Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai — Hotel in Dubai

We spent 4 nights at Al Maha at the end of August before going on further to Zighy Bay in Oman. The transfer from Dubai airport went smoothly, turning off the main road into the desert. After a short time we came to a security check point, we were checked through and drove further through a smaller official entrance into the conservation area and then finally to the Hotels main reception building.

We were greeted warmly and were guided to a small seating area in the Lobby. We were offered cold drinks and wet face towels. Check in went smoothly, then we were informed about Restaurant timings, Spa activities with special offers and joining the SPG (Starwood Group) loyalty program. Then one of the South African guides/Ranger came and started telling us about their activities and start times. Personally I thought this was a little too much information just after arriving from a 14 Hour trip with various trains, planes and automobiles, we just wanted to get to our room and relax.

We were informed that our Villa was still being cleaned and that our Guest relations coordinator Ankush would meet us later. We were then asked if we would like to go to Breakfast until everything was ready. We followed but still made a detour to be shown the seating area, the Bar and outside seating area with Shisha corner. We were finally led down the steps to the Restaurant and shown to a table. After our initial Breakfast we went back upstairs and waited in the Lobby until Ankush came to meet us.

We were driven to our Suite but made yet another detour to the Spa and Main Pool area and were given a complete tour of their beautiful facilities.

We were finally taken to our Suite No. 40 which is probably the farthest Suite from the Main buildings. In our previous email correspondence with the Hotel we had asked for complete privacy, we just simply wanted to relax. Ankush told us later that this suite is usually given to the local guests who require such privacy.

The Bedouin Suites look Octagonal in shape with a large Canopy giving the illusion of a Bedouin Tent. We entered into a lobby area which had a small table and chair where the Nespresso Coffee machine was placed, a Kettle with various Teas as well as a small fridge, hairdryer and bottled water with glasses. A nice touch was the complimentary Sherry in its decanter with two glasses.

There were two other large double doors, one on the right hand side that led into the large bathroom, the other leading into the Bedroom/Sitting room. Each time I opened the double doors in the Suite I would always say “Open Sesame”……I don´t know why.

The Bedroom/Sitting room was beautifully decorated. As you entered the room there was a large wooden wardrobe on the left hand side which incorporated the TV and DVD Player. To the right there was a “Huge” double bed with a Captains Sea chest at its foot with two bedside tables. In front of the Bed were situated two large chaise lounge chairs with a table between them. On the other side of the bed was a writing desk and chair. Between the bed and writing table was another double door which also took you into the Bathroom. There were four large sized double windows (three of them could be opened) which gave access to the outside decking and infinity-type private pool.

The bathroom had a very large bathtub, a large glass doored shower, two wash basins with large mirror as well as a separate WC and bidet. The rooms were extremely clean with ample toweling and Toiletries.

We were disappointed with the Decking area. There were two comfy sun loungers situated on the right side as well as a table and two chairs on the left. The partial view of the desert could be seen standing up, but in the pool or lying on the loungers very little could be seen. It was probably our fault for requesting privacy but we thought that privacy would also come with a view. This could have been communicated earlier in our various email correspondence. The Suite was very quiet with just the noise of buggies or a few cars entering and leaving the resort. The Air-conditioning unit was situated near the front of the Villa and can be heard when it kicks in.

The pool in our suite was somewhat dated with various tiles missing as well as tiles which somebody had carelessly tried to reattach. As you could not look out onto a desert view your only option was to look at the small sand dunes as well as the shrubbery and the Villa itself. Unfortunately due to rain or maybe condensation there is staining on the Villa walls and the garden/ scrubs are in my opinion very poorly maintained. Dead leaves everywhere as well as the missing blue tiles scattered around in the sand. This particular area in this particular suite was certainly NOT acceptable and needs to be quickly rectified by senior management as it does not fulfill the expectations of its guests or of the resorts high standards. I gathered as many tiles from the garden as possible and laid them out on the pool side….they were taken away two days later.

Housekeeping comes twice a day, to make the room in the morning and to turn down in the evening. A daily paper is also delivered.

