Sand Castles
Breathtaking landscapes, unique activities and starry nights are the hallmarks of a great desert stay, says Imogen Lepere, who sifts through the world’s best hotels and camps.
Abu Dhabi QASR AL SARAB
Despite being characterized by its magnificent excess, this hotel is excellent value. There are 205 spacious rooms, villas and suites, abounding with silk cushions, leather armchairs and silver and bronze chandeliers. The United Arab Emirates’ rulers have their tribal roots in the region and Abu Dhabi’s glitterati regularly descend for lavish weekends. Opt for the hotel’s limousine from the airport (why wouldn’t you when the exchange rate is so good?) and ditch your hiking boots before making your entrance at any of the five restaurants. Rooftop steakhouse Suhail offers more than 120 wines and awe-inspiring views of Abu Dhabi’s aptly named, vast Empty Quarter. Jump in a 4WD vehicle and spend the day ‘dune-bashing’ with a driver – and get set for a brilliantly bumpy ride. Don’t miss the daily falconry shows, led by a master of this ancient art whose skills have been passed down through four generations of the same family.
Travel Details
Doubles from £193; nearest airport: Abu Dhabi (210km); Air Serbia airserbia.com has return flights from £388. qasralsarab.anantara.com
Chile EXPLORA ATACAMA
From the snow-capped Andes to the Pacific Ocean, the Atacama Desert is a hotchpotch of sensational scenery. Volcanoes loom over glistening salt flats while the Moon Valley is so otherworldly, Nasa tests equipment there. Take advantage of pleasant October temperatures (about 21C) with one of Explora Atacama’s expert activity packages – you can choose from the likes of hiking, horse riding, cycling and astrology. Explora Atacama is the destination hotel in the oasis of San Pedro. Its 50 rooms are tastefully decorated in restful hues, while wifi is banished to communal areas, so you can switch off completely. It boasts its own observatory, an enviable wine cellar and a dazzling open-air spa that has four pools, Jacuzzis and a sauna and steam bath. Well-worked muscles will feel instantly revived by a traditional Turi Puri massage and glass of merlot in the hot tub. For an unforgettable experience, bask in Puritama hot springs, located in a nearby nature reserve.
Travel Details
Doubles from £1,082, including activities, transfers and meals; nearest airport: Calama (100km); flights from £1,138 with LAN lan.com and TAM tam.com.br airlines. explora.com
Namibia WOLWEDANS
In local Nama dialect, ‘Namib’ means ‘vast place’, and as you stand at the heart of the oldest desert in the world, you’ll see why. This great beach has swallowed more than 2,000km of Namibia’s coastline and 81,000 square kilometres of the country, taking lumbering mountains, moonscape valleys and fiery plateaus in its stride. Atlantic mists roll in just before sunrise, creating enough moisture to nourish a surprising variety of wildlife. Look out for giraffes, oryxes and wildcats on a safari around Wolwedans nature reserve, which maintains a ratio of 1,000ha of desert per bed. If you need a little breathing space from everyday life, it’s hard to beat the six luxurious camps that are sprinkled throughout its 200,000ha. We recommend Dunes Lodge, with its two lounges, library and infinity pool with hammocks. The nine chalets have canvas walls that can be folded up, so you can wake up to the sound of the dune larks as warm breezes drift in.
Travel Details
Doubles from £244, full-board; nearest airport: Windhoek (440km); South African Airways flysaa.com has flights from £1,231. wolwedans.com
Dubai BANYAN TREE AL WADI
Jet into Dubai and follow the well-heeled locals to the exclusive resort of Al Wadi. Just a 45-minute drive from the airport, it is located within the lesser-known neighbouring emirate of Ras al-Khaimah and has a five-star setting amid the desert vegetation and backdrop of the Al Hajjar Mountains. Each villa has its own infinity pool, king-size bed and seriously sexy lighting. Take your pick from six restaurants and bars, including the open-air Moon Bar and Safran, a Thai restaurant with sweeping views over the vast nature reserve. If you’re the romantic type, try the desert dining experience: a private meal among the dunes, with a butler anticipating your every need. There are some knock-out day trips on offer, and if you fancy a flutter then October sees the start of camel racing season at Suwan track. And if all that sand makes you think of the sea, simply hop on a shuttle bus for 20 minutes and spend the day at the resort’s beach club. Ras al-Khaimah has sand like sugar and is right on the Arabian Gulf.
Travel Details
Villas from £500; nearest airport: Dubai (80km); Emirates emirates.com has flights from £820. banyantree.com
India MIHIR GARH
Picture the most extravagant sand castle you’ve ever built. Now put it on a dune in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert. Add castellated turrets, curvaceous towers inspired by the huts of the Bishnoi tribe, a plunge pool or Jacuzzi per bedroom and you have Mihir Garh – or ‘Fort of the Sun’ to its designers. A total of 150 local craftsmen toiled for two years over just nine suites and the result is a sensual feast. Each space is 158 square metres and includes gorgeous features such as mirrored chimneypieces and frescoes of peacocks with jewelled tails. An entire stable-full of Marwari horses makes this the ideal choice for an equestrian lover. The sense of freedom that comes from riding these powerful beasts through their homeland among the birds and other wildlife will be a memory to cherish.
