Bling it on: Qasr Al Sarab

Fantastic!!! Really interesting experience. Just wondering since the hotel sits in the "middle of nowhere" how they manage to have all those people working in the hotel. Do they commute everyday or they live nearby?

@ Santastico -- Thanks! The employees all live on site. They have housing right by the resort.

I'm surprised Etihad’s complimentary chauffeur service will pick you guys up since it's 2 hours away from the airport. Is there a limitation of how far they can pick you up or as long as you are anywhere in UAE?

@ AC -- Yep, they'll pick you up anywhere in the UAE. It's pretty awesome.

Looks awesome! Great to see something different!

All those pics of the desert look surreal! That one with the "sunset view of the desert from [your] room" looked like it came from another planet! Amazing!

How was internet speeds at the hotel?

@ danny -- It was very fast.

Wow. Is there anything that you haven't seen or experienced when it comes to top-of-the-line hotel luxury? Seriously, how do you manage to pay for these things? It can't just be credit card sign-on bonuses and referrals, etc. You must be minting money in your day job, if at all there is one 🙂

@ BravoNovember -- Hah, thanks. Sadly I don't have any fancy trust fund or anything, but rather just try to be creative when I can. In this case I was just using credit from Jetsetter, so aside from the excursions the stay didn't really cost me anything.

Just got back from here. It proved to be a wonderful end to our family trip. Service was excellent; we encountered none of the uninterested staff that you did (I suspect they had quit by the time we arrived). Highly recommended.

Did you see any interesting critters in the desert? Scorpions, spiders, snakes, etc.?

@ Rich -- Nope, not really, surprisingly.

I was fortunate enough to stay here on my honeymoon, also in a Deluxe Terrace Room on the paid "Desert Discovery" package which included two activities in the room rate.

This hotel was one of the highlights of my travelling career. It was an ultimately fabulous experience and definitely a treasure to be experienced at least once if you are through the UAE.

Highly Recommended.

If it is in the middle of nowhere, what are the structures that we can see in the distance in your photograph from the room's terrace. Is the hotel that big or is it employee housing or a village?

@ Ken -- Those are the hotel's villas.

Wasteful extravagance that is very environmentally unfriendly

@Ben, just wondering whether you have been able to experience a similar sunrise from your terrace as riding a camel really doesn't appeal to me.

Great TR. Thanks for posting.

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Great content, but for heaven's sake, take a writing class or find an editor!

So, does it feel more luxurious to take a bath in a giant bath tub (or go swimming in a pool) in a desert miles away from any water, than in Seattle?

Speaking of which, where does all that water come from? Is it piped-in desalinated water from the coast?

We went to Al Maha which was beautiful but service a bit iffy. Next on the list is the Banyan Tree in RAK which is cheap in comparison - will be interesting to see how that is - decor is more modern and all pool villas

Currently here now. Amazing place. Jaw-dropping location. Almost had a panic attack on the cost per person for the buffet dinner ($70 incl all taxes). Glad we're staying two nights. Otherwise not much else to do.

Now, off to find Aladdin's lamp and my three wishes...

Wow. Just did the dune-bashing ride. What a thrilling experience. Most of the drive was pushing the limits of physics. Best money spent by far at this resort. The end was spectacular...drove to a flat spot where tea/coffee/sandwiches were waiting. Watched the sun as it set. Bonus was that the camel trek was finishing there too, so got to have photos taken with lovely camels.

Beware...motion sickness likely to occur even for the most hardened. Just let the staff know beforehand and they can provide something to take.

Would it make sense to go for only one night here if we reach early in the day and do a late checkout the next day?

@ Tan -- It might be a bit rushed, but ultimately if that's all you can do then I think it's still worth it. I doubt weather will be an issue, so you should be able to still do all the most interesting activities in that timeframe.

Thanks so much for your scribings. Assisted greatly in my making decision to stay at Qasr al Sarab vs Al Maha and Bab Al Shams (want a 1 night desert experience amidst a say either side in Abu Dhabi and Dubai - 1 week total. Your info provided everything I needed to know actually
Best
Kim, Sydney Australia

that Etihads chauffer service is just for business class clients?