The Rove Hotels format arrived on our shores in 2019 as a price-conscious but fun alternative for travellers seeking to enjoy Dubai without blowing their budget.
Ten properties have since opened around the city and the homegrown brand recently extended its laid-back appeal to Ras Al Khaimah.
Rove Al Marjan Island is a 441-room beachfront hotel that readily caters to couples, families and digital nomads who crave vibrancy and price over frills and formality.
The welcome
The vehicle entrance arrives suddenly on the main island road and opens on to a short drive and a spacious car park.
Rovers – as guests are playfully referred to – can drop their luggage and passengers in front of the lobby or go straight to self-parking and wheel their bags across.
We chose the latter on spotting a coach arrive. However, it’s an immediate glimpse of Rove’s refreshing less-fuss format, something echoed when we venture unaccompanied to the lifts after a swift and friendly check-in.
The room
Not really fans of an unnecessary curated room introduction, my wife and I find our way along a colourful corridor to our fifth floor, sea-facing accommodation.
Breezy but formulaic designs prevail in Rove hotels, from licence-plate-style room numbers to the digs themselves.
An open wardrobe and storage area flanks a comfy bed, opposite a widescreen TV that features seemingly every news channel except the BBC or CNN.
There’s no robe, but additional amenities such as extra pillows, shaving kits and an ironing board can be requested. There is, however, a fridge and an invigorating rain shower.
Rove loves an inspirational message as well as seaside-inspired artwork. “The beach is not just a place, it’s a feeling,” the wall above our bed reveals.
The food
Rove regulars will be familiar with the brand’s main dining option, The Daily.
The venue for breakfast, lunch and dinner is spacious, but eclectic decor and furniture and smart layout lends it an almost intimate feel.
Primarily buffet-orientated, guests can choose a la carte – although it was suggested on our arrival that only the former was available, only for ordered dishes to land on nearby tables.
The organic sea bass (Dh99) and acacia chicken club sandwich (Dh71) looked promising, however, and serendipity meant buffet access to the finest paneer jalfrezi I’ve sampled in a while, with salads of pumpkin and squash, plus quinoa with molasses also shining. Grilled fish with beurre blanc and beef shashlik also proved a hit on our table, as did refreshing soft drinks named Floral Fall and Sunrise Surprise.
Day-time snacks and refreshments can also be had from the Rove Beachside Truck and the Pool Bar, which offers a great selection of food including a tomato flatbread (Dh57) substantial enough for sharing.
If you crave further evening options, you’re a short walk from food trucks on the island promenade and F&B at neighbouring hotels.
The breakfast scene
Open only since in April, Rove Al Marjan Island staff seemingly have had to hit the ground running. Not least at the busiest breakfast session we’ve witnessed in a while.
Everyone seems to find a table, however, before heading to a buffet that includes a decent fruit and salad selection, baked goodies and hot options such as ful medames, scrambled eggs and sausages.
Guests can also order one item each from a menu that includes basil and rhubarb bircher muesli and mango lavender waffles. We can vouch for the semi-dried tomato-powered Mediterranean omelette and a decadent acai super jar that includes agave, basil seeds, almond butter, passion fruit and mint concasse. No shakshuka here (as previously swooned over at Rove La Mer), but the buffet does yield croissant and blueberry bake, a revelation washed down with TWG tea.
Accessibility and sustainability
Plenty of ramps in to and out of the hotel, across to the pool and through to the beach make this Rove very friendly towards wheelchair users.
And the property’s sustainability credentials are evident with its “hang your towel to reuse” messaging in the bathroom and leave-behind shampoo and shower gels – plus its use of refillable glass water bottles with a label announcing “plastic ain’t fantastic”.
The Rove’s adherence to Ras Al Khaimah’s Green Building Regulations includes composting all food waste.
Hotel facilities
The main pool immediately stands out. A sensible rectangle, generous in relation to the hotel, it is lined with plenty of loungers and shallow enough for supervised children to enjoy.
The beach is a few steps away with a buoy rope boundary to keep jet-skiers and other water sporting folk a safe distance from swimmers.
There’s a quieter area with double loungers and cabanas to one side of the main pool zone. On the other side, a big screen shows movies and sports on a grassy area soundtracked by a DJ operating evenings out of a VW camper van, occasionally joined by a fire poi performer.
Another nice – and practical touch – is a significant luggage storage area, each unit bearing the name of an area in RAK, and beyond.
Beside this is one of two fitness areas. Inside features plenty of new Life Fitness equipment while outside there’s a Woodsman Fitness “Jungle Gym”, a Flintstones-style workout area with wooden weights and more.
The co-working space – typical of Rove hotels – is blessed with natural light and busy with digital nomads, some possibly making use of Rove’s monthly stay deals.
Family-friendly factor
Younger Rovers were evidently part of the brief when designers pondered RAK Rove, from surfboard-adapted pool showers to the strong use of colour throughout.
There’s a dedicated indoor play area with TV and soft toys, and a soft-play zone outside beside a small, family-only pool.
Value for money
Rove Al Marjan Island combines good value with a fun vibe. A sea view room for Dh474 ($132), including taxes, for up to three people is hard to beat for a fresh property with direct beach access and a generous pool in one of the hottest real estate locations in the UAE – all close to the emerging Wynn resort.
Check-in is from 4pm (earlier if pre-booked) and check-out is at 2pm.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the resort and reflects standards during this time. Services may change in the future
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NBA FINALS SO FAR
(Toronto lead 3-2 in best-of-seven series)
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Game 5 Raptors 105 Warriors 106
Game 6 Thursday, at Oakland
Game 7 Sunday, at Toronto (if needed)
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Racecard
6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m
7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
PRISCILLA
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Dunki
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More coverage from the Future Forum
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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The%20specs
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The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
Imperial%20Island%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Empire%20in%20Modern%20Britain
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
HOW TO WATCH
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Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
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