Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort

It takes a lot to surprise us these days, but Anantara opening a hotel in Tunisia qualifies. The brand is best known for island resorts, but this one is fully immersed in the Sahara, within driving distance of the dunes where the original Star Wars was shot. And while it’s been painstakingly tailored to its setting, using local architecture, design, and crafts, it’s as attractive and as luxurious as any of the other Anantara resorts.

What this means, in concrete terms — no pun intended — is a top-tier luxury hotel, complete with the first-class spa experience for which the Anantara brand is known, as well as a beautifully localized version of Anantara’s minimalist-luxe interior style. Moorish and Berber influences abound, connecting the interiors with the only-in-Tunisia desert landscapes outside, and the comforts, as always, are nothing short of extravagant.


It’s a self-contained experience, if you want it to be, with a lavish spa and a handful of very fine restaurants and bars. But you wouldn’t come all the way to Tunisia without an eye for some desert exploration; with tours of the Tozeur medina, the abandoned villages of the Atlas mountains, and the salt flats of Chott el Djerid, the Anantara makes the most of its off-the-beaten-path setting.