The hotel in Ras Al Khaimah everyone will soon be talking about…

I recently spent a night at SO/ Ras Al Khaimah with my two children, Rocco and Tahlia, and my nephew, and came away thinking this is a hotel that has managed to do something surprisingly difficult: make all-inclusive feel genuinely cool.

SO/ is on Al Marjan Island, and it’s very much part of the new Ras Al Khaimah, glossy, ambitious and developing at an extraordinary pace. The hotel describes itself as the region’s first fully integrated “Ultra All-Inclusive” resort, and that pretty much sums up what it’s aiming for: all the ease of an all-inclusive holiday, but with the design, restaurants and atmosphere of a fashionable five-star lifestyle hotel.

And it works.

The hotel itself is bold, modern and colourful without trying too hard. There are 257 rooms and suites, lots of sea views and a definite fashion-led SO/ identity rather than the slightly anonymous luxury you can sometimes get in big UAE resorts.

For us, one of the biggest highlights was Saturday brunch. This isn’t the quiet buffet-and-back-to-your-sunbed version of all-inclusive. There’s a DJ, plenty going on and a proper weekend atmosphere. It gives the hotel a bit of energy and theatre and makes it feel somewhere you’d actually choose to go for the day, rather than simply somewhere you happen to be staying.

Food generally was very good, but Chiano, the Italian restaurant, was a particular hit. It’s the hotel’s take on modern Italian dining, relaxed, stylish and a welcome change of pace from the main all-day dining restaurant. It’s also one of those details that makes the all-inclusive concept work: you don’t feel as though you’re eating variations of the same buffet three times a day.

The children were extremely happy to discover that a luxury break could involve massages. Watching children embrace spa life with absolutely no hesitation is both amusing and slightly concerning, they may now have expectations. The Anjana Spa is a proper facility too, with treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.

The gym is huge and very well equipped, with cardio and strength equipment and excellent sea views, plus classes including yoga and Pilates. So if your idea of all-inclusive normally involves eating and drinking continuously while promising yourself you’ll exercise tomorrow, SO/ at least removes the excuse.

There are separate family and adults-only pools, which is a very sensible arrangement. My one criticism would be the area around the family pool. There simply isn’t enough space for sunbeds when the hotel is busy, and it can feel rather crammed. A little more breathing room here would make a noticeable difference. The adults-only pool, however, gives grown-ups another option if they want something calmer.

What makes SO/ particularly interesting is where it is and what’s happening around it.

Ras Al Khaimah has traditionally been the quieter alternative to Dubai, mountains, desert, beaches and big resort hotels, but it is changing quickly. Al Marjan Island in particular feels like a destination being built in real time, with huge amounts of hotel, residential and leisure development underway. Ras Al Khaimah is targeting 3.5 million visitors by 2030, so the ambition is obvious.

And then there’s the enormous development you can hardly ignore: Wynn Al Marjan Island.

Due to open in 2027, the $5.1 billion Wynn resort is set to include luxury accommodation, restaurants, entertainment, shopping and the UAE’s first licensed commercial gaming operation, in other words, the country’s first casino. It’s a major moment for the UAE and potentially transformative for Ras Al Khaimah. You get the sense that this relatively sleepy emirate is positioning itself to become a much bigger international leisure destination over the next few years.

That makes SO/ feel rather well timed.

So who is it for? I’d say families who like luxury but don’t necessarily want their luxury too quiet; couples and groups of friends who enjoy good food, DJs and a bit of atmosphere; and anyone who likes the convenience of all-inclusive but usually finds traditional all-inclusive resorts a little bland.

SO/ has essentially taken the concept and given it a makeover: better design, better restaurants, proper bars, music, spa, a serious gym and enough going on for children that the adults can actually enjoy themselves too.

We only stayed one night, but with Rocco, Tahlia and my nephew happily fed, entertained and somewhat ridiculously massaged, it felt like we’d packed quite a lot into it.

The verdict: a fun, polished and genuinely stylish take on the family all-inclusive, in a part of the UAE that is about to become much more talked about. Just get down to the family pool early if you have your heart set on a prime sunbed.