Having spent the past three decades wooing big five-star luxury brands to their cities, Emiratis are discovering the joys of ecotourism in their own backyard, the desert. The newest opening is the five-room Al Faya Lodge & Spa, at the foot of Mount Alvaah, in the crimson sands of Sharjah. It’s the latest addition to the Sharjah Collection, a group of boutique hotels and eco-retreats located across the Emirate.
Eschewing the new-build model that prevails in the region, the eco lodge has been repurposed from two 1960s buildings (formerly a grocery store and café) by London and Dubai-based practice Anarchitect, who are also behind the interiors. ‘There are many organic farms and historical tombs in the region,’ explains Anarchitect’s British founder, Jonathan Ashmore. ‘Sharjah, and its art biennale, are attracting a new type of visitor who appreciates nature and heritage.’
Offering fine dining, a roof terrace for star gazing, an open-air saltwater pool and a variety of spa treatments, the lodge must be booked in its entirety. And given its remote location, that spells one very private party.
ADDRESS
Al Batayeh
Al Faya Road
Mleiha
Sharjah
UAE
-
A new Oxford Street pop-up celebrates IKEA's blue bagsIKEA's iconic blue bag gets its own pop-up concept store, the 'Hus of Frakta'.
-
Audemars Piguet and Kaws have created the Royal Oak Concept watch we didn't know we neededThe Audemars Piguet x Kaws Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon 'Companion' is slick wrist-worn art
-
A friendly rivalry coloured by kinship: Wendy Maruyama and Tom Loeser on their two-artist show'I wanted to make furniture, just not traditional furniture, but weird furniture,' says Wendy Maruyama on ‘Colorama’, a two-artist show presented at design gallery Superhouse (until 11 January 2025)
-
The Serai Wing launches its minimalist architecture in SharjahThe Serai Wing opens in Sharjah to a design by Dubai-based studio Anarchitect
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Sixties sci-fi meets Dali at ‘Secret Room’ speakeasy in Dubai -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
