A Private Luxury Resort in the UAE Desert: Qasr Al Sarab by Anantara

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1. Overview
2. Location
3. How do I get there?
4. Arrival
5. Accommodation
6. Facilities
7. Restaurants
8. Experiences
9. Surrounds and other UAE options

1. Overview

Picture waking up to the vastness of the desert, with its dunes that change colour depending on the time of day, its hardy wildlife and mesmerising sunsets. On top of that, imagine the finest of luxuries in a resort that caters to every need, in the seclusion of your private villa. This is Qasr Al Sarab by Anantara, a dream world just 2 hours drive from Abu Dhabi.

The sprawling resort is designed to embody a massive fortress, with narrow pathways connecting its suites and a buggy service to transport you wherever you’d like to go. Its price tag isn’t cheap but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience.

Nestled in the Empty Quarter (‘Rub Al Khali’) close to the Saudi Arabian border, the never ending rippled dunes will captivate you as you spend warm summer days and pleasant cool evenings in the confines of this unique location. With a variety of experiences (such as camel riding, dune bashing, animal encounters and sandboarding) and a plethora of photographic opportunities, Qasr Al Sarab will charm you senseless and you’ll be left with no doubt that it’s one of the best desert resorts in the UAE.

2. Location

Qasr Al Sarab is a 2 hour drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates and located just 20 km from the Saudi Arabian border.

3. How do I get there?

Transport Options

If you’re a local, it’s best to drive. There is a fully bituminised highway the entire way to Qasr Al Sarab Resort and then a few kilometres of structured driveway to the resort itself. Roads are very well maintained in UAE. We hired a Chevrolet Captiva (2WD) from Abu Dhabi International Airport for 250 AED/day through Rentalcars.com. The larger physical road presence was comfortable during the times it was windy and there was no need for a 4WD as we did not elect to do any off roading.

Note that visitors to Qasr Al Sarab can elect to go dune bashing in their own 4WD vehicle, so that may be a consideration point. However, we chose to go with the experienced dune bashing guides!

Alternatively, guests can take a taxi, however the cost for this would be more (approximately 380-450 AED one way) and there may be a wait time for the return journey.

What will I see along the way?

A word in short: desert! The Empty Quarter is the largest continuous dune desert in the world and spans the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen.

However, one of the unexpected yet exciting moments of our journey was passing through the Tropic of Cancer! It’s definitely worth a stop but do be careful at any time you come off of a formal road in the Empty Quarter. This is because many a visitor has become bogged in the quicksand.

Qasr Al Sarab security checkpoint

Upon reaching the grandiose entry to Qasr Al Sarab, you’ll go through a security check point. Security officers will check your name and booking details and, of late, your Covid vaccination status. For UAE residents, you’ll have to prove your ‘green status’ on the Al Hosn app and for overseas visitors, a recent negative PCR as well as your Covid vaccination status. There are no car/bag checks.

The road to Qasr Al Sarab

After passing through security (a quick and straightforward process), we began the 10-15 minute drive along the world’s longest driveway to the resort itself. It’s oh-so tempting to get out and take photographs but just remember the advice regarding quick sand! It’s definitely not fun waiting outside in the desert heat waiting for someone to come and rescue you. Fortunately Qasr Al Sarab has created small roadside gravel areas for cars to stop briefly and to allow that all-important dune selfie!

4. Arrival

Anticipation is high along every twist and turn along the private driveway and you’ll constantly be expecting to see the entrance! Finally it arrives and it is like a complete mirage of decadence and delight. Qasr Al Sarab resembles a huge desert fortress in classical Arabic design and every thoughtful detail screams opulence and consideration for its guests.

As we drove into the front courtyard, our car was then taken to valet parking, our luggage was taken to our villa and we were shown through to the huge lobby with all of its incredible reflective surfaces interacting to showcase an incredible light display between the centre piece, windows, coffee tables and plush sofas. We were shown to a comfortable sofa setting and greeted the traditional Arabic way: with juice and dates. The welcome staff introduced us to the hotel and facilities and then we were taken to our villa by buggy!

5. Accommodation

There are 206 elegant rooms at Qasr Al Sarab, all of them displaying picturesque desert views whilst being fitted with luxurious decor to reflect the resort’s Arabian heritage.

The sizeable interior is a heavenly mix of earth tones, decadent fabrics and bronze chandeliers. Each villa comes with an oversized bathtub (the size of a small pool!) and rain shower.

