Al Marjan Island: The Complete 2026 Guide to RAK’s Waterfront Destination

Al Marjan Island is the man made archipelago off the Ras Al Khaimah coast that has gone from quiet beach escape to the most talked about address in the northern Emirates. Four coral shaped islands reach 4.5 kilometres into the Arabian Gulf, and they already hold a row of beachfront resorts, thousands of residents, a 3.5 kilometre corniche and the construction site that everyone is watching: Wynn Al Marjan Island, the first licensed casino resort in the UAE. This guide covers what is open today, where to stay, eat, walk, cycle and play, what is coming and what it costs to live on the island.

What is Al Marjan Island?

Al Marjan Island is a cluster of four reclaimed islands shaped like a piece of coral, which is exactly where the name comes from (marjan means coral in Arabic). Together they stretch about 4.5 kilometres into the Gulf and have created a long run of new coastline, including around 7.8 kilometres of beaches. The islands sit a short drive south of RAK city, close to the Mina Al Arab and Al Hamra communities, and they have become the emirate’s flagship leisure and residential destination.

The four islands

• Breeze Island: the main hospitality hub, home to most of the open resorts and a 2 kilometre waterfront promenade.
• Treasure Island: a mix of residential and hospitality plots, several branded residence towers rising here.
• Dream Island: the largest of the four, earmarked for resorts and residential growth.
• View Island: the most compact, with waterfront plots and direct Gulf views.

Hotels and resorts open right now

You do not need to wait for Wynn to enjoy the island. A full row of beachfront resorts is open and taking bookings, and most run day passes if you only want the beach and pool for an afternoon. Here is every resort open across the island, plus a couple to keep an eye on and a great glamping option just off it.

The Al Marjan Corniche: walking, cycling and getting active

One of the best things on the island is completely free. The Al Marjan Corniche runs along the southwestern side of the island and has a 3.5 kilometre cycling track that loops the waterfront. It is fully paved and flat, which makes it easy for all ages, and it is lined with restaurants, cafes, food carts and children’s play areas, so you can stop for a coffee or a snack without leaving the loop. A separate walking promenade and boardwalk run alongside the water for joggers and evening strollers.

You do not need your own wheels to use it. E-scooters are available through micro-mobility apps such as FENIX and Careem, and bikes can be rented from byky, which runs a rental point right on the island, so you can pick up a ride at the corniche and drop it when you are done. There is also an open-air gym on the promenade near the DoubleTree end if you would rather work out with a sea view, plus the Padel Beach courts for a game right by the sand.

Beaches, viewpoints and photo spots

Soft sand beaches wrap most of the island, and the calm Gulf shallows make it easy for families with young children. The main public stretch is Al Marjan Island Beach, with more sand at the Pacific Buildings end and along the resort fronts. For the best free view, head to the named viewpoint near Padel Beach, which looks straight across at the rising Wynn tower, or walk the corniche at golden hour. The boardwalk, the beach avenue and the promenade gardens all make easy photo stops.

Things to do: water sports and family fun

The whole point of Al Marjan Island is the water. Several resorts run their own water sports desks, with jet ski hire, parasailing, kayaking, stand up paddle and banana boat rides for guests and day pass visitors. Away from the sand, the island is genuinely family friendly: the Al Marjan Island Playground sits on the boulevard, and the large Public Playground at the south end is the busiest and best loved play area on the island, with more small play spots dotted along the corniche. For a bigger day out, skydiving over the coastline, the bars and beach clubs at the resorts, and the short drive to Al Hamra for golf and the marina all sit within easy reach, with Jebel Jais and the Bear Grylls adventures under an hour away.

Where to eat and drink on the island

Beyond the resort buffets, Al Marjan Island has a growing line of standalone restaurants and cafes, many of them right on the corniche and the Pacific waterfront.

• Restaurants: SALT for beachside burgers, Claw BBQ for American barbecue at Hampton by Hilton, Karma Kafe by Buddha-Bar for pan-Asian, Super Breeze and Serenata on the Pacific waterfront, Le Bistro, Halla Shawarma for a quick bite, Panda Grill House, Turtle Beach and the Beach House by the sand.
• Cafes and coffee: Ficelle in the Pacific cluster, De Roma on the boulevard, the Islander’s Coffee House at DoubleTree and the MOCA lobby lounge.

