Truly great hotel service is not imposing – it is genuine and warm, flexible to suit your needs, and makes you feel free to enjoy yourself in a home away from home. It is this type of service that greets me on arrival at Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, after picking my parents up from Dubai airport. Having just spent three days touring the hectic streets of Cairo en route from Canada, they were in need of a little R&R.
The terracotta dunes of the Dubai Desert have my parents gazing out the window as we turn off the highway from Dubai and make the bumpy 20-minute drive to the resort. Al Maha suddenly appears on the horizon, an oasis of palms and acacias concealing a cluster of what looks like white Bedouin-style tents.
When we arrive at reception we are greeted by a team of staff, who take our bags and lead us into a quiet sitting area, where we’re given cold towels and fresh juices and briefed on the ins and outs of Al Maha. Guests can each choose two complimentary activities per person for each night they spend at the resort; there is horse riding, falconry and dune driving. We opt for the classic sunset camel trek, which commences at 4pm daily. The next order of business is lunch.
Meals at Al Maha are inclusive, minus alcoholic beverages. We take a seat at Al Diwaan restaurant’s terrace, with its breathtaking views of the desert landscape – the faint outline of the Hajar mountains is just visible in the distance – and feast on smoked duck salad and king fish steak, lightly seared and seasoned with herbs and butter. Afterwards we are escorted by golf buggy along the winding pathways that run through the resort to the Presidential Suite.
We walk through the carved wooden doors into a private courtyard with a fountain. Two entrances lead inside, and there is a separate doorway leading to the private kitchen. Hallways take us past trickling tiered fountains to the dining room, where 12 carved wooden chairs are set around the table, draped in embroidered silk runners and topped with a generous fruit basket.
The living room looks like a luxurious colonial explorer’s tent, with thick canvas ceilings supported by carved wooden poles and woven ropes. A glass sliding door faces the private outdoor infinity pool and deck, which borders the periphery of the entire suite, continuing past all three bedrooms. Each bedroom has a sitting area with doors opening onto the deck, and personal touches like binoculars and easels with drawing paper and pencils make the rooms feel homely.
We lounge by the pool for a few hours before meeting the rest of the camel-trekkers in the lobby. It’s nearing sunset, and the sky has already dimmed to a warm orange glow as the mountains on the horizon gain definition in the darkening sky. We mount our camels and arrive 30 minutes later in a remote location, where we are greeted by champagne just in time to witness the sun make its descent. It really is breathtaking to watch as the sky turns orange, then pink, and finally a rich purple, as the sands darken from terracotta to a deep rust in the fading light.
It is dark by the time we get back to the suite, where we enjoy a glass of the Bollinger that has been placed in an ice bucket on the dining room table. A buggy collects us and we head back to Al Diwaan, where we dine under the stars, fire torches blazing around us as we wrap up in blankets to keep warm in the chilly desert night. When we return to the suite there is an oryx grazing on the bushes beside our deck – my parents can hardly believe their eyes.
The next morning our 6.30am wake-up call signals the start of a new day, as well as our second chosen activity, a morning desert walk. Though it is early, we are all good pupils of nature as we spot herds of oryx while we learn about the desert ecosystem from our guide, Matthew.
Our reward for the early wake-up is an al fresco breakfast in the morning sunshine. There’s time for one more lazy afternoon by the pool, before an SUV takes us back to Dubai. The drive is spent scrolling through photos on digital cameras – my father leans over and shows me a picture of the oryx standing by the pool deck of our suite. “No one back home is going to believe these photos,” he says. “What an incredible experience,” says my mum. Exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
The Important bit
What: Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa – part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection
Where: Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
Price: From US$4,400 per night
www.al-maha.com