Suzanne and George from Dubai Today on a Road Trip to the Empty Quarter and The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort

When somebody suggests spending three hours in a car travelling through a barren landscape my initial gut response is 'ugh, really?'. But then Suzanne uttered the words "Qasr Al Sarab' and my face lit up. And so it was that we came to find ourselves setting off from our final GITEX broadcast, luggage in hand, on an exciting road trip to the Empty Quarter in Liwa. As we hurriedly dragged Suzanne's enormous bags of luggage up the escalators towards the car park, we grabbed sandwiches and coffee's and then threw everything in the back of my trusty Jeep Wrangler Sport: the perfect vehicle for a long trip through the desert.

Yes, we got lost. We got lost several times. A three hour journey took five, but for some strange reason it was all an adventure. We stopped off to see the crazy globe on wheels owned by the so called 'rainbow Sheikh' on the E65, sank a couple of freshly squeezed pineapple juices and took some beautiful photos of the ever-changing sand dunes. After driving 60km's past the hotel and then back again (thank you to the helpful men at the Liwa bus station) we finally arrived at what can only be described as heaven.  
 
Driving up to the main entrance of the Qasr Al Sarab is an experience in itself. Once off the main road, we drove several kilometres through undulating sand dunes that were now salmon pink in the deep orange sunset. We then turned a corner and there it was - a handsome, beautifully designed bridge over a moat leading through the main gates of the hotel. It truly is a sight to behold - breathtakingly dramatic, yet simple. No golden horses or record-breaking fountains are needed here - the gateway itself is more than enough. We left the Jeep with the charming valet staff and were then welcomed by Alexandra who seemed genuinely delighted to see us. She served us both with a tasty camel milk drink (delicious) that refreshed us after our long journey and then took us through the hotel to our rooms. 

The hotel rooms at the Qasr Al Sarab are perfect. Every last detail is thought-through, almost hand picked. To list the rooms features would be lengthy and boring but suffice to say every single aspect of a 5* hotel room was there. The unusual thing about these rooms is the way that the designers have merged modernity with classical Arabian and Thai styles. The flat-screen TV is hidden inside a beautiful, ornate hardwood cabinet; the digital lighting provides evening and afternoon settings but the lamps are glorious, handcrafted items that are like works of art. The bath is three feet deep and seven feet wide - the best bath in the world. And, art abounds. Every inch of the hotel is packed with art and artefacts that are either owned by the hotel or on loan from various UAE Sheikhs.  
 
Perhaps the most impressive thing about this hotel is the way that it connects with the true cultural history of the bedouin. There is a library where we reclined with coffees and dates, packed full of books about the history of the Emirates. The walls in that fantastic library are adorned with all manner of bedouin artefacts - swords, paintings, engravings, gold trays, items of clothing and my favourite - a huge camel spider pinned down in a glass box. This beast was the size of a mans face with two enormous red fangs. Bedouin history is at the very core of this hotel and a guided tour proves to be like a walk through the history of this great country. 

When we awoke on Friday we were faced with a packed day of activities. We kicked off with dune bashing (natures own roller coaster) - terrifying, giggly and tummy curdling fun. Thankfully we waited to have breakfast after the dune bashing. Breakfast was amazing - eggs to order and a range of traditional local dishes, including local foul medames and local scrambled eggs. The in-house team have also created a local version of the pancake, which comes with locally made date honey. Truly delicious and all served up by genuinely pleasant and informed staff. After a rest and a shower, we then headed down to meet the guys who were going to show us the falcons. We were driven up to the dunes where we saw a truly memorable display of falcon hunting. Admittedly the hunting is not real (it is against UAE law to hunt) but the falcons are trained to swoop down on 'prey' in order to gain their supper - a tasty quail. These are truly graceful creatures and with a top speed of 250km p/h the demonstration of their hunting and diving is truly breathtaking.  The little critters certainly sang for their suppers! As with everything at the Qasr Al Sarab, the falcon team were incredibly polite, very well informed and good fun to be around. There wasn't a thing that Jalal didn't know about the art of falconry, the history of falconry in the UAE (and the surrounding countries) or the nature of the birds themselves. It was truly great fun to be alongside experts who were able to add real value to the experience.   

A brief break and we were then all set for an evening walk through the sand dunes - pretty hard work but well worth it. We were guided up through several steep dunes to what felt like the top of the world. The sky was as black as death but sprinkled with literally millions of stars and in the distance, a splendid Arabian moon. I have not seen a sky like this in many years. The milky way was plainly visible to the naked eye. We lay there on our backs taking in the breathtaking sight of the heavens above us, surrounded by nothing but blackness and total peace. I cannot think of a better way to de-stress. The anxieties of every day life literally melted away as we lay in silence, eyes heaven-bound in mutual contemplation. A trip to Qasr Al Sarab would not be complete without this experience. They say that it's the simple things in life that make us happy - well what could be simpler than that? All we needed were hiking boots, a head lamp (to spot scorpions and camel spiders that might want to eat / sting us) and a trusty guide to lead us in to the wilderness and safely back again.

There was a lot that we simply didn't have time to do - camel trekking, the Liwa tour, desert yoga, archery, mountain biking, tennis or indeed enjoy the spa facilities, which are world class. On that note, I must mention the smell of this hotel. The entire place smells like a 5* spa resort - subtle smells of aromatherapy, Elemis products around every corner. Gone was the usual strong smell of Oud that we are all so accustomed to - this place smells like relaxation personified. Luckily we did find some time to relax by the expansive pool, which overlooks the most beautiful vista of golden, pink, ruddy red, metallic shimmering dunes that are like none that I have ever seen before. Unspoilt, they look as if they've simply been sprinkled by an enormous chef's sieve.  
 
I have been in the UAE for four years and I have been to a lot of hotels but I can honestly say that this one breaks the mould. The entire experience is stunning. The staff are well looked after, happy and all well informed. The food was excellent, the accommodation world-class and the activities extremely well organised. More than anything, we felt as if we were in control - able to do as little or as much as we fancied - this place is very customer-centric. Which is just as it should be.  
 
I'm very grateful that I was given an opportunity to experience this wonderful hotel. If you're wondering, yes it is definitely worth the drive. It only took us three hours to drive home and the views are spectacular, even from the highway. If you want to experience something remarkable, don't hesitate. I can't wait to go again.

Tune into Dubai Today on Wednesday 31st October at 10am and hear the full story from Suzanne and George talking to guests at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort.

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