The resort has I believe 42 Villas offering full-board in the restaurant as well as in-Villa dining with the option (additional cost) of “Deck dining” where your meal will be served to you. There is also afternoon Tea and Coffee, as well as various snacks and drinks throughout the day served in the Bar area. This was all included in our Package. The quality of the food and service in the restaurant is exceptional. Even thinking about the Avocado-smoothie with Breakfast, the “7 Hours” braised Lamb shank (Oh that Gravy!!!) and Lobster Thermidor or Wagyu Beef fillet for evening meal, but the Sashimi starter with its Tuna, Salmon and fresh Scallops and spoon of caviar was just to die for. You should also try the Sri Lankan Dinner Menu. A big thank you to Srinivasan Nadarajan and ALL his Team…..Nikhil, Aruni, Pam, Dhan and Naresh to name just a few. Thank you again for your hospitality in our private room on our special day.

Breakfast is served from 07:00 till 10:30, Lunch from 12:30 till 14:30 (How anybody can eat three full meals a day is beyond me…..you would be in the restaurant all day) and evening Dinner was served from 19:30 till 22:00. Meals can be taken inside or out and casual dress (Gentlemen – Long trousers) for dinner is required.

A pre-dinner drink in the bar on the veranda looking out onto the reserve and the water hole which is illuminated was quiet magical. A cold Belgium Leffe beer and the seaweed tempura was a great match. Not to mention the star of the show which was Ramil the barkeeper, a really great host!

As we found that we could only get the sun in our villa from 07:00 till 09:300 and then again from 16:30 we headed off to the main Pool after Breakfast. Again, a beautiful facility with excellent attention to detail. Here we had the opportunity to see the Oryx and Gazelles grazing from the comfort of the large pool.

To get around the resort, Buggies are recommended because of the wild animals especially the Oryx. We did not have to wait more than Five minutes for a Buggy from our Suite after dialing 0, especially as our Suite was far away from the Main building.

Anything that you required you any had only to dial 0 for reception. Thanks here especially to Ankush and to Maria.

We also went on two excursions with the South African guides which took one hour, the nature walk with Kurt and the Falconry were we discovered that Owls only turn their heads 270° and not 360° as in the cartoons. I think Oscar the Owl was just as awake as we were. You have to be at reception for 05:30 to start at 05:45.

Service and hospitality at Al Maha is excellent and can only be highly recommended, as well as the quietness of its tranquil surroundings. When we return we will however be requesting another Suite. The staff recommend Suites 6, 11, 15, 23 and 35 for beautiful views. Oh and that Bed!!!

Since we have returned home we have been inundated with various emails from Starwood (6) and the Hotel (2), 8 within the last 11 days. This seems to be a little bit too...

