Have you heard about Hatta – Dubai’s hideaway in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains? Let this be your guide of where to stay, what to do and how to enjoy the UAE’s nature-filled oasis

One of the greatest misnomers about Dubai is that it’s an urban destination devoid of any of Mother Nature’s nuances. A cacophonous metropolis that favours edifices over the great outdoors, and a frenzied pace of life over slow-living. And to a degree, those naysayers have a point. But it’s a small point that is increasingly disproved by those willing to look beyond the emirate’s perimeter to find the purity of the city’s untouched borders beyond. Here, mountains meet sea, sand dunes give way to lush green wadis and city streets segue into fields blanketed in flowers. You just have to know where to look.

Hatta has always been one such secret gem, a mountainous enclave of Eastern Dubai that hugs the Omani border. While it’s just a 90-minute drive from the city, its rocky terrain, centuries-old heritage village and the royal blue waters of Hatta Dam will make you feel a million miles from the pandemonium. Its cultural credentials are strong, feeding inquisitive minds with visits to Hatta Heritage village, which dates back over 3,000 years; to Swan Lake to watch local birds bathing in its silky waters; to Hatta 360 Observatory, which was originally built as a military tower in 1880, and now proudly serves up views of Hatta’s raw beauty.

From a hospitality standpoint, the beating heart of Hatta belongs to JA Hatta Fort Hotel, a long-standing landmark that arrived on the scene in 1981, long before any other luxury resort cottoned on. The low-rise property commandeers over 80 acres of land, gently weaving its way around the landscape, using the craggy Hajar Mountains as a backdrop. Eschewing the oft grand-and-gaudy glitz of Dubai’s hotels, it plays a different card, where its rustic-luxury ethos is the ace up its sleeve. It has a stylish and contemporary design but not at the expense of comfort. The rooms are chic and homely with all the requisite modern accoutrements travellers are used to yet free of any excessive fuss or frippery, creating a more relaxing environment in keeping with the hotel’s surrounds. And in honour of the beauty of the great outdoors, every room, suite and villa has a terrace or balcony, with views of dappled skies, verdant corners and stony peaks.

The latest addition to the hotel’s accommodation inventory is its Terra Cabins, a collection of uniquely built cabins designed to provide a hotel-like experience in a low-impact, environmentally-friendly fashion. Built using a combination of natural pine wood treated with a dusk-grey wash, the cabins blend naturally into the rocky terrain of the Hajar Mountains foothills, and bring those who stay that one step closer to nature. With environmental solutions pivotal to the design - such as solar panels on the roof - they also put tranquillity, privacy and adventure high on the agenda by taking guests away from the more typical hotel room experience.

Natural daylight floods each cabin, where morning coffee can - and should - be sipped from the patio as you drink in the mountain views. The Deluxe Terra Cabins sleep up to six guests, with two bunk beds, and double pull-out bed. The pet-friendly cabins have also been designed for those wanting to bring a four-legged friend, with the outdoors the perfect environment for long walks and games of fetch. Whilst the cabins are set away from the main hotel to maximise the sense of seclusion, all the same amenities are on tap, from 24-hour in-room dining to seven restaurants and bars, to a long list of leisure and adventure activities.

The location of JA Hatta Fort Hotel is another feather in its cap, because it affords guests the kind of access to the great outdoors that other resorts dream about, with something to discover around every corner. At the hotel itself, archery and airgun shooting, table tennis, mini golf, and of course swimming are on offer to all. You can even go on a ‘walking safari’ around the resort to find one of its resident deer, ponies, rabbits, peacocks or tortoises. Or get curious and venture out for a day spent kayaking or pedal boating through the cerulean waters of Hatta Dam, hiking or mountain biking along one of Wadi Hub’s beautiful trails, investigating the traditional Falaj system that has supplied fresh water to Hatta for hundreds of years, or enjoying a picnic at Hatta Hill Park, before climbing up its tower for 360-degree views over the Hajar Mountains and Hatta Heritage Village. For something unusual, you can also spend a few hours in the company of bees at Hatta Honey Bee Garden and Discovery Center and learn about sustainable apiculture practices from the largest honey producer in the UAE.

And from unusual to adrenalin-fuelled, if you have a head for heights, you can strap in and take in Hatta’s iconic scenery from the skies with a paragliding experience that will soar you 500 feet above the beautiful mountainous terrain.

When your day is done, JA Hatta Fort Hotel will be waiting: watch a kaleidoscope of colours unfurl at Sunset Terrace, feed hungry appetites at Jeema, then curl up in your Deluxe Terra Cabin for a night under Hatta’s star-speckled sky.