One of my favourite aspects to the villa however, was the back yard. We had about a 3×3 m plot of real grass, lined by manicured hedges, overlooking the lower hotel residences and the hotel’s most famous sand dune. There is nothing quite like real grass underfoot when living in the Middle East! The back wall also formed the perfect ledge to capture a timelapse, whilst enjoying a self-prepared platter of corn chips, dip, palmier biscuits and brie washed down with some fresh gin and tonics.

6. Facilities

Even though there is little else to do in the desert surrounding Qasr Al Sarab, the great news is that the resort offers many different activities and options.

Swimming Pool & Bar

The swimming pool is gigantic and has an adults section, a child’s section, a swim up bar (with some instagrammable swings of course), submerged sunbeds and small islands within the pool (which make for a great drink platform). Qasr Al Sarab has thought of everything and small bags with the resort’s insignia are provided to guests, filled with cold water and ice. (Note these are not gifted, they come with a price tag if you wish to keep it!)

Instagram Swing & Frame

It wouldn’t be the current century without a few gimicky photograph opportunities and the desert resort is not immune from this. They have done a lovely job of making one that’s ‘Arabesque’ however.

Children’s Playground

For those with little ones, there is an enclosed playground within the confines of the central part of the hotel.

Calming Oasis & Lagoon

It constantly amazes me to see lush greenery in the desert. However, immediately behind the resort is a gorgeous walkway with running water stream and palm trees. It’s an ideal place to wander and to relax and feel calm.

7. Restaurants

Suhail Restaurant & Bar

Suhail Restaurant is the fine dining option of Qasr Al Sarab, with its outside terrace overlooking the desert plain, dunes and night sky.

Guests are shown to a rooftop lounge with a menu showcasing upscale seafood and meat grills and an extensive wine menu. It wasn’t long before we had chosen our delectable evening meal:

• Pan seared scallops with green pea puree and topped with sautéed veal chorizo
• Braised beef shortribs with parmesan whipped polenta and roasted organic root vegetables
• Pan fried Mediterranean seabream with buttered cauliflower couscous, fava beans and creamy lemon butter sauce
• Sides of creamy spinach and sautéed mushrooms

Of course the only befitting way to end the evening was with Suhail’s famous pecan pie: rich pecan nut filing with preserved ginger ice cream!

Combined with a glass of red sangria and a couple of glasses of draught beer, the total came to 900 AED. It was dreamy from start to finish but also not inexpensive.

Ghadeer Restaurant

The Mediterranean-style Ghadeer Restaurant is located adjacent the resort pool and serves light snacks and refreshing cocktails during the day, before transforming into a romantic dinner destination after sunset.

Its undercover wooden table settings and pot plants set atop pink/orange painted feature walls will have you feeling as if you’d just stepped into Spain.

We started proceedings with the Arabic mezze platter, beef carpaccio and a bottle of Pinot Grigio from New Zealand. This included a selection of Arabian dips, Hummus, Muhammara, Babaganoush and Moutabel with stone oven baked pita bread. After having stirred our appetite, we continued with Ossobuco Milanese (Milanese style braised veal shanks, saffron risotto, and fresh gremolata sprinkle) and Chargrilled octopus, complete with aromatic saffron aioli, herb-marinated heirloom tomatoes, lightly smoked almonds and fresh basil.

Desert was a real treat: Tiramisu, with ladies fingers dipped in espresso, layered with creamy mascarpone and a dusting of organic cacao. Tonight’s evening meal set us back 800 AED.

Al Falaj Restaurant

Qasr Al Sarab also has a traditional Bedouin-style open air restaurant called Al Falaj. It sits at the base of their huge dune and diners will have the luxury of watching hotel guests sunboard down the dune as the sun sets. Traditional Arabic meals are shared amongst large families. Al Falaj aims to recreate that, with a set menu to be shared between guests. The menu boasts grills, stews, breads, sweets and fresh fruits. The menu with soft drinks is 350 AED, whereas for beer and wine it is 450 AED.

Al Waha Restaurant

Feast your eyes upon one of the largest breakfast buffets in history! Al Waha is the home to this spread and at capacity, overflow of guests are sent to the similarly impressive Suhail Restaurant upstairs. You’ll find international favourites spiced up with flavoured Saj breads and Emirati pancakes.

Bespoke Dining Options

Anantara Resorts certainly know a good thing when they find it. After having also visited their luxury resort on Sir Bani Yas Island where we experienced their safari high tea, we were quite interested in Qasr Al Sarab’s bespoke foodie options.