Our stay at Al-Maha was the best holiday we have ever experienced. We have stayed in 5 star luxury hotels in Mauritius, Madrid, NZ, USA and the UK, but this was certainly the best by far. We were greeted on arrival by Airlene, our Guest Relations Coordinator, and Nathalie, our Field Guide. The reception area in the main building is beautiful, with Arabian artifacts on the walls, and local art. The atmosphere is of understated elegance and calm with no computers, just a wonderful fruit cocktail waiting for us as we were told of the pleasures ahead, including a range of activities available during our stay from falconry and Desert drives to nature Treks and camel rides. Our luggage was taken to our suite and we were transported there on an electric buggy. These are used to transport the staff and guests around Al-Maha as it is 225 square km in size. We stayed in a Bedouin Suite, which is surrounded by luxurious green trees and bushes, and out of sight and sound from it’s neighbours. Each suite has its own private infinity pool, surrounded by a decking area, and a dining area, and two sunbeds. We were in suite 7 which faced east, so we were woken to a glorious sunrise over the desert. Each suite looks out onto a desert landscape, and ours stretched as far as the eye could see. The suites are truly stunning. The bed is handmade and is 234 cm width (7.8 feet!) and 200cm length (6.6 feet). It is solid carved wood, with a wonderful mattress. There is a bespoke pillow menu. Our pillows were Canadian goose down. The bedding itself was 600 thread count, Jacquard 100% Egyptian cotton, and had the Al-Maha logo (the Oryx) in a discrete gold pattern on the white bedding. The bedroom/living area had a desk, 2 chaise longues, an artists easel with paints and paper, binoculars, a large antique chest at the end of the bed, a beautiful coffee table, various original antique Arabic artifacts such as vases, paintings and wall hangings, and a large wooden wardrobe of Arabic design. The hallway had a large box of various teas from The London tea company, a kettle and china tea cups and saucers, a Nespresso machine with a box of various Nespresso pods. There was a fridge with lots of bottled water. All drinks, water, tea, coffee and all meals are included in the hotel stay. The bathroom was huge, with a large bath, big enough for two, a shower room, a toilet room, and a vanity area with two large sinks, alcoves for your toiletries. Bulgari toiletries provided include shampoo, hair conditioner, shower gel and body moisturizer. We had dinner on our deck on our first evening. It is delivered by a waiter who sets our your table with a white linen table cloth, and serves up your meals. The food is to die for. Cooked by David Miras, a wonderful chef. The Yellow fin Tuna Carpaccio starter is wafer thin slices of tuna, with a crisp Parmesan wafer, Ruccula and Black Truffle Olive oil. Another favourite starter was Perigord salad, with smoked duck breast, blue cheese, croutons, pork bacon and raspberry dressing. There was excellent choices for the All day room menu with a choice of 12 starters, 17 main course, plus as many side dishes as you desire. Main courses include Argentinian beef fillet, Herb crusted Hamoor, and Jumbo prawns. Desserts include Vanilla crème brulee with lemon shortbreads, and Baked chocolate torte with Orange sorbet. Our dinner guests included three shy gazelles, who cannot get onto the deck but who are literally within three feet of you waiting for some of the bread provided. Gazelles and Oryx roam freely amongst the suites and along the paths, and are perfectly delightful to behold. The Oryx have huge horns, so we gave them a wide berth, but they do not bother you if you leave them alone. On our second day, we ate every meal on our own private deck as it was so lovely eating outside in the fresh, warm (35 degrees) air. That evening, we chose to do an activity called Sundowners, which was a short drive into the desert dunes, at sundown, where a waiter was waiting with a cabinet of drinks and fruit for us. We were handed a glass of sparkling wine (or was it champagne?) whilst watching the sunset over the dunes. We had a selection of dates and fruit to choose from, as well as many types of drinks. On our third day, we were up at the crack of dawn for a falconry display at 6:15 am. We saw two falcons and an owl swooping and eating their meal (quail meat). It was amazing. We were allowed to wear a cuff and hold the falcons, and take photos. That evening, we went on a camel trek to the sundowners. The camels are very well looked after, and indeed we were shown their living area, which was very clean, and the camels were in the shade with plenty of food and water. We were also shown the falconry mews, and how the falcons are trained, weighed and fed. These are animals are very well looked after indeed. Although we did not choose horse riding as an activity, we were shown the horses, and allowed to feed them chopped apples in their stables. The horses are all ex -race horses, varying in age from 8 to 30. They have 3 people just to look after the horses, to feed them and clean them. Again, they have plenty of room, and their stables are very clean. Another activity we did was dune driving in 4 by 4’s through the sand dunes. This was great fun. We saw camels in the desert, including one who had just been born. The umbilical chord was still attached, and the camel’s fur was wet. It was truly a magical sight. Nathalie, our Field guide was great. We went on a desert walk, and she taught us and showed us all the different animal tracks and their hiding places. We didn’t see any actual snakes or scorpions (thank goodness) but we saw their tracks and hiding places. Whilst eating lunch in the restaurant on our third day, the restaurant manager (Srini) asked us what we would like for dinner. Apparently, we could have anything we liked, and NOTHING was ever refused. I was going to ask for human, but thought better of it. Srini had noticed I like fish as I had just eaten Jumbo prawns (and JUMBO they were!) so asked if I would like a seafood platter cooked to my specification for dinner. My husband was offered a meat platter as he had a penchant for the Argentinian beef. When we arrived for dinner, we ate outside in the restaurant and dinner is a 5 course affair. The seafood platter was huge, with enough fish for 5 meals. There were at least 5 large portions of different types of fish, including large prawns, mackerel, salmon, tuna steak, and two different types of white fish steaks. This came with a garlic butter sauce in a jug. My husband had a large plate of meat, including lamb, beef, veal. It was cooked to perfection. He said it was like cutting through butter, as the meat was so tender. I have to say though that despite the luxurious surroundings, the desert views, the calmness, serenity, roaming wildlife, and superb views….. what makes Al-Maha so special are the staff. They truly make you feel like Royalty. Actually, they make you feel like family- that you are the moat important person in the world, and nothing is too much for them. I have never met such a wonderful group of professional, kind, warm, friendly, happy people. Special thanks go to Airlene, Nathalie, and Srini. We had a tour of the kitchen which was very impressive- very well organized and clean. They only use the best quality ingredients at Al-Maha. Chef David says this is why it is so easy to cook. Do not believe him. David is a great cook- Full stop. Special thanks also to David for the wonderful food, and especially to Prakash, Sateesh, Ariel, Arun, Remy, Shakeel and Naresh, the lovely lads who served our meals and water. Absolutely delightful. The housekeeping duo, Rasideen and Sahid were also delightful, cleaning our room twice daily, providing clean towels, and pretty postcards. Thank you. We met their manager, Hari, who wanted to make sure that everything was to our satisfaction. Yes, it was. We even met the General Manger, Arne Silvis, a lovely South African, who truly believes in conservation and that what makes Al-Maha great is the staff. And I could...

