Mina Al Arab and Hayat Island Area Guide 2026
Updated 13 August 2026 · By the Cresco local market team
Mina Al Arab is RAK Properties‘ coastal masterplan south of Al Marjan Island, around 44 million square feet across districts including Hayat Island, Raha Island and the Lagoons. Mangroves, marinas, five km of coastline and a hotel line up including InterContinental, Anantara, Nikki Beach and Four Seasons. It is also the community where the master developer’s profit just halved, and you should know that before you buy.
The community
RAK Properties began site preparation in 2006 and developed the lagoons area from 2011. The developer is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the government holds roughly a 34% stake.
A note on the name and the size. RAK Properties is mid rebrand from Mina Al Arab to Mina. Its own materials give two different structures: the Mina Al Arab site says 44 million square feet across six districts including two islands, while the 2025 Mina masterplan release says 4 million square metres, roughly 400 hectares, across three districts: Raha Island, Hayat Island and the Lagoons. The areas reconcile. The district counts do not. We are telling you that rather than picking one.
Hayat Island, and what it actually is
Named projects on Hayat Island: Cape Hayat (678 units, 466 to 6,889 sq ft, studio to four bedroom penthouse, handover Q3 2026, 96% complete at mid 2026), Cape Hayat Phase 2, Anantara Mina Residences (84 apartments plus 19 villas with private jetties), Porto Playa (Ellington joint venture), Marbella Villas 2, ENTA Mina and NB Collection villas.
Prices
| Measure | AED / sqft | Year on year | Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartments | 890 | +2.3% | -1.3% |
| Villas | 927 | +3.0% | 0.0% |
Source: ValuStrat Price Index, Q2 2026.
Note the inversion. Mina Al Arab is the community where villas price above apartments. At Al Hamra it is the other way round, 880 for apartments against 818 for villas. That tells you where the scarcity is.
Bayut’s 2025 report gives AED 1,171 per square foot, up 4.61%. That is an asking price figure by Bayut’s own disclaimer, not an achieved one.
Yield
5.3% gross across Ras Al Khaimah freehold, apartments and villas alike, per ValuStrat Q2 2026. Bayut’s asking based figure for Mina Al Arab villas is 4.51%, with a two bedroom apartment renting around AED 93,000 a year.
One figure to ignore. ValuStrat’s H1 2025 review reported Mina Al Arab villas at a 2.3% yield. That is wildly inconsistent with everything since. Use the Q2 2026 figure.
What is here
- Hotels: InterContinental, Anantara, Nikki Beach Resort and Spa (156 keys), with Four Seasons Resort and Residences and Rotana The Mangroves (258 keys, Q3 2026) coming
- Protected mangrove wetlands and mangrove lined pathways
- A marina with waterfront dining, five km of coastline, white sand beaches
- Pools, spas, a cinema, a dog park, a golf simulator
Schools: none are named inside Mina Al Arab by the developer.
The developer’s numbers, because they matter
None of that means the community is a bad buy. It does mean that if you are buying off plan here you are taking developer risk, and you should look at the escrow position and the construction progress on your specific building rather than the masterplan render.
The risks
- Cape Hayat alone hands over 678 units in Q3 2026. That is a single quarter absorption event on one island.
- Emirate supply: 25,600 units to 2030, 97% apartments, peaking at 9,100 in 2029, against about 6,600 total transactions in 2025.
- Resale liquidity: roughly 1,000 ready property transactions across the entire emirate in 2025, down 18.7%.
- The Wynn effect is not showing up here. Mina Al Arab apartments grew 2.3% year on year and fell 1.3% over the quarter, while Al Marjan grew 9.4%. Villa growth fell from 20% year on year in mid 2025 to 3.0% in Q2 2026, as Wynn got closer to opening. If an anticipation trade were driving adjacent communities, that is the opposite of what you would see.
- Service charges are not published. RAK has no service charge index. Get the rate in writing.
Mina Al Arab questions, answered
How much does property cost in Mina Al Arab?
ValuStrat valued apartments at AED 890 per square foot and villas at AED 927 in Q2 2026. Portal asking prices run higher at around AED 1,171 per square foot, but those are advertised rather than achieved.
Is Hayat Island separate from Mina Al Arab?
No. Hayat Island is a district within Mina Al Arab. RAK Properties publishes no separate size, unit count or launch year for it, and no research house publishes a separate price index. Any Hayat Island specific price per square foot is broker generated.
What yield does Mina Al Arab pay?
ValuStrat puts Ras Al Khaimah freehold gross yields at 5.3% for both apartments and villas in Q2 2026. No community specific figure is published.
Who develops Mina Al Arab?
RAK Properties PJSC, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, founded in 2005, with the Ras Al Khaimah government holding roughly a 34% stake.
Has the Wynn casino lifted Mina Al Arab prices?
Not on the published data. Mina Al Arab apartments grew 2.3% year on year in Q2 2026 and fell 1.3% over the quarter, against Al Marjan Island apartments at 9.4%. Villa growth also decelerated sharply from the previous year.
Buying at Mina Al Arab or Hayat Island? Ask us for the escrow and construction position on your specific building before you sign. Given the developer’s current numbers that is not paranoia, it is basic diligence.
Looking for the full list? Browse every property Cresco has for sale in the UAE, all 712 listings indexed by emirate and community.