"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all ye need to know on earth, and all ye need to know."
One can only recollect the words of the English poet John Keats and there poignancy to understand the concept behind the luxurious Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa set deep in desert of Dubai.
On entering the resort one begins to appreciate the personal attention to detail the resort prides itself on when an Al Maha ranger meets you 10km from the main building. There are strict environmental controls entrusted the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve limiting the number of vehicles on the property, thus protecting the fragile eco system. Our ranger Katherine was able to answer all the questions we had on the reserve, as well as those on the history of the resort- a unique welcoming experience.
Enjoying the short ride to the actual resort whilst Katherine described the variety of activities to choose from of which included falconry, archery, dune bashing (off the reserve, of course), early morning safaris, camel rides and sundowners. All the activities are supervised by well trained individual rangers.
After checking in with a very personalised service and your itinerary organised you are shown to your own private quarters, which are totally isolated from all the others.
The rooms are spacious and are decorated to the highest standards in the Arab themes and reminiscent of a Bedouin past.
One piece of savvy advertising declares the resort boasts 43 pools and 42 rooms explaining that each chalet has its own completely private pool and one large communal pool, 38 deluxe, 3 royal suites (2 bedrooms), two Emirates Suites (2 bedrooms, kitchen, larger pool etc etc) and one Presidential Suite (3 bedrooms... and even more luxurious if that is possible).
Entering the main dining, I was reminded of similar lodges in South Africa with décor radiating a warm, relaxed and convivial atmosphere. All of this was a friendly and appreciated change from other impersonal dining experiences.
We fortunate to visit around the time a new menu had been set by award winning French Chef David Miras, which was varied and original considering the amount of guests to cater for. 
Each dish sampled by the different members of our party were passed around excitedly; classic dishes, superbly executed. The staff were very knowledgeable on the contents of the new menu. They were all highly attentive and gave good advice on what was being served.
At Al Maha all meals are inclusive, and the aim is to make every one of them pleasurable for you. Whether it's breakfast in your suite, a buffet lunch in the dining room, or a picnic on your safari, you will sense a personal attentiveness and care.
Relaxed informality tends to be the prevailing mood. The barbecues in a lush oasis are great fun. Snacks by the poolside can be as elaborate as a mezze, or as simple as a sandwich.
After lunch we had little time before setting off on our camel trek to sundowners on the dunes. For those who aren’t comfortable with riding camels, there are luxury 4x4s that drive you to the same location (Take your camera!).Camel riding can leave you and other guests unified by an initially quite perturbing experience- a highly amusing time for everyone.
As we settled on the dunes, snacks and drinks at hand silent as the red sun dropped slowly into the horizon, the romance of Al Maha really came to life. Romantic honeymooners paired off to snap away at each other with cameras; other couples settled into the sand and kicked off their shoes with waiters were on hand to serve.
The luxury factor on this desert adventure may have been cranked up with personal rangers, spas and individual lap pools that feature Arabian Oryx and Gazelles wandering freely passed you as you relax but there’s nothing quite like this original desert resort which makes for an unforgetable extraordinary trip.
Photos courtesy: Mohamed Rahim Payab
