Where Nature Meets Culture
Two hotels in the Sharjah Collection are expanding to meet rising demand.
By Helen Jones
Two eco-retreats in the exclusive Sharjah Collection extended their offers in the first quarter. Al Badayer Retreat, a luxury camping experience in the heart of the Al Badayer Desert, and Kingfisher Retreat, overlooking the pristine shoreline of Kalba, grew their key count to accommodate rising demand. The Sharjah Collection was launched to drive environmentally responsible tourism in the emirate. Its six distinct properties blend nature and culture, offering an antidote to the glittering resorts that have come to define luxury travel in the region. Despite the growing footprint, the focus remains on privacy and understated luxury.
Set amid central Sharjah’s rolling dunes, an hour from the cities of Sharjah and Dubai, Al Badayer Retreat offers a window to the region’s heritage and the opportunity to be immersed in nature. Evoking a caravanserai, it is at once a reflection of the past and a 21st-century oasis. The retreat has added 15 one, two and three-bedroom luxury tents to the 21 rooms and 10 tents it already offered, each decorated in earthy, desert tones with subtle geometric designs. The new accommodations come with private pools and shaded outside seating, many with views of Big Red, the region’s biggest dune.
Kingfisher Retreat, set in a reserve on Sharjah’s eastern coastline, one of the most important wetlands in the UAE—home to rare birds, turtles and even a herd of gazelle—has added 20 luxurious new tents to make 40 in all. The private tents are constructed amid the dunes adjacent to the Al Qurm Nature Reserve, one of the Middle East’s oldest mangrove forests. Interiors in soft beiges, blues and desert tones echo the beach and the Arabian Sea beyond. Arrival by private boat (the resort is car-free, a reminder of the fragile ecosystem it showcases) sets the tone. Other facilities are being added or expanded: the main tented building, which houses the guest lounge and restaurant, has been
extended; new spas for men and women have been added, as well as a gym and a children’s play area.
al badayer retreat courtesy of shurooq
