Al Maha Desert Resort

Set in an actual oasis in a desert reserve, Al Maha is a unique luxury resort with Bedouin-style tents fit for a sheik. In fact, the property was built as a vacation home for Dubai’s royal family before it was a hotel, and much of the original owners’ exquisite antiques and textiles still remain.

• Isolated setting in a desert reserve
• Bedouin-style suites with plunge pools and exquisite interiors
• Semi-private game drives, as only resort guests are allowed in this reserve

While hotels in Dubai compete for height and beachfront space, Al Maha enjoys a singular location. Set within 85 miles of pristine desert conservation, this  Luxury Collection hotel is as secluded as it gets in Dubai, with a vast expanse of desert as its main draw.

An easy 50-minute drive from the city center, Al Maha actually begins the moment you pull away from the highway and enter the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the largest piece of land dedicated to conservation in Dubai. Past the security gate, you’ll likely see a herd of oryx at a feeding station beside the road. As part of their conservation efforts, Al Maha has set up feeding stations and watering holes for its resident oryx and gazelles, the two main mammals in this habitat. The camp is set about 20 minutes into the park, on an elevated oasis surrounded by palm trees.

The resort’s 42 suites are in individual Bedouin-style tents spaced apart for maximum privacy. The interiors are decorated with art and artifacts from Oman, Afghanistan, Iran and India. Every suite has an infinity-edge pool with an unobstructed view of the desert horizon, and the Hajar Mountains in the distance. Timelessness is a theme the resort strives to put forward, and at which it succeeds – nothing in the resort feels particularly old or new, but everything is well-made, resulting in a classic and understated elegance.

The resort facilities are in sand-colored buildings, also reminiscent of Bedouin-style structures made from coral. There is one restaurant, Al Diwaan, serving an excellent range of international cuisine. Special dining experiences can be arranged such as an Arabian-style dinner on the sand dunes, with low cushions and lanterns. A spa, gym and main pool round out the resort’s facilities.

Two activities are usually included with a stay, and the resort’s resident naturalists take guests out on desert drives twice a day. Beyond gazelles and oryx, the animals to be found during a desert safari drive are sand critters including snakes, spiders and bugs. As luck would have it, my best desert sighting was from the privacy of my suite, when I spotted (with the help of binoculars) two male oryx locking horns in a battle for territory. In the early mornings, the naturalists demonstrate the sport of falconry, integral to Bedouin culture and still very much practiced around the Arab World. In the evening, sundowners are served on a large sand dune accessible by camel trek or 4X4 vehicle.

Though it may be the height of luxury in the middle of nowhere, Al Maha is still subject to the harshness of the desert. When the wind blows, it could drop buckets of sand in the pool or whip your skin with its fine grains. That’s part of the appeal – something so raw, and once reserved only for royalty, is now accessible to the luxury adventure traveler.

Couples looking for a romantic getaway and families with older children who want a true desert experience. While shopping malls and beach resorts are within reach, the draw here is to experience the vastness and beauty of the desert without forgoing luxury.