch at Caravan, an all day dining restaurant, serving Arabic, pasta and Indian dishes. The lunch was modest but hearty. But to be honest, I expected more variety because, Ritz. (Even the dessert section was very limited)

After lunch, there was a cookie making session for moms and cookie decorating session for kids. Someone was really serious about the task at hand…

The other kids were also busy decorating their cookies.

These are Pristine’s masterpieces. The one with G and T initials are for me and her dad. So sweet…the message and the cookies!

We did not stay at the Ritz Carlton but I already feel this is a great hotel for families travelling with kids because of their kids club. The staff are well trained and genuinely nice, and Ritz Kids has a lot to offer for kids: unending activities to keep them entertained and busy. It’s always a relief for parents to be able to have a place to leave the kids for a few hours – after all, even adults need child-free, me time!

More information about daycation at The Ritz Carlton:

• Price: AED 500 per adult** / AED 300 per Ritz Kids (includes access to the resort, use of gym and spa facilities and Ritz Kids but excluding food) ** special rate of AED750 per couple
• On Fridays, when guests book a Rotisserie Friday Brunch (with price starts from AED 450 for non-alcoholic package), a special half day pass rate of AED200 per adult & AED100 per child is available
• Opening hours: 8.00am to 7.00pm

You can find more information at the Ritz Carlton main website or connect with them on Facebook

We truly enjoyed our day at the Ritz especially the children however, this is where I have to be transparent. I think it is very expensive (at least for me!). For a family of four (that’s us: 2 adults and 2 kids), that’s a whooping AED1,350 for one day only and excluding food and drinks (applying special couple rate of AED750). Unless they have a special (discounted) package for families with children, it could be smarter to just stay for the night.

* We were guest at The Ritz Carlton but all opinions are mine.