Everyday essentials: clinics and pharmacies

If you live on the island or you are staying a while, the day to day basics are covered. The Saudi German Clinic on Marjan Island is the main medical clinic, with its own pharmacy attached. Other pharmacies include MED7 Aston in the Pacific area, Health First 53 near Bab Al Bahr and Solomed inside Rixos Bab Al Bahr. There is no hospital on the island itself, so for anything bigger the nearest hospitals and medical centres are on the mainland in Al Hamra and RAK city.

What is coming: Wynn and the new wave

The reason Al Marjan Island dominates RAK headlines is the pipeline. Wynn is the anchor, but it is far from alone. A run of luxury hotels and branded residences is scheduled between 2026 and 2028, and together they will roughly double what is on the island today.

Wynn Al Marjan Island is the headline act: a 5 star integrated resort with more than 1,500 rooms, suites and residences, 22 restaurants and bars, a beach club, a deep water marina and the first licensed casino floor in the UAE, regulated by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority. The tower topped out in December 2025 at 283 metres, and with its spire it reaches about 352 metres, making it the tallest structure in Ras Al Khaimah. Wynn is targeting a 2027 opening, though in mid 2026 the company flagged a modest delay linked to regional supply chain disruption, with a revised date expected to be confirmed. You can read our full breakdown in the Wynn Al Marjan Island casino guide and the complete Wynn dining lineup here.

The resort is also lining up entertainment to match the scale. In mid 2026 Wynn announced a partnership with the immersive theatre company Punchdrunk to create an original stage production that will debut alongside the resort, the first show of its kind in the region.

For a proper look inside the project, Wynn’s own walkthrough with resort president Max Tappeiner is the clearest tour of what is taking shape on the island.

Wynn is just the start. A wave of 5 star hotels is following close behind, and we track them all in our roundup of the new hotels coming to Ras Al Khaimah.

Living on Al Marjan Island

Al Marjan Island is not just a holiday spot. Thousands of people already live here, and it has become the most active off plan market in the northern Emirates, driven by the Wynn effect and a wave of designer branded residences.

Communities you can move into now

• Bab Al Bahr Residences: an established beachfront community at the southern end, including the Kahraman building, with apartments already occupied.
• Pacific Residence Marjan: the Pacific cluster at the northern end, a settled residential pocket with its own beach, cafes and restaurants.
• Ola Residences by Lacasa: a newer apartment building in the Pacific area.

Branded residences on the way

• Missoni branded residences (Moonstone): the first Missoni address in Ras Al Khaimah, a 19 storey tower scheduled for completion in late 2026, with prices starting around AED 1.3 million.
• Mondrian Al Marjan Island Beach Residences: a beachfront project with a sales value around Dh1.8 billion by ELEVATE with Ennismore, designed by Gensler, with more than 60,000 square feet of amenities including a rooftop infinity pool, padel court and recovery zone.
• Karl Lagerfeld branded living: a fashion house branded residential tower bringing designer interiors to the island.

Buyers are drawn by freehold ownership, sea views and prices that still sit well below comparable Dubai beachfront stock. Agents point to strong expected capital growth on units completing near the Wynn resort, with some quoting figures in the 15 to 20 percent range. Those are projections from sellers rather than guarantees, so treat them as a starting point for your own research and speak to a registered broker before committing.

How to get to Al Marjan Island

From Dubai by car

The drive from Dubai takes about 50 to 70 minutes depending on traffic and where you start. Take the E311 or the E611, then follow the signs for Al Marjan Island. A new bridge, the Wynn Bridge, adds a direct link between the island and the mainland road network alongside the existing causeway, which has made the approach far smoother than it used to be. Our full Wynn Bridge guide explains what changed.

By taxi or bus

A taxi from RAK city to the island is short and inexpensive. From Dubai, you can take a long distance taxi or the RAK bus service to Ras Al Khaimah and then a local taxi for the final stretch to Al Marjan. If you are travelling without a car, our guide on getting between RAK and Dubai walks through every option and the current fares.

From Abu Dhabi

Allow roughly 90 minutes to two hours from Abu Dhabi by car. The simplest route runs through Dubai and onto the E311, then north to the Al Marjan Island exits.

Frequently asked questions