Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa

Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa

Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, opened in 1999 in Murqquab, eight kilometres from Dubai's center, within reach of Dubai Miracle Garden, the Dubai Fountain and Dubai Mall, though it is built around an idea most of that skyline ignores: quiet. All 42 individually decorated guestrooms come with their own private pool, a rarity even in Dubai's luxury circuit, plus furnished patios, deep soaking bathtubs and rainfall showerheads. The resort is adults only, so it suits couples wanting a desert-toned reset more than families travelling with children. Days move at the pace of the setting: horse riding and archery for guests who want the desert to do more than look pretty, a spa with sauna, steam room and massage rooms, a library and a picnic area for those who don't. Al Diwaan Restaurant serves international cuisine, room service runs around the clock, and the bar holds an evening quiet that city hotels rarely manage. Business travellers get a 24-hour business centre and 2,906 square feet of meeting space, though nobody really comes here to work. Meals can run limited during Ramadan, worth knowing before booking. What Al Maha has that its Dubai peers largely do not is a genuine desert address with a private plunge pool attached to every room, not reserved for the villas alone. It is not for anyone wanting nightlife within walking distance. It is for anyone who wants Dubai to feel, for a few days, like it isn't there. Forty-two rooms outside Dubai, each with its own private pool, built for couples who want the desert to feel private rather than photographed. Adults only, big on horse riding, archery and quiet, thin on nightlife. Not a city hotel pretending otherwise.