Al Maha is an exquisite property just outside of Dubai that is worth staying for a few nights. On our arrival, we were greeted by Joan, a wonderful and friendly point person who walked us through the logistics of our stay, and helped us book our excursions during our stay. She was always incredibly welcoming and accommodating to our needs. Food At the resort, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in your room rate. You can either eat in your room or in the restaurant. The in-room menu is slightly different from that of the restaurant, and you are expected to wait approximately 45-60 minutes before your food will be delivered. There is an incredible selection of food to choose from during your stay, and the food is very well executed. If you stay for a longer period of time and you get tired of the food, the staff are more than willing to provide you with different foods to your liking. The food portions are very generous - expect to feel full all the time. For dinner, be advised that there is a special Sri Lankan menu from which you can pre-order the day before. It is an absolutely divine taste explosion of 5 curries. You will be absolutely stuffed after dinner, so maybe go a little hungry if you can manage to eat just a tiny bit less at lunch. Restaurant The restaurant has an inside and outside area, both of which are very well appointed. I strongly recommend eating outside, as you get to enjoy the absolutely breathtaking views. At breakfast and lunch, you will be joined by gazelles and birds as you dine. The only downside, however, is that there are houseflies that will also join you. We had such a wonderful experience in the restaurant because of the staff there - Asuda memorised our preferred drinks for breakfast and always had them ready for us when we arrived. Animesh was incredibly attentive to all our needs and is a great conversationalist. He knew where we enjoyed dining and would have a wonderful spot available for us for our outside dining experience. Karan and Clement were fantastic at knowing our dining preferences and making us feel at home. Excursions You get two excursions daily at this wonderful resort. By far the most enjoyable excursion is the Camel riding, as you get a 30 minute camel ride at sunset. If you are curious enough you can ask the guides what the names of the camels are. The camels have such interesting personalities. Kester leads the camel riding, and he is an absolute joy to interact with - he has great tips for taking photos, has amazing stories to share with guests, and is very generous with his time with guests. The other great excursion is Falconry, where you can see falcons, owls, eagles, and hawks on display. The animals all seem incredibly well cared for. Our guide during our stay was Karlich, who was very knowledgeable about the environment, had hilarious stories and anecdotes to share, and has wonderful insight to conservation and environmentalism. We would love to be paired with him in the future when we return. We also enjoyed archery, which is comfortable to do at any part of the day in the Winter, but in the Summer I suspect this would be a difficult sport to do late in the morning due to the heat. The nature walk was a fun way to spend a morning. Room The rooms are very well appointed, with a very large bath, shower, and double vanity. You have an unobstructed view of the desert, and we even saw Onyx while we were relaxing in our room! Gazelle come and graze the plants in your private backyard. Birds bathe in the pool and play on the deck. The bed is very soft, a little too soft to our liking. The rooms are cleaned twice daily. Gym, Pool and Exercise The gym could use with a bit of an update and a yoga mat or two, but it definitely gets the job done. There is a dry sauna and steam room, accompanied by a cold pool that we enjoyed using. If you want to go running outdoors, you can run on the roads entering the resort. During COVID, you must pre-book and you get to use the facilities privately for...