Sometimes life gives you a twist when and where you least expect it. There was drilling for oil in this part of the desert when lo and behold they struck… Sweet Water! Yes, sweet water is more important than oil. At that point, 16-square miles of this desert were reserved and so created the Dubai Desert Conservatory Reserve. Within this reserve sits a Marriott Bonvoy luxury resort and spa called Al Maha. The whole resort consists of 52 luxury suites, private swimming pools, each reflecting the Bedouin lifestyle. If you are looking for a get-away then this is the place to go – you will truly get away from the world when you visit this resort. Al Maha is about one hour away from Dubai and is an all-inclusive resort (does not include alcohol).
We were picked up in Dubai by a private driver driving an Infiniti SUV. This driver was contracted with the resort to drive us up to the resort. If you happen to take a cab or have a driver that is not certified via the Al Maha resort, then you are dropped off at the entrance of the conservatory and picked up by staff from the resort. There is about a 3-mile drive from the entrance of the conservatory to the actual Al Maha resort. The staff greeted us at the car and whisked us to a private greeting, check-in and drinks within a grand sitting room. The Activities Director also came in and sat with us to advise of the many activities to review and helped us book our activities for that evening and the next day. We were then taken by golf cart and driven to our private Bedouin tent. When I say tent, it really was a tent, but a very luxurious one I would live in! The tents are remote from each other, and each provides its own pool and wildlife is everywhere!
This is what we received as part of our all-inclusive package:
- Three meals per day (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) – they will even deliver this to your Bedouin Tent and set it up for you at a table in your suite or by the pool
- 2 Selected Desert Activities (we did Falconry and Sundowner activity, where they took us on a short drive in the desert to the sand dunes where we were presented fruit to eat and drinks to sip as we watched the setting sun)
- Luxury Bedouin Suite with our own private pool and the beautiful desert as our view (within our Bedouin tent, we had an easel with art supplies, massage oil, fresh fruit basket, wine, etc.)
- There are Gazelles and Arabian Oryx that roam freely at this site (remember, this is a Conservation Reserve) – these wild animals will come visit you – it is quite amazing and relaxing in of itself
- There are also Arabian horses, Camels, etc. as part of activities on the grounds
One day I do plan on returning to this place. It’s definitely a place that fills the soul and makes you feel as close to God as physically as you can be. I can imagine how Adam and Eve must have felt when animals, like the Gazelle, came right up to them. That’s what they did to us – they even laid right beside of us while we were laying by the pool.
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