Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAl Wathba
Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi
Earthen Bedouin desert resort
Al Wathba Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Opened
2019
Price
$$$
Rated for
Resort Design WellnessOutside the door
The house
MarriottEarthen Bedouin desert resort
The resort is arranged like a traditional Bedouin hamlet, where sun-baked adobe corridors lead out to open sand dunes.
“The 99 guest rooms and villas are inspired by traditional dwellings, with cooling white walls and design touches reminiscent of traditional mashrabiya window shades.”
What it’s good at
Notable
Adobe-style architecture and interior courtyards cooled by historic falaj irrigation channels.
What they say
Forbes Recommended
Forbes Travel Guide
2026
Also in Condé Nast Traveler, The 50 Discovery and AFAR.
Secluded among a pristine landscape of rippled golden dunes, like a traditional Bedouin village, Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi promises to make you fall in love with the magnificence of the Arabian desert.
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
Rolling sand dunes encircle the resort. The flamingo colonies at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve sit a thirty-minute drive away.
The rooms
Mashrabiya screens filter daylight across cool white walls. Standalone villas add temperature-controlled plunge pools facing the dunes.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
The stone infinity pool curves between palm trees and shaded cabanas, complete with a built-in swim-up bar.
The spa
Lanterns illuminate an indoor sandstone vitality pool, and private suites host body rituals using camel milk and oud.
Bar
Al Mesayan
The open-air rooftop bar looks out across the sand dunes, serving evening drinks flavored with dates and saffron.
Rising from the desert like a mirage, Al Wathba reflects traditional Bedouin villages of yesteryear, though slick facilities catapult it seamlessly into the 21st century.
At the table
Bait Al Hanine sets tables around a bubbling courtyard fountain, and Terra Secca serves Tuscan dishes beside the horse paddocks.
How it began
Godwin Austen Johnson designed the 2019 resort to recreate an earthen desert village enclosed by an outer wall.
“The hotel’s adobe-like structure is perhaps best described as a modern take on traditional desert dwellings, with individual villas poised amid a wave of rolling sand dunes.”
Good to know
Stay here
Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi
Choose your dates to see every room and rate, and book in a few steps.
Add dates to see the price for your stay.
The app
Like this one? There are so many more.
Swipe any city’s hotels and heart the ones you love. The app gets your taste.
Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.