Habitas AlUla

For only its third property in the world, boutique eco-retreat Habitas made roots in the Ashar Valley of AlUla. Complete with 95 villas dotted across the vast desert landscape, rooms are set between manmade dunes for optimum privacy, and many feature epic mountain views from their private terraces. The best way to get around is on an electric bike, and there’s something truly freeing about whizzing through the valley that way (although there are buggies too for those looking to give their legs a rest). The main restaurant, Tama, which means ‘here and now’, is designed as a space for bringing guests together, with big lounge spaces and lots of long tables for dining with groups of guests. On the menu, nourishing dishes are globally influenced with a strong Middle Eastern presence, and ingredients sourced from local farms take centre stage. There are a separate, open-air seating space, which leads out to a shimmering infinity pool: it’s the perfect spot to dip between the water and the relaxing ambience of the lounge. Habitas started as a community-focused series of events, so it makes sense that there’s plenty of other gathering spaces too, including the glass-lined reception, a lounge and coffee bar and a shala as part of the wellness offering where breathing and meditation workshops take place. Installations originally commissioned for the first Desert X AlUla are also shaped into the resort offering, allowing guests to ignite their inner child with a giant swing set backdropped by huge rock formations and trampolines hidden in the desert sands.

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