Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai

My husband and I recently treated ourselves to two nights at Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, which is about a 50 minute drive from central Dubai. We had spoken to quite a few of our friends about this place and they all told us how absolutely amazing it was and so I was a little nervous that it just couldn’t possibly live up to the hype.

Definitely in the desert

Luckily (as it’s not cheap) it really was  as fabulous as everyone said. We arrived at the main gates to the reserve at around midday and were met by our guide, an enthusiastic guy from South Africa. He drove us up to the resort in a 4×4 and told us all about the activities the resort had to offer (you get 2 activities per person per night).

Pool with a view

We checked in and even though we were early we were able to go straight to our room. Wow! It really was stunning. We ordered lunch to our room (you can have all your meals brought to your room and all meals are included in the price).  We were joined at lunch by a couple of friendly animals, including a snake on the balcony!

Lamb chops for lunch

A couple of friends

After a camel trek into the desert for sun downers,  we chose to dine in the restaurant and the service was impeccable and the food was very tasty. It is such a calm place to be and a million miles from the bright lights of Dubai – I’ve never seen so many stars! I woke up my reluctant husband at 5.30am to accompany me to the falconry display. It was worth the early morning (my husband agreed in the end!) and the birds coupled with the beautiful sunrise was truly magical.

Sunset

A desert bar

Sunrise

Our falcon friend

To be honest the rest of the trip was a blur of great food, stunning scenery and pure serenity. We were sad to leave and promised ourselves we would return very soon. All in all, an absolutely great place to visit.

A chilled out husband