Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa

Dubai is a city of excess, a fast-paced, futuristic city, a showcase of unimaginable wealth and nearly unrestrained development — two emblems of which are the 1,000-foot Burj al-Arab hotel, the world's first seven-star hotel, and the massive man-made Palm Island, not just named for but also in the shape of a palm tree (at least from a satellite's-eye view), home to thousands of luxury villas, including one belonging to David and Victoria Beckham.

Al Maha, then, is just what Dubai needs — it's the perfect antidote to the luxury overkill on the coast. The resort, some 45 kilometers inland from the city, is reachable only by hotel-arranged jeep transfer — no private vehicles (and indeed, no outside visitors) are allowed at the compound. Here it is possible to feel at one with the desert in a way that is quite unattainable from the confines of a traditional luxury hotel.

Fears of roughing it amidst broken-down trucks and sand-filled tents prove to be baseless; this is eco-tourism, UAE style — meaning that though Al Maha is a sanctuary for endangered wildlife, and a tented Bedouin-style encampment that heats its water with solar energy, it is still as luxurious as any big-city hotel. Service is first-rate, and guest suites come with such luxury amenities as walk-in showers, spacious baths, and king beds.

There are, obviously, sights to see and activities on offer that would be difficult to find in a traditional luxury hotel. Horseback riding and falconry are among the sporting options, and walking and driving tours of the desert can be arranged. And the hotel's centerpiece may be its role as a sanctuary for the Arabian oryx, an endangered gazelle-like animal indigenous to the UAE. Binoculars are provided for animal-watching, and the gentle creatures prowl through the camp at night while guests sleep — an intrusion we find infinitely preferable to the sound of an ice machine, and elevator, or a hip hotel bar.

How to get there:
Al Maha is approximately a 50 minute drive from Dubai and 1 1/2 hours from Abu Dhabi International Airport.