Glamping has always been on my bucket list of things to do while living in UAE. UAE is well known for its luxurious 5 star hotels, sky scrapers and first class service. but will a quick weekend glamping trip by the beach, live up to the LUXURIOUS UAE hype?

Is it worth the hype and price!?

Glamping is “A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.” or for short, “glamorous camping.”

UAE National Day weekend 2018 my gfs and I headed to Ras Al Khaimah for a two day luxury camping experience, here is my review.

The Drive:

The drive to Long Beach Campground is about 2.5 hours from Abu Dhabi. It includes splendid views (depending on your taste of beauty) of the orange desert sand dunes for miles on end. The drive is pretty easy and straight forward. I love a good road trip so the distance was nothing to me.

The Camp Ground:

Views of the ocean while glamping is what dreams are made of. The layout is simplistic and easy to navigate, the bigger tents and panoramic domes are nestle on the hill of the campground, while the smaller tents are at the bottom of the hill next to the dining area. The grounds include a bar area next to the infinity pool with plenty of beach chairs to lounge around. You can indulge in drinks and food or participate in the several activities offered. The dining area is on the beach and has a large selection of buffet style food for breakfast and lunch. There is family style seating with enough room for the whole family. I enjoyed the layout of the campground and appreciated that fact there was several different areas to lounge around and be lazy. There was also enough room to get away from children if you’re like me and don’t want to be bothered with them on holiday. Yes, I’m that lady who doesn’t like to see or hear children outside of teaching them at school.

PANORAMIC DOME SUITE TENT:

A beauty to look at and very instagram worthy. The Panoramic Dome Suite has a Hexagon style shape with a transparent panoramic front, for a nice view of campground and stars. The Suite includes a cute living room area with a small seating area and a sleeping area with single bunk beds and 1 double bed. The private bathroom inside the tent has a sink and stand up shower. There is also a small 2-3 person Jacuzzi outside the tent along with another sitting area. The tent also has a portable air condition unit as it gets hot during the day. It is Spacious enough for a couple or small family and includes a divider and door between the living room and bathroom. The tent is essentially made out of a plastic type material, so you were able to hear outside noises such as music played at the bar, nature or people talking near by, Long Beach does include quiet hours that are followed strictly. The panoramic dome suite will have you glamping in style.

Now to the honest review: If you like it rough and hard the double bed will be perfect for you!! The mattress was extremely firm and felt like you were laying on rocks. The single bunk bed was more up my alley, I slept like a baby on the soft mattress. The bathroom was cleaned, organized and spacious considering it was inside a tent but the day we left there was a sewer type smell. We did not complain to Long Beach Campground about the smell, so I cannot comment if it could have been fixed. All the decor and furniture was from Ikea, I know because they left the stickers on everything. The living room was the perfect place for a cliche IG photoshoot when the sun was at a perfect position. My favorite part of the Panoramic Dome suite was the hexagon shape with the clear plastic front, that donned a large curtain with white icicle lights that reached from floor to ceiling. These lights made the tent a “mood,” while setting up the night to be very romantic. But be warned, if you visit on a “baecation” and plan to get it in, the plastic is very thin allowing sound to come in and out. #DONTBETHATNEIGHBOR. Overall the panoramic suit tent was nice to look at and comfortable enough for a couple of nights if you get the right bed.

The service and food:

The service was  superb and up to UAE’s high standards. As soon as we arrived, there were people at our beckoning call to take our luggage to our room. The check-in was super quick and easy as well as the check-out. Drinks and food from the bar were served in a timely matter immediately after we ordered and made exactly how we asked. We were served hand and foot throughout the two days we stayed at Long Beach with no issues. I can honestly say I was satisfied with the service

Food was “okay,” I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5 or a C+. Most of the buffet food wasn’t seasoned very well, the flavor and taste weren’t anything to go crazy about. I felt like the food  taste was very average considering the price and whole luxury experience advertised.  Another issue for me, was that the food got cold as soon as you arrived to your table. I don’t think that is something Long Beach can prevent but if you are someone like me who likes there food piping HOOTTT, this will be annoying for you. There were many different options in the BBQ style buffet that included several live cooking stations with seafood, burgers and pasta. They had a wide range of Indian dishes which I enjoyed the most, a kids section with common finger foods like nuggets and fries and a huge section of bread and salad. Dinner included unlimited soft drinks and an open bar. Breakfast buffet was also the same with a huge selection of average food. They had a made to order omelette bar along with pancakes, sausage, bacon etc. The package for the hotel only includes breakfast and dinner which can be an issue if you stay multiple days. You will need to order food from the bar or go outside of the campground for lunch. The food from the bar was excellent, I ordered calamari that was well seasoned. I also order a brownie and ice cream that made my life complete.

The Activities

Bonfire, moonlight cinema, dining tables, live cooking stations, grilled dishes, and chilled beverages are all set for the day. Exciting and thrilling activities are offered throughout the day. Starting from sunrise yoga, kids activities, infinity pool, outdoor spa and sauna, beach volleyball, kite flying, boccia, sea view aerobics, kayak racing, and more. They have activities for the whole family to enjoy! My favorite activity was the kayaking! I had the time of my life kayaking on the sea! It didn’t take long to get a kayak and life jacket and you could kayak as long as you wanted. The other activities looked extremely fun but I didn’t engage in them, as I enjoyed my time just chillin.

Price and final thoughts

Whewwww chile!!! The Price is Steep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1,699aed or $462 a night. Do I think its worth the price? Honestly, Its a bit out of my “normal” budget but I’m happy that I splurged on the experience.

We booked directly through the website.

Overall I enjoyed the whole glamping experience and would definitely glamp again somewhere else. I wasn’t a huge fan of the food, but the panoramic dome suite and the activities made up for the lack of seasoning. I would recommend the experience if its within your budget range, there is also other tent size options that are offered to accommodate large or small groups.

Would you try glamping?