Dunes by Al Nahda Hotel

Wadi Al Abiyad, Oman

After silently thanking George Cayley for inventing the seatbelt and ascending a near-vertical sand dune in a power-packed jeep, arriving at Dunes by Al Nahda will feel like stumbling across a desert oasis. In the distance, an infinity pool pours into the sands, the resident camel can be heard grunting and, on arrival, a mint tea will find its way into the hands of the wide-eyed travellers stood at the top of 7ha of golden-hued dunes. Bedecked with Bedouin charm, 50 biscuit-coloured tents are scattered across the Wadi Al Abiyad landscape, each concealing rooms draped in silks the colour of Quality Street wrappers with sunken bathtubs (ideal for soaking off the sand) and hand-crafted Omani lanterns. Roughing it, this is not. Be sure to take part in shuwa, the local tradition where meat (usually lamb or goat) is marinated in a dizzying mix of spices and oils, encased in palm leaves and cooked in a fire pit built in the sands for 24 hours. Settle down to enjoy the barbecued meat the following evening beneath a canopy of stars.

Doubles from £310. dunesbyalnahda.com