Mondrian Al Marjan Island has moved from sales suite to construction site, with developer ELEVATE breaking ground on the AED 1.8 billion beachfront project in Ras Al Khaimah. Delivered in partnership with Ennismore — the global lifestyle hospitality group behind the Mondrian brand — the development brings the region’s first Mondrian-branded beachfront residences to the emirate’s most closely watched stretch of coastline. Completion is scheduled for Q4 2028.
A Launch That Sold Out in Hours
The commercial story arrived before the construction one. At launch, Mondrian Al Marjan Island Beach Residences secured more than AED 700 million in sales within two hours, with over 200 units allocated in that window — a pace that would be notable in Dubai and is genuinely remarkable for the northern emirates.
The project comprises 343 residences split across three collections. The Residences offer one- to three-bedroom apartments from AED 2.55 million. The Front Row Collection consists of three- to five-bedroom beachfront townhouses starting at AED 8.54 million. The Sky Collection covers three- to five-bedroom duplexes and sky villas from AED 8.53 million. Residents share more than 60,000 square feet of amenities.
Architecture comes from Gensler with interiors by Bergman Design House — a pairing that signals the tier ELEVATE is aiming at. At the groundbreaking ceremony held on the island, the developer named Pinnacle Piling as shoring contractor, later awarding the firm an AED 50 million contract covering the piling and foundation works package.
What It Says About the RAK Market
Speed of sale is the signal worth reading here. Branded residences have been the strongest-performing segment in the emirate, and Mondrian’s absorption rate suggests buyer appetite is running well ahead of delivered supply. That gap is the underlying logic of nearly every project now under construction on Al Marjan Island.
The island has, in a short span, gone from a reclaimed coral-shaped development with a handful of resorts to the address every major lifestyle brand wants a piece of. The gravitational pull is the Wynn Al Marjan Island integrated resort, whose opening will bring the UAE’s first federally licensed gaming floor to the island alongside 1,530 rooms and suites. Developers are pricing in the visitor profile that arrives with it.
Ras Al Khaimah’s broader tourism numbers support the thesis. The emirate recorded more than 670,000 visitors in the first half of 2026, with domestic arrivals up 47 per cent year on year, and is working towards 3.5 million annual visitors by 2030. Hotel capacity is being built out in parallel, with the pipeline targeting a substantial multiple of today’s room count by the early 2030s.
What This Means for Visitors and Buyers
For travellers, Mondrian’s arrival is a preview of how Al Marjan Island will feel by the end of the decade: denser, more design-driven, and pitched at a visitor who expects a beach club and a rooftop rather than just a pool and a buffet. Mondrian properties elsewhere have built their reputation on food, nightlife and interiors, and Ennismore’s involvement suggests the residential component will sit alongside a lifestyle offering open to non-residents.
In the near term, the practical note is construction. Piling and foundation work is active on the island, and visitors booking beachfront hotels in Ras Al Khaimah through 2027 should check where their property sits relative to the works. The island’s outer arms and the older Al Hamra area remain quieter alternatives if you want the beach without the cranes.
For buyers, the Q4 2028 handover date puts Mondrian roughly a year behind Wynn’s opening — which is either an advantage or a risk depending on your view. Completing into an already-operating destination removes some of the uncertainty that comes with buying ahead of an anchor attraction, though it also means entering a market where pricing has had time to adjust. The entry point of AED 2.55 million for a one-bedroom is well below equivalent Dubai beachfront branded stock, which remains the core of the RAK pitch to international buyers.
Anyone considering a trip to see the area first will find the island easy to reach — roughly an hour from Dubai by road — and worth pairing with the mountain and heritage side of the emirate. Our things to do in Ras Al Khaimah guide covers what is open now, and the RAK travel advice section has practical detail on getting around.
Source: Zawya