Travel Details
Doubles from £322; nearest airport: Jodhpur (60km); Air India airindia.in has flights from £471. mihirgarh.com
USA AMANGIRI
In a country as vast as the US, it’s easy to travel for days in between sights. So when you have the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks all within a few hours’ drive, you know you’re onto a winner. When the sun is at its height and the ruddy sands of Utah’s Canyon Point burn white, it is almost impossible to spot Amangiri. This exclusive desert hideaway blends so seamlessly into its surroundings that condors swoop over it fearlessly, making it a bird watchers’ paradise. Its 34 suites are an ode to minimalism; think contemporary sculpture, sleek wooden furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows. Throw in a gallery of Navajo art, restaurant serving locally sourced produce and cutting-edge spa and you have the last word in desert chic. After an afternoon of hiking, relax in the stone-lined pool, drying beside the outdoor fire. Ask the staff to make up one of the king-sized day beds and spend a night under the stars.
Travel Details
Doubles from £1,340; nearest airport: Las Vegas (390km); Virgin Atlantic virgin-atlantic.com has flights from £2,254 (amanresorts.com/amangiri)
Oman DESERT NIGHTS CAMP
This Oman camp puts the ‘glam’ into glamping. Although there are four ‘normal’ rooms, the 26 tented suites are spectacular. Every contemporary convenience has been cunningly included (power showers, hairdryers and air conditioning) without compromising on pared-back Arabian design. Frankincense wafts from metal burners, locally woven tapestries adorn the walls and sprigs of bougainvillea are scattered over silken bed throws every evening. After a long day quad-biking through the rippling Sharqiya Sands, recline on your porch with a laban (a salty buttermilk drink) while local women adorn your arm with henna art. For a closer look at the culture around you, visits to traditional Bedouin huts can also be arranged. Two Dunes Restaurant serves Arabic dishes such as Mashuai (spit-roasted kingfish and lemon rice) or pre-book a traditional barbecue two days in advance; lamb baked under ochre sand for at least 48 hours provides a beguiling taste of the wilderness.
Travel Details
Deluxe double tent from £192; nearest airport: Muscat (230km); Oman Air omanair.com has flights from £510 (omanhotels.com/desertnightscamp)
Australia Prairie Hotel
Need proof that this intoxcatingly alien landscape really is South Australia? Step into the classic Edwardian bar of the savagely isolated Prairie Hotel, where locals sip cold ones and the humour is as dry as the dust in Parachilna’s oven-like heat. Need more evidence? Then tuck into the hotel’s acclaimed but pricey feral grill, with its camel sausages and kangaroo steaks served alongside bush tomato jam. The Prairie offers slickly contemporary eco- accommodation, including the revamped heritage rooms, which are partially buried in order to stay cool. This is the rough-as-guts wilderness with the harsh edges polished off. It’s also a superb spot to take a scenic flight, whether you’re soaring high above the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound, or the 1,600 million- year-old wonderland of Arkaroola with its granite peaks, slopes of golden spinifex and views of dazzling salt lakes. Closer to home, dusk delivers the coal train – one of the longest on Earth, with more than 160 carriages. Passing directly in front of the Prairie’s striped awning, it’s your signal to head outside, sink a beer and witness a man-made rather than a natural desert marvel.
Travel Details
Doubles from £92. Airport: Adelaide (470km); Emirates emirates.com flights from £1,719. prairiehotel.com.au
Jordan Wadi Rum Night Camp
As you thunder through the sun-stained chasms of Wadi Rum on camel-back, it’s impossible not to indulge in Lawrence of Arabia daydreams and the Night Camp brings them to life. This is our pick for those looking for an authentic desert experience. Its 25 tents are on the rustic side of luxurious; beds and dressing tables are hand- carved by local tribesmen, while dinner is served on low-slung, silken couches in one of two restaurant tents. Negotiate your way into the kitchen and learn how to make traditional Jordanian flatbread filled with za’taar spices and local cheese. Pre-book a day’s camel trekking for an experience budding adventurers and historians will savour. The rock formations are epic and you’ll see the remains of Lawrence’s house, as well as inscriptions carved into the sandstone cliffs in Aramaic, which is thought to be the language of Jesus. Your guide will help you translate the names of the Thamudic tribesmen whose camel trains plodded this path 2,000 years ago. Guests can also combine the trip with a visit to Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, less than two hours away.
Travel Details
Doubles from £80; nearest airport: Queen Alia International in Amman (290km); Royal Jordanian rj.com has flights from £755. wadirumnight.com
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