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Villa interiors are minimalist and calming. The views are nothing short of jaw-dropping-around half the villas face the rock formations, with the rest looking out over the valley towards Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building, and AlUla’s most spectacular modern masterpiece. Each villa sits beneath a large batwing canopy that provides much-needed shade from the desert sun and natural ventilation.
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There are plans to redevelop these accommodations and add them to the inventory for the 2023-24 winter season.Ĭool, spacious, and with color schemes that reflect the desertscape outside, the villas are generously sized (between 77 and 240 square meters) with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors. The Banyan Tree has taken over a site that includes an existing camp, the Ashar Tented Resort, and five Royal Villas, which are separate from the new property. While tourism here is still in its infancy, there’s a genuine sense that everyone you meet-from hotel staff to drivers, guides, and even local families out for an evening stroll-is excited to be part of welcoming the world. Saudi Arabia opened up for tourism in 2019, and while the heritage sites of AlUla have been known by archaeologists for decades, it’s only in the past couple of years that facilities have been in place to welcome international visitors. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Hegra, home to those spectacular Nabataean tombs, is a 20-minute drive away, as is AlUla Old Town with its handful of restaurants, cafés, and small shops.
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It’s a long walk from end to end, but in the early morning before the heat sets in, it’s a spectacular way to appreciate the full majesty of the setting. Currently, getting around requires a buggy, but bicycles for each villa will be arriving soon. There are two main anchors, the North and South Pavilions, connected by a track almost three kilometers in length, twisting and turning between dunes and rock formations. In the early morning, when first light hits their surface, the rocks take on a honey-colored hue that changes throughout the day, blushing a warm pink as the sun sets.Īrrival is by car on a sand road, and at first glance it’s easy to miss the property, the 47 standalone villas blending almost seamlessly into the landscape. The resort sprawls across 10,000 square meters of AlUla’s Ashar Valley, a broad swath of pale desert surrounded by otherworldly rock pinnacles. The Banyan Tree brings a new level of luxury to this desert land that’s home to 200,000 years of human history, an oasis filled with 2.3 million date palms, and sandstone tombs hewn from the rocks by the Nabataeans, the architects who carved the ancient heritage sites at Petra in Jordan. The summit center will be carved into the adjacent mountain it will have 13 hospitality pavilions, an auditorium, meeting rooms, a majlis, a library, and a sports and leisure area.Simply put, AlUla is breathtaking. The designs will be inspired by Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, Nabataean Wonders of Hegra, which pays tribute to the architectural heritage of the kingdom. A fine-dining restaurant will be built atop the mountains looking over Sharaan. The ancient mountains of Sharaan Nature Reserve will house the new luxury resort with 38 suites, a spa and wellness center, a kids club, a sports studio, an all-day dining restaurant, and a business hub. “The resort was designed with complete reverence for the human and natural history of AlUla, and we are committed to sustainable building practices in line with this same philosophy,” said Altheeb.
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To further the kingdom’s sustainability goals, the resort will treat wastewater to reuse for irrigation and only use portable water when necessary. Mohammed Altheeb, Royal Commission for AlUla’s chief development and construction officer, described the resort as AlUla’s “most ambitious project”. Nouvel said the resort would seep in the natural beauty of AlUla and a perfect blend of the Nabataean spirit, culture, and modernity. The resort will be carved inside the mountains. The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has begun constructing the Sharaan Resort and International Summit Centre, designed by noted French architect Jean Nouvel, the man behind Louvre Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia is building a luxury resort in the ancient AlUla mountains.
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