Siniya Island Leisure Campground Umm Al Quwain

A great stay, if you overlook a few things. The staff are great, super helpful and took good care of us. A few things that we would have loved to know beforehand - not in a negative way, just to know as first timers. Firstly the boat taking us over - super quick a bit like a speedboat - me and the kids loved it, husband was petrified but enjoyed it on the return, i suppose because he was more mentally prepared. The room was ok, it does look like the pictures, but I guess over time and being by the water the fabrics smelled musty, bearable and can be overlooked. There was an air freshener in the room but masking isn’t what it needs, more a thorough wash (I mean the mats/rugs and the actual dome fabric - I’m it even sure if that’s possible though). Bathroom was like a small cubicle, had soap and shampoo, but turns quickly into a wet room after a few people have washed. A raised wet room mat would have helped (or just pack shower/ bathroom slippers). It’s not a swank tiled bathroom, just a functional ok one with Lino floor, a window and a fan. The restaurant is just a room with chairs and tables - the food it actually brought over from a different cabin across the way, and there is a fridge stocked with coke and water, that was it for range in terms of cold drinks - again bearable and can be overlooked. Food takes a while to prepare when you order, about half an hour, which is fine, just important to bear in mind when you have kids in case they get hangry. The food is ok, functional and did the job, same with breakfast. There is a table tennis table and some footballs and a beach volleyball and net. There isn’t a basketball and the one hoop That there is is kid sized with no net. There is a small kids swing and slide made of plastic so didn’t feel too study and is exposed to the sun with no sun shade over for kids. The beach by the rooms has lots of small crabs, so if you or kids are squeamish and don’t like crabs, maybe pack swim shoes. The water here seems a little scummy because it’s quite still, and we hadn’t packed swim shoes and felt a little creeped out by crabs everywhere, but further away to the right the water was better. There are three canoes, one with a dodgy oar, but we made do and went over to the other side. That side is almost marshy, the sand is wet and really thick so your feet literally sink in as you walk (it can go past your ankles), not so bad once you get used to it but can feel icky (swim shoes would’ve helped us!). Once you get past the sludgy sand and walk through dry brush, you end up on a beach facing the actual ocean. There is a lot of trash here that’s been washed up but make you way through and you get to an amazing beach. The water is so clear you see fish, the sand is so soft yet firm so your feet don’t sink. We loved it here and stayed right here. There are much bigger crabs here but they were near one side and didn’t go into the water so it was great for us. Would we return here? Yes - we’d just make sure we were