Only since 2019 has Saudi Arabia become accessible to tourists from other countries. Its leadership, however, have invested billions to modernize its stringent Islamic rules, construct a tourist infrastructure, and make the country more hospitable to tourists in an effort to diversify its income away from oil. Destinations are therefore springing up everywhere in this ancient kingdom, including its two beaches (on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea), its history-rich canyons, its vast deserts, and its renovated medieval city centers. Malls and souks will appeal to shoppers, foodies to trendy coffee shops, glitzy eateries like Scott’s, Sexy Fish, and Jason Atherton’s Social, and outdoor food markets in the evenings that offer delectable treats like wood-cooked chicken shish and pastries sprinkled with pistachios. These are the top accommodations in Saudi Arabia, ranging from chic city hotels with spas to hip caravans with food truck eateries and electric bikes.
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1. AlUla, Our Habitas
BOOKING.COM
££ | POOL | SPA | Top activities
It feels like a camp and a trendy hotel at the same time, situated in a canyon among strange sandstone structures that have been sculpted over thousands of years. Scattered throughout the desert slopes, its 96 rooms feature modern decor, an outdoor shower, and a canvas-shaded verandah. Electric buggies and fat-tired bikes are available for transportation. Its wellness offerings are excellent and include free daily yoga, sound baths, meditation, and exercises in the adjacent shady caverns or in its cool spa and gym. The resort’s knowledgeable spa therapists employ organic local oils, and the food is fresh and Middle Eastern.
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2. AlUla Banyan Tree
This stylish hotel in the Ashar Valley’s canyons offers villas with one to three bedrooms, some with private pools, and views of the world’s largest mirrored structure, Maraya. Bicycles are provided in each villa so that visitors can move across the sprawling property and visit the coffee shop, Thai and Middle Eastern eateries, and spa. Though its in-house experiences—barbecues under the stars, breakfast served on a floating tray to enjoy in your villa’s pool, Bedouin-tent dinners, and outdoor yoga and meditation—are its most notable features, Instagrammers adore the pool, which is situated high in a canyon, between rocks.
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3. Jeddah’s Shada Al Shate’a
£ | POOL | Greatest for low-cost lodging
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This boutique hotel is not only well-located but also fairly priced, close to the Formula One track, the Red Sea Mall for shopping, and the second-largest port city in the Middle East. The rooms are cozy, functional, and furnished with regional artwork, such as calligraphy, ceramics, and cushions created by Saudi women (available for purchase on the hotel’s website). Experiences can be planned to visit the heritage buildings of Al Balad or the nearby Bayadah Island for walks. The lobby is a well-liked spot for coffee and cakes and is furnished with local furniture.
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4. Kingdom Centre, Riyadh’s Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh
EXPEDIA £££ | SPA | POOL | Finest for luxury in the heart of the city
This hotel, which occupies floors 30 to 50 of a 99-story skyscraper that is among the tallest in Saudi Arabia, is emblematic of the kingdom’s wealth as well as its faith (the building’s top is shaped like a crescent moon, which is associated with Islam) and beliefs (the spa is exclusively for men, but there is a gym and treatment room for women). The hotel’s international-style rooms offer views of the city, and its restaurants, which include a seafood grill and a Pierre Hermé bakery, as well as a glass bridge at the top that may be reserved for a romantic dinner for two.
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5. Red Sea’s St Regis Red Sea Resort
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£££ | POOL | SPA | Ideal for a beach vacation
This appears to be in the Maldives, but it is actually 22 kilometers off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It is the first of the new Red Sea development islands to open to tourists, and 50 resorts are expected to open there by 2030. Star architect Kengo Kuma created the island’s dune and overwater villas, which are all decorated in calming hues with cotton, rattans, and natural woods and offer views of the crystal-clear waters and abundant marine life. The bars provide creative non-alcoholic cocktails, and the four restaurants serve everything from Japanese cuisine to Arabian specialties and burgers. Every villa has a butler, a sophisticated spa, and a club for big kids. Swimsuits and shorts are regarded as respectable attire here, which is unusual for Saudi Arabia.
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6. Jeddah’s Shangri-La
BOOKING.COM
£££ | POOL | SPA | Top for Formula One Fans
This traditional luxury hotel, which is a part of the 64-story Burj Assila, Jeddah’s highest structure, features comfortable rooms, white marble baths, and sleek service. It is all chrome and polished grey marble. Its location, just off the corniche and with a view of the Formula One circuit, is its USP. Guests facing the sea can watch the races from their balcony. Its clever dining options include Chinese and Lebanese eateries; the terrace has a long outdoor pool with views of the sea; and the non-alcoholic bar provides delectable tea and mocktails. Its spa features separate treatment rooms, saunas, and gyms for men and women.
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7. Jeddah’s Al Balad Hospitality Hotels
BOOKING.COM ££ | Heritage’s Best
Whole ancient homes are being turned into hotels as part of a larger Ministry of Culture project to renovate Jeddah’s Al Balad old town. House of Jokhdar, Kedwan, and Al Rayess are the three that have opened thus far. They are all exquisitely renovated and were constructed utilizing traditional techniques. Coral blocks are used for walls, wooden beams are used for ceilings, tiles and hand painting are used for floors, furniture is inlaid with shells, and bathrooms are outfitted with opulent 21st-century finishing. The closest one can go to living like a royal in Saudi Arabia is a private restaurant in one house where guests from all the houses may savor delectable food.
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8. AlUla Dar Tantora
POOL | Best for Immersion in Culture £££
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The Old Town of AlUla, a tangle of mud-brick homes encircled by a wall for protection, was in ruins for many years. Thirty of these houses, all properly restored yet modernized, make up the heritage boutique hotel Dar Tantora, which gets its name from the sundial in its center. Every en suite room is unique; some are cozy with small courtyards or terraces, while others are roomy with high-beamed ceilings, genuine murals, and ethnic furnishings. The coffee shop offers typical cardamom-infused thimbles of bliss; the restaurant, situated in a covered courtyard, provides international favorites; and the pool boasts stunning views of the canyon rocks. It is very romantic at night when everything is illuminated by candles, even though the rooms are a little dim.
Dartantora.co