Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai

“THE best property with THE best service”

Just returned from another 10 night stay at Al Maha and cant wait to go back again - this property is superb. We just wanted to thank you everybody at Al Maha for another fantastic experience, I don’t think people can appreciate how amazing the place is when we tell them. Special mention goes ou… more

Just returned from another 10 night stay at Al Maha and cant wait to go back again - this property is superb. We just wanted to thank you everybody at Al Maha for another fantastic experience, I don’t think people can appreciate how amazing the place is when we tell them. Special mention goes out to Michelle (sorry you're leaving soon) and Alex our Field Guides who were brilliant, Tracy and Joel in the restaurant, your marvellous Executive Chef who created some special memories for us, and to Maria who never changes. There are too many people to mention as it takes those behind the scenes to also make everything perfect and it was.

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“Always Amazing”

Always spectacular. They have the most attentive staff, special shout out to Joel who always remembers us ans treats us like old friends. The desert and the bed amd the food and the gazelles. Magical stay as always. The breakfast options are always absolutely delicious, shalshuka and date bread … more

Always spectacular. They have the most attentive staff, special shout out to Joel who always remembers us ans treats us like old friends. The desert and the bed amd the food and the gazelles. Magical stay as always. The breakfast options are always absolutely delicious, shalshuka and date bread are favourites

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“Top Service with a few downsides”

We have been coming to this great resort for years. It is a real oasis to relax and enjoy. Great service from all the staff especially Prakash and Anjal in the restaurant do a sensational job. Unfortunately the "dress code" for dinner is no longer enforced and guests come to dinner in shorts and fl… more

We have been coming to this great resort for years. It is a real oasis to relax and enjoy. Great service from all the staff especially Prakash and Anjal in the restaurant do a sensational job. Unfortunately the "dress code" for dinner is no longer enforced and guests come to dinner in shorts and flip flops and T-Shirts. It also takes some getting used to for Europeans when Asian guests at neighboring tables smack their lips and burp loudly when you yourself want to enjoy the food and the attentive service. Another innovation that we do not see as positive is that younger children are now also accepted and then run through the restaurant screaming loudly or make noise in the villas. However, I am confident that the new GM will soon put this right.

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“Exceptional property and luxurious stay, marred by service misstep”

I would like to recognize the following staff members for their outstanding service: Activities Team: Michelle, Ryno, Marno, Sean, Alex Front Office: Joan, Ariel, Winnie, Mohamed Gift Shop: Marie/Mary In-Villa Dining: Imran, Janith, Bharath, Uthiravel, and Hubert Buggy Squad: Nujlee, Ousaf, and Vi… more

I would like to recognize the following staff members for their outstanding service: Activities Team: Michelle, Ryno, Marno, Sean, Alex Front Office: Joan, Ariel, Winnie, Mohamed Gift Shop: Marie/Mary In-Villa Dining: Imran, Janith, Bharath, Uthiravel, and Hubert Buggy Squad: Nujlee, Ousaf, and Viraj Al Diwan: Tracy Michelle truly stood out during our stay. From check-in to check-out, she was with us daily, ensuring we had one of the best service experiences we’ve ever encountered. Her flexibility in adjusting activity times to suit our needs was greatly appreciated, and she even advocated on our behalf with the front office to extend our late check-out from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Michelle was incredibly engaging, and the wide variety of activities she facilitated highlighted her impressive range of expertise—from wildlife drives to the exhilarating dune bashing experience. This property is easily one of the finest within the Marriott portfolio. Even the base rooms are luxurious pool villas with large living areas, spacious bathrooms, and outdoor patios with gazelles in residence. Props to housekeeping as I can imagine those villas are a nightmare to service. The desert sand gets into literally every crevice including and especially the pool. Even now, I'm still finding sand in some of my pockets. With each night booked, guests enjoy three meals (either in the restaurant or in-room) and two included activities. During our three-night stay, we had the opportunity to enjoy a wide selection of meals and all six activities. We also opted to pay a supplemental fee for the desert safari/dune bashing and the desert conservation tour. If you’re driving to the resort, we recommend doing the desert conservation tour independently. As Titanium members, we felt valued throughout our stay. Our request for a villa with unobstructed views of the watering hole and a late check-out was honored, which added to the overall experience. We also much appreciate the Bateel dates welcome gift. One suggestion for the resort would be to allow guests to apply two activity bookings toward an experience that requires a fee surcharge, or perhaps to use one activity booking as a 50% discount for a surcharge-based experience. This would offer more flexibility and enhance the overall value of the stay. While this was one of our favorite stays, we must deduct a star due to a service failure. We had requested a private room to celebrate my father’s birthday, which was acknowledged but never fulfilled. In a resort with only 42 keys and during a low-season weekday, it was unacceptable to not receive any prior notice that the request couldn’t be accommodated. Instead, we discovered this only when seated at the restaurant. However, we want to commend Joan from the front office, who surprised us with a birthday cake, despite us not having requested one. Before my stay, I was curious why a property of this caliber and history has not earned any Forbes stars, especially when compared to other Marriott resorts in the UAE with larger room counts and lower rates. I suspect this lapse may reflect a broader issue with service when the resort is stress tested at full occupancy.

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