Staycation at Hili Rayhaan by Rotana – Review…
For Master Z’s spring holiday from school, my family and I were kindly invited by Hili Rayhaan by Rotana in Al Ain for a two night stay over the weekend. It was a long drive from our home to the hotel, but once we were there, it was very much worth it as we were made to feel most welcome upon our arrival.
The Hotel:
Conveniently located in the Hili district, Hili Rayhaan by Rotana is a 5 star alcohol-free hotel with over 250 modern design rooms spread over six floors. It is directly connected to Hili Mall, a three storey mall with about 120 retail outlets. The hotel offers a huge outdoor swimming pool, kids playground and gym facilities at the Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club amongst other amenities.
Our Room:
We stayed in a Classic One Bedroom Suite, which comes with one large king sized bed with a separate living and dining area. The suite includes a spacious private bathroom in the master bedroom (with the all important His & Hers sinks!) and a guest toilet, as well as a small kitchen space.
It was perfect for a family of four, and of course Master Z tested out the King Sized bed as soon as entered by doing many star jumps on it, and it was obvious that he approved. Our given room also had a spacious balcony with outdoor seating and views of the city which Little Z loved to explore.
Favourite Facilities:
As soon as we checked in, there was only one thing on Master Z’s mind and that was swimming. I love that Hili Rayhaan has a seperate shaded Kid’s pool, which was the perfect depth for both my boys to enjoy themselves safely in. The huge adult swimming pool is also temperature controlled and overlooks the city. We all really enjoyed splashing in the pool, taking turns as one of us relaxed on the sunbeds whilst the other played in the pool with the kids.
Though we didn’t try out the gym, the kid’s playground was a sure hit with both the boys. It was a great way to tire out the boys and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Hili Majlis:
We enjoyed a splendid Afternoon Tea at the Hili Majlis, located in the reception area of the hotel’s ground floor. It was quite a delicious spread, with sandwiches, arabic bites, and not forgetting cakes and baklavas for a sweet ending.
Elements All Day Dining Restaurant:
The Elements Restaurant offered a variety of delicious meals, with themed buffet nights. We thoroughly enjoyed the sushis during “Seafood Night” as well as the Shawarmas on “Taste of Arabia Night”. Every morning, there was also a huge selection for the buffet breakfast, complete with fresh fruits and hot dishes, accompanied by detox waters and lots more.
Visiting Al Ain Zoo:
Al Ain Zoo is only a short 20 minute drive away, and is an extremely family friendly location, that brought much excitement and happiness to both my boys. We visited Al Ain Zoo on the afternoon of our second day, and really enjoyed looking and learning about all the different animals that were housed in the zoo including reptiles, birds, lions, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys and so many more.
Be warned, the majority of the zoo is outdoors and you do have to walk most of it, so it would be ideal to visit during the cooler winter months whilst the temperatures make it bearable to roam around. There are plenty of ice cream vans and snack stations dotted around the zoo, as well as toilets for any such emergencies.
Overall review of our staycation:
We could not have been at a more family friendly spot for our mini staycation, and we truly enjoyed our two night stay thoroughly. We were made to feel very comfortable, with excellent hospitality from all the staff we encountered. I would highly recommend this five star hotel to any other families looking to relax whilst wanting to keep the kids entertained at the same time, and enjoying lovely clean facilities in an alcohol free environment.
Thank you Hili Rayhaan by Rotana for looking after us so well and making our Spring Holidays one to remember.
To make your booking or to know more details about this hotel, head to their website here.
Note: We were kindly invited to stay at Hili Rayhaan by Rotana, however as always, my views and opinions expressed above in this post are honest and solely my own.
