Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara

2026-09-11

What makes this resort so unique is the feeling it creates. There’s something incredibly special about being surrounded by pristine dunes. The scenic drive from the entrance to the resort is unforgettable (I went there early morning during sunrise, spectacular) with ghazals crossing the road from one side of the desert to the other. Rooms are large and spacious, massive pools (family and infinity adult), they are pets friendly which is great too. Their villas were far beyond my expectations, with private pool. Love their bathroom amenities (Botanyc). They have great staff, very friendly and polite. I saw a spot inside the desert for their famous ‘Dining by Design’, stunning. F & B was massive variety and top notch ingredients. This is the place if you want to disconnect with the world and reconnect with yourself!

2026-08-11

We have just got back from a few days at Qasr Al Sarab with our dog Simba and wanted to say thank you properly, because the staff here were lovely from start to finish. Abhi was our host and he was wonderful. He took to Simba straight away and somehow turned him into the secret star of the hotel. He even brought him a little bandana, which Simba has been wearing proudly ever since. We travel with Simba a lot and have never been made to feel this welcome with him. Zelda looked after us at breakfast every morning and was always cheerful, even before we had our coffee. Jit, our housekeeper, kept our room immaculate and was so kind with Simba too. In the evenings we enjoyed the bar, where Tsepo looked after us really well. When one drink wasn't quite right, he sorted it straight away. Musin in the restaurant was just as attentive and made every dinner a pleasure. Those are the people we got to know best, but we could have named many more. Everyone we met was warm and genuinely happy to have us there. Whoever is in charge of hiring at Qasr Al Sarab clearly knows what they are doing. You can tell the team is chosen carefully. We will definitely be back, with Simba and his bandana.

2026-08-11

THE HIGHLIGHTS The hotel itself is stunning, and the surrounding dunes are absolutely breathtaking. The cleanliness across the entire resort is impeccable. Everywhere you go, even the roads are kept completely sand free. ​The villa is absolutely stunning and completely worth the premium in my opinion. Our room and private plunge pool were extremely clean. The soundproofing is also fantastic. Inside the room, you cannot hear the outside world at all, and we had no issues with noisy neighbors. Dining by Design was expensive, but flawless. Chef Binod is outstanding and hands down the best food I have had in the UAE. Our server, Sidhant, was also great and incredibly nice. The standard restaurants across the resort were good, too. ​We are active people, and Jude was a gracious and excellent host for desert biking, padel, and table tennis. We also really liked the Night Discovery Walk. It was a unique experience and they threw in some stargazing. ​The spa was really good. Melody is a standout act, and Beatrice at the wellness center also deserves a special shout out. ​Arun provided a great butler experience and was very good to us. I loved the convenience of checking out directly from the room and his assistance in navigating the myriad of hotel activities. ​AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT The Falcon and Saluki show was just OK. It was nothing impressive, especially considering the high cost. The flies during breakfast were not good at all, and the restaurant kept running out of the spinning tabletop fans used to keep them away. Inside the villa, the light switches are overly complicated and take some getting used to. Additionally, given the tier and price of the villas, at least some of the minibar items should be complimentary. ​When it comes to scheduling, the resort heavily promotes paid activities but neglects the complimentary ones. I emailed a mixed itinerary of both before arriving, but the hotel only printed out my paid activities as the official schedule for my stay. While Arun was great, it would be much more seamless if the butlers had the guest's complete pre-selected activity list containing both paid and unpaid items handy on their phones. This would save guests from having to remind them of the schedule. ​TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS A desert walk is nice, so I recommend picking one. We picked the night walk, but the evening would also be nice. You can also just choose to avoid paying for the guided day walks and just do them yourself. Choose the evening or night over the morning, as the morning fog could disappoint you. ​It was nice to have the rates and brochures before coming, so the costs did not surprise me. However, if you are an activities person, be prepared to budget accordingly. You could easily end up spending way more on activities and extras than your actual accommodation rate.