Dubai Off Track

If you want to scoot off somewhere for say three or four days, and you are rich and famous and zealous about your privacy, head for Dubai. But wait, your limo doesn’t move towards the city centre, but in the opposite direction. Straight out of Dubai, an hour away, Al Maha awaits, an oasis in the desert!
So this recommendation is for those who want to go somewhere and do simply nothing. At best get an adrenaline rush one evening by taking a desert safari on wheels revving to go on virgin sands, in an ethereal and remote desertscape.
What can I say about Al Maha, a tented luxury resort, sprinkled in the sands, like desert gold, seemingly so far away in time and space, it could belong to another era, a different civilisation altogether. An Arabian Nights fable…
Such are the experiences you go through at this resort, you know you are in an extraordinary place. It could be the location, it could be the concept, it could be the unique architecture… It is, in fact, all of these and more... The outstanding food, the superlative service, the people who run it.
And it is the simplicity and understated taste with which it is put together that steals the show.
Al Maha is indeed an exclusive and beautiful retreat. But it is not for everybody. It is for the discerning traveller, the one with a special bent of mind. It requires a consciousness which upholds subtlety, to appreciate what Al Maha stands for. And it requires that you don’t weigh worth merely in terms of money; for it is an expensive proposition to afford a few nights here.
Being in the middle of the desert got me all contemplative. Sitting on the porch of my tent, in the fading twilight, right next to my private plunge pool, scanning the vast desert spread out in front of me, the sand blowing gently now and then in the evening breeze made me aware of the abundance of the planet. There is so much the earth offers us, which we just take for granted…
Al Maha indeed arouses your senses. In a lingering manner. The place slows you down. The very purpose of a holiday to such a destination.
Food is the USP at the resort. But then you would expect that at a place like this. However, it’s not just the food, the high quality of the ingredients, but the very manner in which the menu is put together. It changes everyday. Limited choices but with sensible options which don’t leave you confused or in two minds. An intelligent, balanced offering. Yet, if a guest desired a particular dish and ingredients were not at hand, the chefs would have them flown in, within 24 hours! Not surprising Al Maha attracts gourmet guests from the world over.

The Royal Suite

Asian Duck Salad

A Thrilling Ride