Shaden Resort AlUla — Hotel in Medina Province

Awful experience. Very disappointing. ||||The good things:||1. Location. Alula is amazing. A 5* location, unfortunately this is a 1* hotel||2. The pool area||3. The size of the room, and view from the rear doors of the room||4. The operations manager taking literally all his time to help me and my wife resolve the issues, but he was busy helping others and trying to manage his team!||||The bad things LOTS OF THEM:||1. Checkin staff are rude. I arrived to check in after a 5 hour drive, and the room was unavailable - at 3pm as confirmed by the hotel. I was mad to wait. The staff just smiled||2. The distance from the room(s) and pool area to the restaurant is crazy. It’s a 10 minute walk down a gravel road (not a path) to the restaurant and a 15 minute walk back up hill. Why on earth did they put the restaurant at the entrance gate????? ||3. The smell of the room was like a toilet. It was a sink or drain issue. The staff came and sprayed, but the smell returned 1 hour later||4. Cushions were dirty or had chocolate on them. I complained and asked for a replacement, and the replacement wasn’t fit for a dog to sleep on. ||5. The table in the room was dirty||6. *And The Best Until Last… there is no spa and massage service. I specially booked a massage for me and my wife a few days prior to arriving via email direct to the hotel. When we arrived, we were told the massage was not available. They did not give a reason, so I called the operations manager who was embarrassed to tell me that the staff went home for the Eid holidays and did not return. The staff knew this and did not mention it to me. They are still offering g this as a service, but please not rig is it available. The checkin staff tried to keep that a secret when I challenged them upon booking in. ||||Overall, a terrible experience.||||This is my second time in Alula, and whilst Alula is amazing, this homey is NOT. ||||It really is a 1 hotel in a...

This place has a very big potential, and with the time and a good management the hotel can evolve and be a 5 star hotel.

My (and my group's) arrival to hotel was delayed one day because of the weather conditions in Al-Ula. I informed the hotel as soon we learned that, but for my surprise I got an automatic message that the manager has left for two months leave..(!). I had to send several messages before somebody answered. It was the case also before leaving; my company didn't get any confirmation of the reservation before our group left France despite the invoice sent.

I don't know when the resort has been constructed, but some buildings are really dated. The rooms are spacious, but overally tired. Flooding showers, partially broken shower taps, lack of lighting, sliding doors not closing correctly etc. Beds are huge and linen nice, but under the sheet you can feel a plastic protection.

There is a new restaurant opening in these days; unfortunately it was still closed when we were there, but we could see the new reception building.

I didn't have lunch, only diner, and it was globally ok. It's a buffet with several dishes, fresh, but no fine dining. Interior is not cosy in the evening because of the strong lighting and dated furniture, but dining outside when weather allows is lovely.

The pool was cold; understandable though, and jacuzzi and spa not working when we went there.

There is a golf car service between rooms - reception - restaurant - pool, but not always very reliable. Sometimes we waited 15 minutes, and no car came. It's about 10-15 minutes walk to restaurant, which is ok if the weather allows.

I have to say the ratio quality-price is here the worse I've seen before. Nighty price is high, though I understand the country only opens to the tourism, and it's not easy to hold a hotel in a quasi desertic environment. But I trust in few years it will be...

We came here to enjoy Eid Al Adha’s break, a remarkable breathtaking resort. Couldn’t ask for more. We booked villa with two rooms with swimming pool. We were welcomed by Mr. Farhan from the airport and long the way he gave us the historical introduction about the city, the area and the resort. My boys and I are enjoying the friendly atmosphere here and totally recommend this resort to couples, families and adventurous. Beautiful Resort, Unreliable Transportation

I recently stayed at Shaden Resort and was impressed by the beauty of the location and the overall facilities. However, my experience was marred by a significant issue with the airport pick-up and drop-off service I had booked.

Here's what happened:

I booked a pick-up upon arrival and a return drop-off at the airport. I confirmed my drop-off time with the hotel at 9:00 pm the night before my departure, to have my drop off at 9:00am as my flight was at 11:10 am. Despite confirming, I had to call the reception multiple times to remind them about the pick-up: Once at 8:45 am Again at 9:07 am, when the receptionist stopped answering my calls. The car finally arrived at 9:30 am, causing significant stress and anxiety as I worried about missing my flight.

Impact on my experience:

This unreliable transportation service put my flight at risk and caused unnecessary stress during my stay. Waiting for the car significantly reduced my buffer time at the airport.

Recommendation:

While the resort itself was lovely, guests relying on the airport pick-up and drop-off service need to be aware of potential unreliability. I would recommend using alternative transportation options to ensure a smooth...