Desert Rock Resort, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

Why book?

Saudi’s north-western Red Sea region is fast carving out a reputation for its glossy overwater resorts, but Desert Rock takes luxury to another landscape. At the region’s newest resort, around 30 minutes inland, villas vanish into the spiky, sprawling terrain, with tawny-hued rocks and weathered granite cliffs cradling suites that feel as if they’ve forever been a part of the ancient landscape.

Mornings are spent ziplining and abseiling through volcanic valleys, afternoons unwinding by private pools carved into the rock, and evenings wandering lantern-lit canyons. Yet the resort is also full of surprises, from retro-style record rooms and hands-on Bedouin pottery workshops to a secret shisha spot reached by a bracing 630-step climb up the mountain. It’s raw, it’s wild – luxury stripped back to its most elemental form.

Set the scene

The craggy rocks come first — towering, jagged and impossibly ancient. They rise abruptly from the desert floor, weathered by millennia into crevices, cliffs and smooth, sun-warmed faces. At dusk, the massif (rock face) glows a deep, bruised gold, and as night falls, it fades into shadow, leaving only the faint glint of scattered windows hidden among the formations.

Designed by Oppenheim Architecture – the Miami-based firm behind buildings like Six Senses Powder Mountain in Utah and Williamsburg Hotel in New York – Desert Rock’s restrained, Nabatean-inspired villas are carved into gaps in the stone and shaded slopes, their materials merging with the cliffs to cast silhouettes that are barely discernible in the daylight.

The arrival is designed to disorient. There’s no sweeping driveway, no grand reveal. Instead, guests are guided through a narrow canyon lined with flickering lanterns, before the arrival pavilion suddenly emerges from beyond the rocks. The buggy ride to the main lobby winds through a volcanic valley millions of years old, past Al Sokhour peak – the highest in the region – and into an arid wadi that opens like a scene from Star Wars, its vastness dotted with shrubs and clusters of beetles scuttling over the sand.

Unlike other mountain retreats that feel hemmed in by their surroundings, Desert Rock – spanning 30,000 square metres – is anything but confined. The architecture flows with the land, creating a striking sense of height and space. Private pools are positioned to frame views of the massif, and rooms are wrapped in nature but never overwhelmed by it.

For adrenaline-seekers, an adventure centre offers everything from ziplining to via ferrata, abseiling and climbing. For those who prefer to keep both feet firmly on the ground, the land itself offers quiet discoveries during nature treks catering to all levels of ability — the cracked remnants of camel bones and bitter Handal melons scattered across the sand, vipers slithering between rocks and the occasional hedgehog scuttling by. Fencing now keeps the wolves at bay, although one was spotted lounging by the pool during construction — a sight that seems perfectly fitting for this wild, untamed place.

Beyond the wadi lies an introspective, and at times surprising, escape. Music threads its way through the resort, from the $80,000 Bang & Olufsen listening room with its eclectic collection of 400 vinyls – Fleetwood Mac and Adele sit next to Saudi singing legend Mohammed Abdo’s greatest hits and Michael Bublé’s Christmas collection – to unplugged oud performances under the stars. Guests can join workshops led by local Bedouin artists, crafting pottery and textiles from materials found in the landscape, or take cooking classes with Saudi chefs.

The days begin with birds – hundreds of them – their calls ricocheting through the cliffs. Nights bring a spectacular scattering of stars, with rooftop astronomy sessions taking guests through ancient myths and Islamic navigation while tracing Bedouin trade routes with green laser pointers and whirring automatic telescopes.

"If you want to see the stars," our guide explains, "you have to go back thousands of years to when humans first looked to the skies for answers." And that’s exactly what Desert Rock does — it takes you back. To the land, to the stars, to a time when the desert thrived.

The backstory

The third resort from Red Sea Global – part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to pivot from oil to industries like tourism and entertainment – Desert Rock is the understated counterpoint to the futuristic, glimmering orbs of Shebara that hover over the Red Sea an hour away.

The hotel’s hidden wadi, known traditionally as the Passage of the Wolves, or Shaqiq Al Theeb, has long been a place of movement and gathering. For centuries, Bedouin tribes gathered here during the November falcon migration, sharing stories over barbecues and training their prized birds for hunting. T.E. Lawrence – the enigmatic British officer better known as Lawrence of Arabia – even once passed through the valley on his way to Aqaba in the early 1900s.

Yet the location wasn’t left to chance. Red Sea Global scanned 200 million rocks to pinpoint the least disruptive sites for construction. A full year went into mapping 5G tower locations, ensuring flawless connectivity in a landscape riddled with hidden crevices. Each villa had to be individually designed and built to accommodate the quirks of the natural rock formations — some featuring monolithic rock centrepieces that spill into the living rooms and others forged directly into the cliff face.

The neighbourhood

The 30-minute drive from Red Sea International Airport – served by regular direct flights from Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh – winds through seemingly endless desert, where black and brown camels roam like slow-moving silhouettes against the ochre dunes. By the time the jagged cliffs of the wadi rise into view, modernity feels like a distant memory.

The resort sits near the traditional Bedouin village of Durfe, and maintains close connections to its neighbours. At the arrival pavilion, a voiceover recorded by Rashed Hamed Aljohani – a village elder – greets guests, his words echoing through the rocks, backed by atmospheric Arabic music. Come late afternoon, villagers gather by the pool to host storytelling sessions in an open-air majlis, complete with camels and falcons that bring centuries of Saudi heritage to life.

