Overview
Hayat Island is the waterfront island inside Mina Al Arab, built by RAK Properties on reclaimed land. Marine works began in April 2019 and the first residential launch, Bay Residences Central I, came in May 2022. Four years later it is the densest and most complete part of the community.
About 1,088 homes have been delivered: the 205 Marbella I villas in 2020, the 89 Marbella II villas in late 2024, the 146 apartments in Gateway II, and the 648 apartments across the four Bay Residences towers, the second pair of which completed in the first quarter of 2026.
Three more schemes are at the finish line. Bayviews, 344 apartments in two towers, was 98 per cent complete with its building completion certificate issued. Cape Hayat, 678 apartments in four towers on a 22,854 sq m plot, was 96 per cent complete. Both were scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. Porto Playa, a 282-unit joint venture with Ellington, and the eleven NB Collection beachfront villas at Angel Bay follow in the fourth quarter.
Behind those, Quattro Del Mar is 888 apartments across four linked towers, about 47 per cent complete in mid-2026 and quoted by the developer for the second quarter of 2027. ENTA Mina and the Anantara Mina Residences run to 2028.
Who it suits
Buyers who want a waterfront apartment that exists now. Between Bay Residences, Gateway II and the two towers completing in 2026, there is real ready stock here, which is unusual on the Ras Al Khaimah coast.
Landlords. Rents on the island rose about 12 per cent over the six months to September 2026, faster than anywhere else in the community, while asking prices softened by about 1 per cent. That combination improves yields.
Buyers who want hotel amenity without paying branded-residence prices. The InterContinental and the Anantara are both on the island, with their restaurants, spas and beach clubs.
It suits villa buyers less well. Apart from the Marbella phases and the eleven NB Collection houses, this is an apartment island. Families wanting a garden should look at the Lagoons district instead.
Homes and prices
Prices are asking prices from live listings in September 2026.
| Type | Beds | Baths | Size (sqft) | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 0 | 1 | 401 to 650 | AED 600,000 |
| 1-bed apartment | 1 | 1 | 750 to 1,655 | AED 880,000 |
| 2-bed apartment | 2 | 2 | 1,200 to 2,019 | AED 1,410,000 |
| 3-bed apartment | 3 | 3 | 1,806 to 3,638 | AED 2,490,000 |
| 4-bed penthouse | 4 | 5 | 6,417 to 6,889 | |
| Marbella villa | 4 | 5 | 1,928 to 5,934 |
Studios work out at roughly AED 1,520 to AED 2,030 per sqft and one-bedrooms at AED 1,150 to AED 1,450, which is above the Mina Al Arab average of AED 890 per sqft measured by ValuStrat across the whole community. Hayat carries a premium for the water and the hotels.
The top of the market runs a long way further: three-bedroom apartments have been asked at up to AED 13,000,000 and a four-bedroom penthouse at about AED 14,500,000.
Off-plan entry prices on the island were Cape Hayat from AED 700,000, Quattro Del Mar from AED 875,000, ENTA Mina from AED 896,000 and the Anantara Mina Residences from AED 2,200,000.
Annual rents ran from about AED 34,500 for a studio, AED 45,000 to AED 84,000 for a one-bedroom and AED 85,000 to AED 125,000 for a two-bedroom, with the available stock concentrated in Bay Residences and Gateway II.
Browse apartments for sale in Hayat Island, properties for sale in Hayat Island and properties for rent in Hayat Island, or widen the search to apartments for sale in Mina Al Arab.
Amenities
Direct beach access, including Angel Bay Beach, which RAK Properties has put forward for Blue Flag certification in 2027. Sky pools and podium beach clubs in the newer towers. The Bar Du Port beach club opened here in February 2026.
Mangrove kayaking and the Mangrove Discovery Centre at the Anantara, with the protected mangrove belt on the landward side of the island.
Two operating five-star hotels, the InterContinental with 351 keys and the Anantara with 174, both open to residents for dining and spa. Retail sits in the tower podiums and along the Mina Boulevard on the mainland side.
Mini golf at Quattro Del Mar and Porto Playa. The nearest full course is Al Hamra Golf Club, about five kilometres away.
Getting around
The island is reached by bridge from Mina Al Arab, which sits on the E11. Al Hamra Mall is about ten minutes, Ras Al Khaimah city 15 to 25 minutes and Al Marjan Island about fifteen. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is 20 to 30 minutes depending on the source, and Dubai International Airport 45 to 60 minutes.
Schools and healthcare
Al Jazeera Al Hamra Boys’ School is about five minutes, Little Treasures Nursery about eight, and the RAK Academy Al Hamra campuses about ten. Chubby Cheeks Nursery is in the wider Mina Al Arab community.
The American Medical Centre at Lagoon Walk is the nearest clinic. Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital is about fifteen minutes.
Investment view
Hayat Island is where the near-term supply in Mina Al Arab lands. Bayviews and Cape Hayat together add 1,022 apartments in the third quarter of 2026 alone, and Quattro Del Mar adds another 888 in 2027. Asking prices on the island were already down about 1 per cent over the six months to September 2026, which is what you would expect just ahead of that.
Rents told the opposite story, up about 12 per cent over the same six months. Softer prices and firmer rents means improving yields, and studios and one-bedrooms here are among the better income buys in the emirate on our arithmetic at 4.5 to 5.6 per cent gross. Bayut’s own figure for the island is up to 4.18 per cent, calculated on asking prices.
Two cautions. RAK Properties publishes no service charge rate, so the only evidence is what sellers quote. Bay Residences listings ran from AED 10 to AED 14 per sqft a year in September 2026, Northbay Residences quoted AED 12, and the off-plan Enta Mina Residences quoted AED 16 to AED 18. That is a wide spread on one island, and on a 1,000 sqft apartment it is the difference between AED 10,000 and AED 18,000 a year. Get the figure for the specific tower in writing. The second caution is supply: the 2026 and 2027 completions will put a lot of near-identical apartments onto the same resale and rental market at once.
If the object is income, buy small and buy where the rent is already proven. If the object is a home, the villas in the Lagoons or in Al Hamra Village deserve a look first.