Ellington Properties shapes Ras Al Khaimah’s future with design-led coastal communities

Through its growing portfolio in Ras Al Khaimah, Ellington Properties is redefining the city’s residential landscape, creating design-led communities that balance architecture, lifestyle, and nature. Each project reflects the emirate’s transformation into a premier destination for refined living and long-term investment.

We sat down with Elie Naaman, CEO and Co-founder of Ellington Properties to learn how its design-led, high-quality homes enhance liveability and contribute to the emirate’s urban evolution.

Ellington Properties has rapidly expanded across Ras Al Khaimah. What makes the emirate a key focus area for your growth?

Ras Al Khaimah has become a strategic growth market for us because it combines strong fundamentals with a compelling lifestyle story. Visionary leadership, clear policies, and major infrastructure projects are transforming the emirate from a hidden gem into a global destination. Enhanced connectivity to Dubai, upcoming public transport, and flagship developments such as Al Marjan Island’s integrated resorts and Wynn Resorts are accelerating its profile as a lifestyle and investment hub. The planned air taxi service, with the first vertiport on Al Marjan Island, cutting travel time from Dubai to about 15 minutes, is a clear signal of where the emirate is heading.

At the same time, investor-friendly regulations, freehold ownership, ease of doing business, transparency, and residency-linked visas are opening the market to a wider international audience. Supported by a diversified economy and hubs like RAKEZ, RAK offers off-plan opportunities with competitive entry prices and strong upside potential. For Ellington, this trajectory aligns perfectly with our vision. Our expansion into Ras Al Khaimah reflects the confidence we have in its future as a thriving coastal emirate and in the long-term value it offers our residents and investors.

How does Ellington cater to the varied tastes and preferences of people looking to buy property in Ras Al Khaimah?

Ras Al Khaimah attracts an incredibly diverse audience. Some want beachfront tranquillity, while others want community living with amenities. Investors want yield and quality, and families want space, safety, and convenience. We take these behavioural insights and build projects that answer them distinctly.

Therefore, Ellington’s approach is to design for lifestyles, not demographics. This includes beachfront sanctuaries, urban-style apartments, wellness-focused communities and lifestyle-forward homes powered by smart tech. Whether it’s panoramic vistas, family amenities, AI-enhanced layouts, or a Mediterranean design palette, each project meets a distinct lifestyle ambition while still carrying Ellington’s signature design.

Your RAK projects are based on Al Marjan Island and Al Hamra. What makes these communities compelling from a lifestyle and investment perspective?

We chose these locations because they each offer a distinct value proposition and we are deliberate in how we activate those advantages. Al Marjan Island is emerging as the emirate’s economic and lifestyle powerhouse. With the Wynn Resorts project alone expected to reshape tourism flows in the region, the island is set to become one of the UAE’s most iconic destinations.

Al Hamra, by contrast, is a testament to proven community living. Its golf course, marinas, dining, and urban ecosystem offer stability and maturity that investors and end users immediately recognise.

Investors see both destinations as high-opportunity markets. End users see them as lifestyle upgrades. This duality is precisely why we focus our developments there, designed to set new benchmarks for what coastal luxury in Ras Al Khaimah can be.

Porto Playa was your first launch in Ras Al Khaimah. How did the partnership with RAK Properties influence the project’s design and positioning?

Our partnership with RAK Properties was central to how Porto Playa took shape, both in design and positioning. Their deep understanding of Hayat Island, combined with our design-led approach, allowed us to create a development that feels truly rooted in its setting rather than just placed on the shoreline.

Together, we positioned the building along the solar path and used AI to optimise sea views, which is why so many residents enjoy expansive outlooks across the water. The layered architecture, with its almost weightless, floating form above the beach, was very much a response to the island’s character and RAK Properties’ ambition to introduce a new benchmark for waterfront living there.

Several of your developments use AI optimisation. How is technology reshaping Ellington’s design approach?

Technology is no longer behind the scenes. It is now one of the creative engines of our design process. AI allows us to simulate sunlight patterns, view corridors, airflow, and even resident movement across shared spaces.

These insights help us deliver layouts that feel natural, sustainable, and efficient. Every decision becomes more intentional, ensuring that residents experience spaces that have been thoughtfully engineered for comfort and quality. At Porto Playa, these insights allowed us to tilt, stagger, and sculpt the building to maximise the number of units with sea-facing panoramas.

For us, technology strengthens the experiential side of our architecture, allowing us to deliver homes that feel as good as they look.

Cala Del Mar is inspired by the rhythm of the sea. How do you translate natural elements into tangible architectural and interior features?

At Cala Del Mar, we use the sea as a design brief, not just a backdrop. The architecture is oriented to the shoreline, with spacious layouts, floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies that constantly frame the island and water views, so residents feel in rhythm with the tides and changing light throughout the day.

Inside, we translate natural elements into a calm, contemporary palette, sleek yet tactile materials, and spa-like bathrooms that mirror the serenity of the coast.

Amenities such as the infinity pool, fitness centre and landscaped gardens are positioned to extend that feeling outdoors, creating a beachfront community where the movement, mood and tranquillity of the sea are felt in every space.

Costa Mare and Playa Del Sol both embrace Mediterranean-inspired design. What resonates most with buyers about this aesthetic in a UAE coastal context?

The Mediterranean aesthetic offers something increasingly rare in modern developments: emotional comfort. Buyers want homes that feel grounded, warm, and timeless. The Mediterranean palette speaks directly to that need, especially in a coastal region like RAK, where natural light and open skies complement this style beautifully.

What interests us as developers is how this aesthetic performs financially. Mediterranean designs have strong longevity. They age gracefully, maintain visual relevance, and perform well in rental markets because the look is globally recognisable. It is a design choice that satisfies both the heart and the spreadsheet.

Ellington Views I & II offer dual vistas of both the golf course and the marina. How important is multi-scenic positioning in elevating residential value?

Multi-scenic positioning creates a unique form of experiential luxury. A golf course vista offers serenity and greenery, while marina views bring movement, light, and social energy. When a development provides both, the lifestyle possibilities expand, and so does market demand.

From an investment standpoint, dual vistas appeal to a broad buyer base and strengthen long-term value retention. From a design standpoint, they allow us to create interiors that engage with two different landscapes, giving each residence a layered character.

For Ellington, these layered vistas are intentional. They ensure that our developments deliver enduring desirability, strong rental appeal, and long-term value protection.

Soto Grande introduces a bold new design language with twin towers connected by an iconic bridge. What vision does this project represent for both Ellington’s and Al Hamra’s future?

Soto Grande captures a shared vision of Al Hamra’s future as a refined, design-forward waterfront district and Ellington’s role in shaping it. For Ellington, the twin towers and bridge signal our commitment to redefining lifestyle communities in Ras Al Khaimah through bold architecture, curated amenities, and a strong sense of place. For Al Hamra, the project sets a new benchmark for contemporary coastal living, introducing a landmark that reflects the community’s evolution towards a more connected, vibrant, and aspirational residential destination.