Aladdins true home or a fairytale which became reality – Qasr Al Sarab by Anantara. Admire endless dunes from palatial luxury in the heart of the Empty Quarter. Located in the legendary Rub’Al Khali, the largest contiguous and uninterrupted sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km² (250,000 sq mi) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The resort is a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi. The resort offers different kind of accommodations, from beautifully designed rooms to incredible Royal Pavillion Pool Villas.

A truly unique hotel with incredible views at day- and nighttime. Delicious food from local cuisine to modern western inspired dishes and breathtaking desert views, overlooking Rub’Al Khali. This trip was perfect, the staff did a fantastic job and we really enjoyed our stay there and wouldn’t hesitate to go back right now. I usually do prefer exploring other hotels and areas but this was definitely a place I can’t wait to go back to. This trip still feels unreal and I always gasp when I look back on our pictures. We stayed at a breathtaking patio room overlooking the dunes and the last two days at Villa 10 – one villa of the Royal Pavillion Pool Villas. I highly recommend choosing Villa 10 if you plan to visit Qasr Al Sarab, it has according to the management and based on my personal opinion the best views overlooking the desert and the resort. It is super quiet and you are able to enjoy privacy on another level. The service was super friendly, listened carefully and was able to answer all of your questions. I know that this should be the case in a five star hotel but I experienced that this is not everywhere the case. We fell in love with this unique, hidden place right away and it is so hard to find the right words to express all of my feelings for it.

Most of  our days at Qasr Al Sarab were pretty much the same, which I preferred during this trip. We had breakfast at the restaurant and light lunches at our terrace followed by a relaxed afternoon by the pool, cocktails at the bar and fine dining in the evening overlooking the desert and a sky full with stars. Every other day we included a workout at the hotel gym, which was one of the biggest ones I have ever seen at a hotel. Personal Training service was available too upon request. The gym was really clean and well maintained.

We did not explore the city of Abu Dhabi this time and spent the last two days of our trip at the St. Regis Hotel on Saadiyat Island, which we did not like at all. The island is a huge construction zone and the St. Regis failed our expectations in every way. The food was just okay, the service was pretty bad compared to our desert location and for a five star hotel nothing special at all. The room was not clean which made us move three times until we finally found an okay to stay place. The beach was a mess too, since two hotels were build close to the St. Regis and we even had problems taking pictures there because the hotel security won’t allow it the first time, after I told them I will inform the management they said it is okay but I still can not believe that this has happened. I will definitely not stay again at a St. Regis and I wouldn’t recommend it at all!

After a dream vacation in the dessert we left Abu Dhabi and flew back home to New York.