These include:

• Dining by Design – candle lit dining on the dunes, very close to the resort, with guests walking nearby
• Desert BBQ – much more intimate, well out into the desert, with a private chef
• Spice Spoons – interactive cooking class within the hotel complex

8. Experiences

Watch the sunset from the backyard of your villa

Hands down one of my favourite evenings at Qasr Al Sarab was spent basking in the fading glow of the sun as it travelled on its downward trajectory for the day. We set ourselves up with a snacking platter and some gin and tonics in our ‘backyard’. As the evening progressed we engaged in fun and serious chit chat, all the while watching the activity of other guests below. It’s true what they say:

There’s nowhere more alone or intimate than in a private space and fortunately the villas of Qasr Al Sarab provide just that. There is nothing like the Arabian sun at sunset, a perfect yellow sphere cutting through intense colours of pink, orange and red. Turn the aperture on your cameras down folks: you don’t want to miss this.

Saluki & falcon show

When I was first confronted with the option of attending the Saluki and falcon show and heard it commenced at 6am, I think I rolled my eyes and tried to move the subject along elsewhere. However, it turned out to be one of my favourite experiences in the desert! I’d particularly recommend it as a final day activity, as it will make you feel like you truly maximised your time there.

Guests are transported in the resort 4WDs to a hidden location in the desert, with 3 birds on their ledges awaiting them:

• A Peregrine Falcon called Savannah
• A Tawny Owl called Obelisk
• A Bear Winged Hawk called Zola

The entire experience is completely interactive, with animal handlers expertly trained to allow safe handling of the animals by the guests.

After an educational session on each bird, we were given the opportunity to catch and release the flying hawk (which was eager to capture the raw meat placed on our glove), as well as to hold the tawny owl who was incrediby ‘shy’ and turned away from us at each moment she could!

The morning concluded with a test of speed from the Salukis, sleek canines indigenous to the region. Their speed, intelligence and loyalty have made them much beloved by Bedouin people. Bedouins have used these dogs for hunting and guarding, as well as for other services in daily life. We were captivated by the two playful male Salukis, Sarab and Antar, who traced a decoy on a rope to run at speeds well beyond my capacity!

Dune bashing

Have you really been to the desert if you haven’t slid down towering sand dunes and had your stomach in your throat as you experience an Arabic rollercoaster? Well we have been to the desert! Thanks to the knowledge and expertise of our guide Waris, we were hurled from dune to dune with sand aflying. This was thankfully in the comfort and airconditioning of his reliable (but slightly overworked) Landcruiser GXR V8.

Waris kindly took us to the oryx enclosure, where the crew from Anantara are breeding a herd to soon release into the wild.

Our final moments on this Abu Dhabi dune bashing desert safari activity were spent in sheer terror and ecstasy as we traversed down one of the highest dunes I’ve ever been to the top of in my life. Fortunately we were in good hands and it was a flat surface back to the hotel from there!

Climb the Qasr Al Sarab dune at sunset

A popular activity at Qasr Al Sarab is to climb to the top of the dune which the villas look out on to. Allow approximately 30-45 minutes to the summit. However, be sure to plan for longer if you stop for all of the incredible photographic opportunities!

At the top is a rolling vista of dune upon dune, with the irradiated sun threatening to dip beneath the horizon at any moment.

Note that conditions near the top are quite harsh. I had thick plumes of sand blowing directly off the sharp edge of the dune top and into my eyes such that my last 4 or 5 steps were done blindly just to reach the top! A few of the others who had previously made the ascent were cheering me on as I had my eyes closed!

Other Options

Paid –

Archery
Sunset / night walk
Soft Drive
Camel Ride

Complimentary –

Sandboarding
Dune photography expedition

9. Surrounds & Other UAE Ideas

Other regional activities to consider from Qasr Al Sarab and in Abu Dhabi include:

• Drive to the Saudi Arabia border in 30 minutes: we did this and encountered a camel road block! These curious animals soon moved along however
• Explore the capital city of UAE: Abu Dhabi (see this post for my highlights in 4 days)
• Visit the protected nature reserve of Sir Bani Yas Island
• Explore the lush oasis of Al Ain and the towering Jebel Hafeet mountain on the border of Oman
• Find Abu Dhabi’s answer to the Maldives: the island paradise of Zaya Nurai Resort
• Discover the inner city beach paradise of Saadiyat Island, in the heart of Abu Dhabi
• Drive a bit further to discover bedazzing Dubai! Click here for the best hotels near Dubai International Airport