A great value beachside Hampton by Hilton hotel opens in Ras Al-Khaimah

Ras Al-Khaimah, if you are not familiar with it, is a sister Emirate to Dubai in the UAE.

There isn’t a lot going on in Ras outside of its hotels. There are three indisputable truths, however:

• it is a quick and cheap one hour taxi ride from Dubai
• the beach resorts are high quality
• it is substantially cheaper than Dubai

The key hotel is the Waldorf Astoria, which is a better hotel – at a fraction of the price – than its Dubai sibling. We reviewed the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al-Khaimah here and I’ve been back since.

There are also two high quality resorts run under Marriott’s The Ritz Carlton brand. The Ritz Carlton Al Hamra Beach, reviewed here, is an all-villa Maldives-style resort, whilst The Ritz Carlton Al Wadi Desert – where I returned last Christmas – is an all-villa desert resort. Al Wadi is not quite as good as Marriott’s Al Maha desert resort in Dubai (review here) but, if you have children under 10, you can’t go to Al Maha.

Hilton has now launched Hampton by Hilton Marjan Island to complement the Waldorf Astoria and the adjacent Hilton.

It is advertised as the largest Hampton in the world, with 515 rooms. This is not exactly a selling point. However, it is also very good value for money – good luck getting a Dubai beach resort for £65 per night in October, yet alone one with 750 metres of beach. The rooms look pretty smart too – see above.

As it is a Hampton, all rooms come with free breakfast which is another benefit for families. It also takes part in Hilton’s new ‘guaranteed connecting rooms’ programme which we covered recently.

Points rooms are capped at 30,000 Hilton Honors points per night which means that they will become good value if cash rates go above £100 per night. For now, cash looks like the better deal.

You can find out more on the Hampton by Hilton Marjan Island website here.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.