Build it and they will come!

Build it and they will come!

Qasr Al Sarab is a 5 star resort in the middle of the desert, about 2 hours drive from Abu Dhabi.

I had seen pictures of this resort and spoken to friends who had visited it. It was definitely on my “Abu Dhabi bucket list”! So with my “birthday” this year falling on a weekend I informed my family that this is what I wanted – a weekend at Qasr Al Sarab!!

Due to school activities we left Abu Dhabi after dinner and had to drive in the evening. Once out of the city it was a long straight empty dark road that took us towards the desert and the resort. Leon enjoyed taking the car up to 120 km per hour but the occasional solar speed traps – well hidden on the unlit road forced us to slow down once in a while! For which I was thankful for!

At 9:30 we pulled off the main road into the sand dunes! There was a small paved road again unlit. No one else in sight! Just dunes on either side of us! How beautiful! After a 15 minute drive through the dunes we drove through massive gates to the resort. Even at night it was as impressive as its pictures!!

We were met at the entrance by extremely attentive staff. Our personal check in staff took us though to the back of the lobby to wait in big oversized couches for the check in process to be completed. Then it was out to a large golf cart with a driver who took us to our rooms.

Wow-how magnificent! Our Oversized room had a partially covered terrace as large as the room!

The girl’s room had a lovely garden with private seating overlooking the pool area. This is what hotel rooms should be like everywhere. Stepping out into the terrace I noticed the sky-filled with stars! I realized I hadn’t seen stars in such a long time! The city lights of Abu Dhabi prohibit us from seeing stars – this was lovely. I couldn’t wait to see the resort in the daylight!

In the morning the resort did not disappoint! Just has I had heard-it is built in the middle of no where-in the middle of the desert. Dunes for days! Literally! I wondered how this particular spot was chosen. It made me think of Walt Disney back in the 50’s. What made him choose that exact place to build Disney World in Florida. Build it and they will come! If the resort is fabulous then word of mouth will work and people will find it!

We enjoyed hours by the pool and ended the afternoon with a trek up the dunes to watch the sunset-something we had been told we must do! The girls were a bit nervous at first but the pictures show that the trek was worth it! Stunning views! Pictures speak a thousand words.

We finished the day with room service for dinner seated out on our terrace under the stars. 2 large trays of my favorite Arabic grill arrived and the staff promptly set everything up outside. It was glorious!

The next morning Elise and I rose very early to attend sunrise yoga! A small group of only 5 of us were determined enough to get up early while on vacation, but what a payoff! We stretched and did downward dogs as the sun rose over the dunes.

It was so peaceful. I had never done yoga outside before.

After lunch we enjoyed some of the activities available to guests of the resort. We chose archery

as Sara had become a bit of an expert at camp last summer. This was harder than I expected and I found out that we are a bit competitive as a family! But we had fun!

Even though this was only a 2 night getaway, I really felt as if I was in the middle of no where. It was so peaceful with beautiful views everywhere.

This is the way to vacation!

Just because I’ve checked this amazing resort off my bucket list does it mean I can’t go back there again?