The rooms

Desert Rock’s 54 villas and 10 suites – all with their own temperature-controlled private pools and cloud-like beds clad in Frette linens – are wedged into the massif’s crevices, carved into ancient caves and teetering daringly on cliffs. Interiors by Toronto’s Studio Paolo Ferrari are sleek and minimalist, drawing on earthy tones, retro-style smooth curves and the natural rock elements that dominate the spaces.

Boasting the best views, the two-bedroom Mountain Crevice Villa is set high above the resort, framed by soaring windows that pull the wadi indoors, plus an enormous triple-sized freestanding bathtub sculpted from smooth stone. Nearby on the fringes of the valley, the Royal Villa trades dramatic height for solitude, with a sharply angular roof cutting against the horizon.

Yet it’s the Cave Suites that are Desert Rock’s showstoppers. Burrowed deep into the mountain, the carpeted passageways leading to these rooms are carved straight through the rock, with rugged boulders spilling into the living spaces. Curtains glide back to reveal cinematic vistas of the vast landscape beyond, while interiors embrace the tactile — polished stone floors, rough-hewn walls, and plush, natural fabrics that soften the rugged setting.

Food and drink

At Desert Rock’s signature restaurant, Nyra, Michelin-starred Turkish chef Osman Sezener brings his first international outpost to life with a farm-to-table ethos that feels rooted in the desert. Fresh, contemporary plates draw inspiration from his garden – chickpeas and mushrooms sautéed with thyme, pumpkin-packed ravioli and sun-kissed tomatoes paired with muhammara and an unexpected drizzle of vanilla oil – alongside a meaty menu of dry-aged butcher cuts and dishes like smooth lobster gnocchi and braised beef cheek lifted with a hit of Turkish coffee.

By the pool, Basalt serves classic Indian comfort food — think ghee-soaked paneer curries, crisp golden samosas and naan that’s so buttery, you might question its $22 price tag but still order seconds. Come morning, the restaurant transforms into a buzzy breakfast spot, with copper-clad counters hosting spreads of delicate French pastries served alongside an a la carte menu of egg-based breakfast classics, including a particularly brilliant shakshuka dotted with pearls of feta cheese.

Drinks across the resort are just as considered. A selection of themed mocktails at each outlet, making use of non-alcoholic spirits and wines, feels layered and thoughtful, whether you’re sipping them in Nyra or taking them next door to Mica, an open-air lounge where guest DJs spin Arabic remixes and Western hits as the shisha-puffed sky shifts into the evening.

For more determined guests, there’s The Observatory. Perched high in the mountain, across a bridge strung over the canyon followed by a 630-step climb, trekkers are rewarded with shisha, mocktails and a rather incongruous platter of pastries with uninterrupted views of the horizon at sunset.

For lighter bites, the Wadi Pool’s all-day restaurant serves zingy Peruvian-inspired ceviches and wood-fired pizzas, while the cosy Library Lounge keeps it casual with falafel wraps, stacked burgers and easy snacks for lazy afternoons.

The spa

Tucked at the foot of the massif, the spa’s bold triangular architecture reveals sauna rooms and indoor pools with whooshing jets, while a breezy mixed-gender outdoor area – shaded and lined with plush loungers – offers another layer of calm. During our visit, the spa feels blissfully quiet — a more private sanctuary far from the bustle of the resort’s main spaces.

Seven treatment rooms, including a Moroccan-inspired Rhassoul and private Hammam, host an inventive menu of therapies powered by Dr Burgener Switzerland and the UK’s Amra Skincare. The spa’s signature journey is unapologetically lavish, starting with a one-on-one yoga session before moving into a cellular gold exfoliation, warm rhassoul mask and 24-karat gold-plated stone massage.

For something less conventional, there are collagen-boosting face workouts that feel like a gym session for your skin, hammam treatments infused with crushed meteorite extract and a fragrance-focused olfactory yoga experience that ties scent to mindfulness. It’s spa therapy with a cosmic twist.

The service

A month into its opening, Desert Rock’s service is refreshingly polished — an impressive feat for a resort this new. Red Sea Global seems to have learnt from earlier openings, tightening its act with near-instant WhatsApp butler replies and buggies that frequently arrive minutes earlier than scheduled.

Poolside staff impress just as much, combining effortless warmth with the kind of encyclopaedic knowledge of the surrounding rocks that can only be earned from hours spent gazing out at them under the desert sun.

For families

E-scooters and miniature electric jeeps let little ones zip around the flat, open terrain, while the dedicated kids’ club features a busy programme of hands-on adventure activities including nature walks, rounds of bucket golf and cricket matches in the shadows of the ancient rocks.

Build-it-yourself workshops invite budding architects to construct miniature homes from dried palm fronds, clay and stone under the expert guidance of local artisans, while older kids can try their hand at star-gazing programmes tailored for curious minds.

Eco effort

Since the dust of construction settled, flocks of birds and desert wildlife have returned, drawn by the rewilded landscape. The entire resort hums on solar power, with treated water keeping the native greenery thriving, while a major replanting project has brought long-lost olive trees back to the valley, undoing years of local firewood felling.

Accessibility

Desert Rock has one accessible two-bedroom Wadi Villa, and the resort’s core cluster – encompassing the lobby, library, pool, Basalt restaurant and listening lounge – is all on one level. However, the expansive layout means buggies are the go-to for getting around, which might not suit guests who can’t transfer out of their wheelchairs.