Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa Hotel

i stayed in this hotel in april 2007 and i must say i was so disappointed. let me start from the start,coming up to the entrance of this wild reserve,security and big gates,was thinking..this could be a good experience,well for 1400 dollars-i was expecting it to be...thru one gate,driving on sandy roads and then to another gates,in the distance i could see the villa roofs,40 odd in all,got up to reception,brought in and sat down where you have a girl and then a guide introduces himself and tells you straight away about excursions like horse riding,camels,nature etc and then asks you if ur interested...for god sake,i am just after getting out of a car after a long drive,all i want to do is get to the villa and not speak to crocodile dundee yet...so anyway after being bored by this guy,we were brought to the villa,very nice i must say,a fine bed and bid oval bath,we were then told that the bottle of water was free.....oh thanks a lot and that everything else was not bar some cherry in a jar..we are not 90 years old..... the girl then told us that we could order food for dinner to have atthe poolside but only 2 things from the menu... at this stage,i was thinking,are these people joking...for 1400 or above,i wud expect to have what i wanted without being screwed for more money so sitting out eventually,not an orynx in site until i saw in the midst,two jeeps hearding some towards our direction,,,a bit of a con really...i say their attitude was get some animals so that they can see,i could be wrong but i doubt it so sitting out for an hour or so and then it started to get cloudy.....brilliant i sai...here comes a SAND STORM,so we bailed in doors,40 mins later,the whold place was thick with sand...nothing to worry about babe....they will send someone up to clean up the place..................no one...so that was the end of sunbathing.... i then went out later on an excursion....it was hot hot...got back from it and mouth was hanging it was dry...not a sign or offer of water or anything...went to the bar in the main lobby and no bar man,found a maintenance guy and he found someone to give me a sprite before i keeled over......they actually took away jugs of water froma room where you meet up prior to excursions....................absolutely rediculous..i said to myself so went outside main building where reception was and guess what.no buggy to take me to villa.....10/15 mins later,one came a long,went up and told my wife about no water and she couldnt believe....so we decided to get ready and head to the bar at around 8pm for a drink or two before the meal...no guests there...went onto terrace by bar,,4 older couples stearing into the darkness........pitch black and no on talkign...i could of jumped off at this stage,,,,we went to other outdoor area and had 2 drinks before heading down for dinner....a set menu.......it was.... most tables were full but no one was making a sound...as my father is an undertaker,there was more nice in one of his parlours i was thinking......so ate the food and went back to villa thinking it might be cleaned outside at this stage....no way we sat down and just taked about how diappointing the whole place was and a waste of money,a complete waste,we could of got the burj for the same money and will do the next time...so a warning to fello people.... dont go ,its not worth it and use your money for a better place unless u like silence,quiteness to extreme's and bad service in general

Al Maha is absolutely overrated in every detail. Yes, as others have stated, the rooms are beautiful as is the setting and location. But that’s about it. Don’t expect a wildlife experience of any kind. The so called “game drives” are only about 1 hour and you will be seated with 4 (3 at the back seat, so with 1 middle seat !) The quality of the food is average and room service takes hours. Just a Club Sandwich for lunch took an hour and 10 minutes to be delivered. After you have had your activity there’s really not much to do. Spa is adequate but despite our request for a male therapist and confirmation towards that, there wasn’t any. All in all absolutely not worth the price asked.

Wow this place is everything i imagined and more. The place is the best escape i have ever experienced. The staff were fabulous, the setting, the rooms, etc. The camel ride was great fun, and riding the arabs at 7am across the dunes was awesome. If i have to fault this place it would be on the restaurant food, not a great choice and definately not a 5* restaurant, shame it let it down, as everything else was definately 5*. The staff are superb.

