A long drive to get there but it was defintely worth it! Set in the eastern edge of the Empty Quarter Desert (Rub Al Khaali), this hotel was luxury all the way, a spectacular feat of engineering to built what is essentially a whole village this far into the desert.

Nestled in the middle of some huge sand dunes, this hotel was a delightful blend of old arabic architecture, modern hotel design and personal comfort. The rooms were huge and very well appointed, inside the main hotel the level of detail was carried through, with antiques and books to browse on the regions history.

There was plenty of atmosphere, at one point in the evening meal the music from David Leans film, Lawrence of Arabia came on and just seemed to make the experience of eating on the terrace overlooking the desert at sunset perfect..

Staff were extremely personable and attentive, but not intrusive - and from many different nations too, so their training was excellent.

We went for a romantic break but it is equally well suited to families and for a busienss conference - there is plenty of room for all. The gym was excellent for all types of exercise and there are additional group classes for yoga etc to participate in.

The price was high, but was worth every dirham!

We called in at the Rainbow Sheikh's motor museum on the way back from the hotel and that was a great end to the long weekend.

We have stayed for only one night with my husband in the after Christmas period in December 2011 in a beautiful villa with own plunge pool.

The whole resort is amazing, imagine sitting in the heated pool with a coctail in your hand watching the sunset in the surrounding desert. A truly special view and memory. The contrast between the desert surrounding and the lush gardens and lots of different pools is very catching and unique.

The service and the food as well as the accomodation is impeccable.
I would recommend booking one of the villas for the ultimate experience, but the rooms and also nice and spacious with their terraces and garden entrance.

The setting is very romantic and much more genuine Abu Dhabi (with the 2 hours trip from the seaside to get there through the desert) than staying in a seaside hotel which could be anywhere...

The hotel offers great outdoor activities, we only tried the camel ride in the absence of time.
Wished to stay longer, the hotel was fully booked.

This hotel is not for everyone, but my stay during the last 6 days has been memorable and I shall return. This is an excellently appointed hotel in the desert. The staff are well trained and are attentive, the restaruants (3) give a good selection of cusines and the swimming pool is 200 meters in size. The hotel has activities such as camel rides and dune bashing but most guests (including me) enjoyed doing nothing.

In our complex world it is difficult to experience complete silence, but once 100m away from the hotel complex this exists in abundance, and the stars are much more noticable as there is no ambient light for 100 miles.

Bring plenty to read and you will have an enjoyable time. Internet connection is free in the whole hotel complex.

Try to arrive in daylight as this hotel is 12 kms down a winding track from a main road.

We've been to this excellent hotel twice now and will certainly come again. At just over two hours drive from Abu dhabi it's perfectly placed for a weekend break with visiting family or friends. The location is exceptional, sat on the edge of the empty quarter. The rooms are perfect and the staff really friendly and helpful. It has everything you might need for a relaxing break. Now to the food. On the good side, the breakfast buffet is fine - nothing great but okay. But what prevents this from being a truly great hotel is the evening buffet - its not good at all. On both occasions it's been bad. Over cooked food kept hot in pots, terrible puddings and some rather bland sushi. Please, please, pease improve the food and we'll keep on coming back.