The magic of Maha

The nature of marketing can be a strange thing. Dubai has, in recent years, gone on something of a promotional bender and is now well and truly lodged in the minds of the global travel industry as a destination for glitz and glamour, fabulous hotels, top restaurants and scorching sunshine. And its iconic multi-star hotels in particular now need little introduction.

However, there is one resort - equally as luxurious as any of these household name brands - that has carved its own quietly elegant niche over the years without banging too many drums, thereby acquiring a particularly discerning clientele.

Semi-hidden within the 225-square kilometre Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR), Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa is a secluded haven where travellers are guaranteed total privacy, blissful tranquillity and jaw-dropping views of the desert. This year the resort celebrates its tenth anniversary and I was invited to stay for two nights to really understand why the place is considered by those in the know to be one of the region’s hidden gems.

Into the middle of nowhere

From Dubai central, take exit 39 off Shaikh Zayed Road and follow signs towards Al Ain onto the E66 highway (a drive of about 50 minutes providing you don’t get lost like I and my companion did!) and you’ll eventually see a discreet little sign for the turn-off to Al Maha. My first thought: “these guys aren’t into shouting about the place.”

After a short drive along a sandy track we reached the security checkpoint where the friendly guard pointed us towards a parking area. “You’re transport is waiting for you,” he said with a beaming smile and my second thought was that I’d been given a pass card for a particularly elite club, although I was bemused to find no sign that we were anywhere near civilisation, let alone a holiday resort.

After hopping into a 4x4 with one of the resort’s reserve workers we were whisked across the sand to what appeared to be a lush oasis, but which revealed itself to be an inconspicuously situated group of suites.

After a very warm welcome (we were soon to be realise that the level of personalised service at Al Maha was one of the main things to set it apart from the rest) we were driven by buggy to our ‘suite’.

There are a few times when as a journalist you feel that the two million or so words at your disposal in the English language simply aren’t enough. Hence you’ll have to forgive the word ‘suite’ – but that’s technically what guest accommodation at Al Maha is called.

But in this case, for ‘suite’ read: palatial bedroom-cum-lounge that looks out on to a private temperature-controlled swimming pool, with a huge bathroom – the kind the makes you want to shriek like a four-year-old; a lovely decked area surrounding the exterior for sunbathing and dining; and a frankly breathtaking vista of the desert. If this is a ‘suite’ then I’m Paris Hilton.

Joking aside, the rooms at the resort are really very beautiful – with not a gilded ornament in sight. Recreating a Bedouin encampment spread across the vast dunes, Al Maha has gone in for restrained Arabic beauty in a serious way. It’s all in the detail, from the original regional antiques and artworks everywhere you look, to the sandstone floors, traditionally hand-plastered walls and winding lush pathways that lead you here and there. You don’t so much walk to the lobby or the main pool – you just sort of come across them. And the quiet of the place is deafening. City dwellers be warned: you’ll take an hour or two to adjust.

At one with the environment

Surrounded by some of the regions’ most spectacular landscape and rich with protected wildlife, Al Maha offers a high-end yet chilled out experience to its guests, some 35 per cent of whom are apparently repeat visitors or referrals.

The resort doesn’t accept day visitors and the in-house guests get the benefit of a ratio of three staff per suite. And they’re the happiest staff you’ll ever meet! It’s not hard when you look around to see it beats an office nine-to-five hands down.

During my stay, once I’d gotten over the fabulousness of the room, I suprised myself by adapting easily to life at Al Maha and spent a happy hour or so next to our pool sketching the sights around me using the easel and artist’s set provided (a nice touch, that).

In the evening were were booked to try out the camel trek across the desert. I’ve been on a camel before once on holiday in Turkey, but it didn’t compare to the experience here. A group of about twenty of us rode out on very serene camels across the lovely orange dunes until eventually resting for a glass of something fizzy while we watched the sunset. So romantic and so relaxing that I couldn’t stop smiling.

Later on we dined outside on the terrace at the hotel’s sole restaurant, Al Diwaan, where acclaimed head chef Marion Lovell has put together a wonderful international and modern Arabic menu combining the very best organic ingredients to mouthwatering effect. Top tip: try the halibut, it’s outstanding. Everything is made on-site, including the bread, the dressings and even the chocolate. And all while you stare out into the mysterious darkness of the desert with mega-watt stars out for full effect.

As romantic as it gets

The next day I made my way to the Timeless Spa which I’d heard was a real treat. I wasn’t disappointed, the therapists were some of the most knowledagable I’ve come across and my signature body treatment, using fresh dates and francincense essence in a scrub, followed by a steam and massage, left me feeling reborn. There’s a great spa menu available and they cater well to honeymoon couples.

I’m sorry to sound repetitive, but yes, later I hopped back on a camel after a quick race across the desert in a 4x4 with one of the Al Maha guides. I couldn’t resist sitting on the dunes again, glass in hand, feeling completely priveliged.

You can have dinner in your room if you like, but we opted for the restaurant again as the vibe was so nice the previous evening.

So, the next day with a big sigh we departed. And what was my final thought? Basically, if you can’t inject a big dollop of romance into your relationship at Al Maha, then maybe best forget it...