The Al-Maha is an interesting resort. Like many things in Dubai it is an imported concept and given a local flavour or twist. The Al-Maha is a cross between an African safari lodge but with a Middle East twist mixed with the luxury concept of an Oberoi or Banyan Tree Resort and Spa. It is a bit Disney-seque as it is a “created” nature reserve. The grounds was previously a camel farm which was converted to a nature reserve. There are watering holes dotted around (about 22) for the animals, although some of exposed piping gives the game away that these area are natural. The oryx and gazelles were brought into the reserve. The reserve has both plains (for the animals) and sandy dunes if you want to go dune bashing or sand-surfing. The Oberoi/Banyan Tree elements include individual villas with a “tented roof”, luxury furnishings, private pool with each villa, golf buggy service between villa/restaurant/spa, excellent Spa treatments, the friendliness of asian/far eastern staff, good quality food and top quality service with a smile at all times. I would say that the service exceeded our expectation even for a top notch resort. You definitely noticed the personal touch. The waiter remember our names and the restaurant/bar staff got chatting to us like family by the second day we were there. You were made to feel like their personal guest not just another hotel occupant. The safari lodge elements include early morning (around 6:30am – we came to relax so we gave the morning activities a miss) and late afternoon (4pm) activities, south african guides and management, all the ‘lodges’ are angled to face a watering hole, all activities and meals are inclusive and strangely but excellently for Dubai – no service charge! Gratuities are left at your own discretion at the end of your stay. The restaurant staff and guides are such that you really do want to leave something for them and not a token amount too. We stayed over New Year’s Eve and there was no supplement to the price or the New Year’s Eve celebration. Free activities include a camel ride ending on top of a sand dune where a table has been laid out with sundowner drinks (champagne and other soft drinks) and nibbles, riding (proper thorough-breds so not for the beginner), falcon, dune safari (definitely a before breakfast or any food activity) and archery, etc. They offer a drive around the reserve to see the scenery, understand the lay of the land and see the animals. To be honest, we saw more animals close up walking between the restaurant and the room. Yes, you will find the odd gazelle or oryx grazing on the grass in the resort. We were originally concerned on arrival when we saw hoof marks in the sand by our private pool when they came for a drink. The animals are wild (i.e. note pets) so do not approach. That is also why they restrict small children from staying there in the interest of safety as the children may run around and approach these animals unsupervised. There is a pair of good quality binoculars that we used to view small groups of animals grazing and strangely, some fellow guests going for a walk on their own to the watering hole. We found this to be a strange concept but then, unlike an African safari, there are no man-eating animals around in the desert reserve. The great service concept here extends to co-ordinate all the activities for each guest. They noticed that I booked a massage at the Spa that clashed with the end of my camel trek as I got the times mixed up. After phoning me, the Spa contacted my field guide to arrange for him to pick me up after sundower drinks in the jeep and drive me back to the Spa instead of riding back on the camel. The jeep drove up just as everyone was heading back to the camel after finishing our drinks when the sun had set. Minuses (but all bar one of these apply to any African safari lodges) The hotel is really in the middle of the no-where in the desert. No evening entertainment No airport pre-immigration meeting and greet (which you would get when you stay with the Jumeriah Hotel Group, Shangri-la, One and Only, etc) when you book a car through the hotel for a transfer The accomodation grounds are large so it may be a trek to your tent Pluses Friendly staff and great service Beautiful accommodation with private pool All-inclusive meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner along with cake at tea-time and before morning activities). Also inclusive are the odd special meal, picnic and outdoor dinner that can be arranged on request. One field guide and one hotel reception staff assign to you throughout your stay. The offer of golf buggy rides by staff when they see you trek back to your room.

As Dubai residents, we decided to finally sample the famous resort out in the desert, a mere 1.5 hours drive from our home in Jumierah. Despite all the hype (and to some degree the mystique), the experience wasn't quite what we'd hoped or imagined. Yes it's beautiful, yes it's remote and tranquil and yes the desert is breathtaking but the devils in the detail as they say... The restaurant expereince is very average. I'm surprised by some of the reviews prior to this but frankly ladies and gents, this is nothing special and doesn't match the standards and settings of other more well known resorts in Dubai. We found the food average, the service a little slow and painful and the enviroment very bland...a great shame as the opportunity for a serious interior designer is just crying out. Also, there are no 'local' staff. Staggering considering this is a resort influeunced by local architecture and lifestyle. A sprinkling of some local faces would go a long way to further delivering the 'real desert' expereince. And finally, despite the claims of 'widllife-watching', our activity on the last day gave sight to only a few gazelles and Oryx...which was ironcially upstaged by the trip home! On a postive note however, you do get to completly unwind and relax. The setting is very quiet, peaceful and utterly charming. Our suite was stunning and gave a magical edge that made up for one or two of the above shortcomings. On the whole, a very expensive experience questionably worth it's reputation.

We stayed at Al Maha for just one night - the first of our honeymoon - and it proved a magical start to the holiday. We'd requested a quiet room in advance, and were allocated Suite 23 rigtht at the edge of the complex just feet away from the desert. The welcome and the service was faultless, and dinner served course by course on our own terrace was superb. Yes, it's expensive, but to be honest just a night or two is probably enough.

We spent a week-end in this unique resort located in the desert outside Dubai city. The location is great, and every suite is nicely arranged, with your private swimming pool overlooking the desert. The staff is generally very friendly, we would even say that waiters and maids are above the average in similar luxury hotels. The guides, usually from South Africa, will take you for a horse or camel-ride, and share with you their passion for the desert. Last but not least, the food is excellent. We had, however, two incidents that spoiled our stay at Al Maha: - On the first day there, our car was damaged in front of the reception by another guest's vehicle. We were told by the reception lady that she knew who this other guest was, but that she couldn't disclose his identity since he was a "national" (i.e. a national from the United Arab Emirates). The hotel kindly arranged for the police to come and state the damage for our insurance company, but refused to provide any other information, since their guests from Europe or elsewhere remain "second class" compared to local guests that have the privilege of a UAE nationality. - On the second day, we had organized a en-suite romantic dinner by our private pool. Starters came, but then we had to wait for an hour (and a phone call to the reception) before the main course followed. Not really the kind of service you would expect for a USD1,000 per night -full board- charge...

