Mina Al Arab’s Anantara resort holds the emirate’s first overwater villas — part of a 174-room, suite and villa property built around a 9,000-square-metre private beach that backs directly onto a mangrove-lined eco-reserve. It’s Anantara’s ninth property in the UAE, and just 25 minutes from RAK’s airport.
About an hour from Dubai, it pairs quiet beaches with boardwalk-and-wetland nature, as part of our main Ras Al Khaimah guide.
Updated: July 2026 — by Monica Bonalto
Getting your bearings in Mina Al Arab
The community is laid out around lagoons and wetland reserves, with beaches, boardwalks and eco-resorts threaded through the protected landscape on the RAK coast.
Beach and outdoors in Mina Al Arab
Boardwalks through the wetlands, rich birdlife, kayaking and quiet beaches make Mina Al Arab a nature lover’s base; see the UAE’s best beaches and free things to do across the UAE.
Where to eat and stay in Mina Al Arab
On Hayat Island, InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa opened in 2022 with 351 sea-facing rooms, suites and private-pool villas across five restaurants and two pools, sitting alongside the Anantara on the lagoon and the sand — between the two, this is one of the densest clusters of five-star beds on the RAK coast.
An hour up the coast, best for wetland walks
About an hour from Dubai by car, on the Ras Al Khaimah coast. The cooler months from October to April are ideal for the beaches, boardwalks and birdwatching.
Around Mina Al Arab
Quieter than Al Marjan Island up the coast, Mina Al Arab is a nature-led beach base within easy reach of RAK city. See how it fits alongside the emirate’s resort boom — including the incoming Wynn Al Marjan Island — in our Ras Al Khaimah guide.
Further along the coast
Head back to the main Ras Al Khaimah guide to explore more of the emirate.
Top things to do at Mina Al Arab
- The wetland boardwalks — rich birdlife, kayaking and quiet beaches make this a genuinely nature-first stop rather than a built-up resort strip.
- InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa — opened 2022 on Hayat Island, 351 sea-facing rooms, suites and private-pool villas across five restaurants and two pools.
Is Mina Al Arab more nature or resort-focused?
Nature-first — the wetland boardwalks, birdlife and kayaking are the main draw, with the InterContinental on Hayat Island (opened 2022) as the anchor resort if you want to stay over.