AlUla Old Town is a remarkably preserved mud-brick city of approximately 900 abandoned houses, 400 shops, and a mosque dating from the 12th century, built in the palm oasis floor and used continuously until 1983 when residents were rehoused in the modern town. The compact labyrinthine streets and three-storey mud homes are gradually being restored as part of a major heritage preservation programme. Hotels at AlUla provide guided evening tours through the old town's lanes, now lit atmospherically after dark as part of the AlUla arts and heritage programme.
The hotel that introduced AlUla to the international luxury travel community, Habitas nestles into the Ashar Valley with rooms and outdoor-cinema screens seemingly carved from the cliff face. The design is global-nomad chic — fire pits, yoga platforms, and a pool that seems to melt into the canyon — and the all-inclusive experience includes guided treks to Hegra at dawn, which remains one of the most profound travel experiences available on earth.
Banyan Tree's most extraordinary property positions its terracotta-hued pool villas among ancient sandstone formations, each designed so the rocks themselves form walls and ceilings of the suites. The spa takes its treatments from the healing traditions of the ancient Nabataean spice traders, and the private dinner service at a Hegra-carved tomb is as close to the impossible as luxury travel gets.
A beautifully considered resort built around the ruins of the medieval Old Town, Shaden uses traditional mud-brick construction techniques and indigenous plants to create an experience that feels like an excavation as much as a hotel stay. The pool terrace with its views of the fortress hill is incomparable.
The oldest hotel in AlUla and a genuine heritage property, Dar Tantora occupies a cluster of restored houses in the ancient mud-brick town. The rooms are simple and beautiful in equal measure, and waking to the call to prayer echoing through the labyrinthine old town is an experience that grounds you in a history stretching back three thousand years.
A tented camp resort on the desert plain outside the main valley, Sahary brings a more accessible luxury to AlUla with well-appointed canvas-and-wood suites, a central dining tent serving elevated Saudi cuisine, and guided excursions to Hegra and the Elephant Rock. The bonfire dinners under the stars are exceptional.
Set directly into the Ashar Valley cliffs, this remarkable property uses the natural canyon as its architecture — rooms are built into alcoves in the rock face, and the pool appears to pour directly into the valley below. The location and design make it one of the most photographed hotels in the Middle East.