We spent 2 nights at the Al Maha after being in Dubai for 4 days. I'd done quite a lot of research into this place beforehand but it still exceeded my expectations. The Bedouin Suites are amazing - they are huge, with a massive bed, and 2 chaise longues. Outside there is a shaded terrace with sunbeds and best of all, your own private plunge pool. The bulgari toiletries in the bathroom are heavenly. We found the activities to be very well organised the the field guides were all extremely knowledgeable. They knew all about the animals and plants, yet they were also experts at dune-driving, camel riding and falconry! Yes, a couple of the activities are a bit touristy, the camel trekking in particular, but overall we didn't feel as if we were being herded along with lots of other people. In fact we were the only 2 people at the falconry display that we went to, and holding one of the falcons was an amazing experience. The dune-driving, or "wadi-bashing" is not to be missed - not only a great experience, but it also takes part in an area of the reserve where the camels roam freely. On the morning that we went, we were privileged to see a new born camel taking its first steps. One of the other highlights was seeing 2 oryx wandering around by our pool. The restaurant at the hotel is superb, although personally I found the buffet breakfast and lunch a little monotonous. In the evening it's more special as there are 5 courses for dinner and it's all waiter service. All the tables are set up on the outside terrace to overlook a floodlit watering hole so you can see the oryx taking an evening drink. Overall, I'd thoroughly recommend the Al Maha. Yes this is a resort truly worthy of it's 5 stars, but it is also contributing to the conservation effort in this part of Dubai.

We spent 5 nights at the Al Maha during our honeymoon, and l have to say, we are hooked. Tranquility, fantastic service and views to die for. I am not ashamed to say that we both shed a tear as we left. The waiters were the friendliest we have ever encountered, the food was amazing (forget the diet). You have the choice of so many fantastic activities with your own guide, and there is no pressure to take part. We are returning next year, and l can't wait! Alittle bit of heaven on earth

We stayed here for the last four nights of our honeymoon, having been in the Maldives for a week and the Arabian Court for three nights. After the bustle of the city, we were in the mood to slow the pace again for the last few days and Al Maha was perfect. The room was sensational. The bed, which was extremely comfortable, was the biggest I've ever slept in, it must have been eight feet across. The plunge pool was big enough to slowly swim across in two or three breast strokes. (You can contact reception in the main building to request a change in temperature if you wish, although ours was already perfect). Lounging around in the room was very comfortable and that would be important if you were there in the hotter months, when the heat will drive you off your veranda and indoors. The weather in early December was perfect. The staff are with you in minutes if you wish to be driven to the main building by shaded golf cart. We didn't need to do this as our room was fairly close to the centre and it wasn't high summer. Whilst the resort is compact, the room felt extremely private, even when lounging in the plunge pool or sitting on the deck. I hope I can comment helpfully on the activities offered, as we were there for a day longer than the typical three night stay and therefore did almost all of the activities that are on offer. I saw the comment from an earlier reviewer that the activities were done in groups that were too large. I didn't find the activites that were done in groups were spoiled by that at all. The camel treck (hideously uncomfortable, but worth it for some amusing photos and memories) is in a large group, but there's no false bonhomie imposed on you. The majority of people at the resort are not the type to foist themselves on you in an excess of sociability, and we chatted occasionally, and briefly, to one or two other couples but nothing more. Our sundown drive to the dunes for a drink was done alone, but we were joined by the camel trekkers - again, not a problem. We had an evening "safari walk" with our activity guide, a likeable and knowledgeable South African. That was just him and the two of us, and was informative and in a beautiful setting as the sun went down. I grant you, any use of the word "safari" is over-egging things a bit, the wildlife doesn't get more exciting than the oryx and the gazelles. We also did archery (which I don't think is a popular choice, but was great fun) and falconry, which is mainly watching display from the handler, but again he was extremely informative and we were able briefly to handle the birds. I thought the food was very high class indeed. The gym and the pool are well-appointed and reasonably big. The treatments in the spa are pricey (like that's a surprise in any spa, anywhere) but very well done. I think I may have upset a masseuse when I got a fit of the giggles as she rubbed heated fresh dates into my feet during the "frankincense facial" but I couldn't help it. One tip - if you are there at the same time of year as us, wrap up well for dinner, which is still taken outdoors and it gets very chilly. They do provide blankets if you need them, but you may prefer you own clothes! To conclude, Al Maha is a bit different, compliments a few days in the city very well, and is in my view worth every penny. A superb holiday experience.