Why mourn the holidays when you can extend them? Our curated compendium of short-distance retreats, spanning lagoons, lodges and desert citadels, offers the perfect antidote to post-vacation inertia, all within a single sunrise’s flight from the UAE.
Turkey | Amanruya
Ready to go the extra mile? On Bodrum’s quiet north coast, Amanruya hides among olives and cypress, its stone pavilions set apart by private pools, jasmine gardens, and wide marble terraces. Interiors mix rough Anatolian stone with clean Mediterranean lines; every view is pine forest or Aegean blue. Spend the day sailing gulets or touring nearby UNESCO ruins, then return for an Ottoman-style hammam and octopus grilled with village olive oil. Sourcing is strictly local—produce from neighbouring farms, fish from dawn markets. Luxury here is measured in space, stillness, and the sense of being gently removed from everywhere else. Amanruya, meaning ‘peaceful dream’, lives up to its name.
Email: reservations@aman.com / amanruya.res@aman.com
Address: Bülent Ecevit Cad. Demir Mevkii, 48483 Bodrum/Muğla, Türkiyeç
Georgia | Kvareli Lake Resort
Georgia’s vinous heartland has a new address for luxe indulgence, Kvareli Lake Resort. Set where cypress-clad ridges slip into a mirror-still lake, the 41-suite retreat translates Kakheti’s centuries-old soul into crisp, contemporary design. Wake to first light spilling across the Alazani Valley from your private balcony. Indoors, pared-back linen, pale oak, and brushed brass echo the sculpted curves of Kakheti’s ancient qvevri jars. Sail the lake on a pedal board, weave through thyme-laced vineyard lanes by bike, or settle in while the sommelier pours unfiltered amber wines still warm from clay. Come sundown, terrace tables host lake- caught trout with tarragon and walnuts beneath a sky flirting with copper. Whether you’re toasting a milestone or slipping away for a swift 48-hour reset, Kvareli Lake lets Georgian hospitality set the mood.
Email: reservations@kvarelilake.ge
Address: Kakheti, Kvareli, Kvareli Lake Rd
Sri Lanka | Shangri-La Hambantota
Perched on Sri Lanka’s unspoilt south coast, Shangri-La Hambantota rolls across 58 hectares of palm-dotted greens and beachfront jungle, the Indian Ocean thundering just beyond. Its 274 rooms and suites—framed in rattan, cinnamon wood, and hand-loomed textiles—capture either surf or garden stillness. Days slip easily from a sunrise swim in one of three pools to drives on the resort’s 18-hole clifftop course, while younger guests rule a splashy waterpark nearby. At Bojun Hala, clay-pot curries and lagoon crab arrive to a soundtrack of cinnamon bark crackling over coals; steps away, an open-air Artisan Village spotlights the island’s lacquerware and hand-woven dumbara mats. Reset at CHI, The Spa, where Ayurvedic oils meet ocean breezes, or venture minutes inland to centuries-old temples draped in frangipani and the orchid-rich botanical gardens of Mirijjawila. For travellers who want nature without surrendering luxury, Hambantota delivers island life in meticulous Shangri-La style.
Email: slht@shangri-la.com
Address: Sittrakala Estate, Chithragala, Ambalantota Sri Lanka
Al Ula Saudi | Dar Tantora The House Hotel
In AlUla’s date-palm labyrinth, Dar Tantora The House Hotel reframes luxury through archaeology and ecology, fashioning 30 mud-brick “dars” into discreet sanctuaries of rough plaster, carved teak, and sun-baked clay jars. Mornings rise to cardamom on the breeze and Maqha’s rooftop espresso, with the oasis fanning out in terraced green below. By night, Joontos plates freekeh risotto, nabatean lamb, and sidr-honey desserts under a clear sky. History breathes here, but so does tomorrow, making every stay a dialogue between ancient mud and modern conscience.
Email: dartantora@kertenhospitality.com
Address: 375 Old Town, 43562 AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Red Sea, Saudi | Nujuma, A Ritz- Carlton Reserve
Escape to Nujuma, a Ritz- Carlton Reserve on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea, where private beaches and endless horizon are your daily backdrop. Unwind in the infinity pool, slip into the spa or sauna, or salute the sun in the glass-walled yoga studio. Breezy rooms open onto sea- facing terraces, matched with marble-slick bathrooms. Dining spans vibrant Middle Eastern plates, just-caught seafood, and refined global favorites, served with signature Ritz-Carlton finesse—think private check-ins, anticipatory service, and discreet pampering at every turn.
Email: reservations.nujuma@ ritzcarlton.com
Address: Ummahat Islands 2-3 Red Sea, Umluj 48501 Saudi Arabia
Oman | Six Senses Zighy Bay
Hemmed between the serrated escarpments of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula and a private ribbon of pale sand, Six Senses Zighy Bay feels less like a resort and more like a serendipitous fishing village time forgot. Forty-five minutes by speedboat—or a cinematic paraglide descent, if you prefer—deliver you to 18 ocean-front acres studded with date palms and stone-walled villas, each hiding its own palm-fringed pool and shaded majlis.
Barefoot days unfold at your cadence. Paddle a sea kayak through jade coves, taste-test saffron-spiked lobster atop a mountaintop dining deck, or retreat to the spa for a frankincense-infused hammam ritual followed by an oxygen bar reset. The property’s sustainable ethos can be felt (and seen) from every adobe wall and organic garden bed—down to the home-bottled still and sparkling water that lands tableside.
Evenings settle into a calmness broken only by the surf and the thrum of an occasional dhow. For travelers who want Robinson Crusoe seclusion gold-plated with discreet service and serious wellness cred, Zighy Bay is the address that won’t disappoint.
Email: reservations-zighy@sixsenses.com
Address: P.O. Box 212, Dibba-Musandam PC 800, 00800, Oman
Jordan | Petra Marriott Hotel
Claim a front-row spot to Jordan’s UNESCO marvel at the Petra Marriott Hotel, a five-star aerie carved into the rose-tinted ridges above the Nabataean city. Its 100 newly refurbished rooms float above Wadi Musa, framing dawn as it washes Petra’s sandstone facades in apricot light. Mornings begin at Dushara Restaurant with cardamom-scented coffee and a lavish mezze spread. Evenings segue to Hala Hala, where mansaf and grilled hammour arrive just as the valley’s last glow slips behind the escarpment. Jordanian warmth defines the service—think personalised itineraries to the Siq at first light and herbal infusions waiting on return—while a palm-lined pool and Arabian-style spa complete the sense of high-desert repose.
Email: jordan.reservations@marriotthotels.com
Address: Queen Rania Al Abdallah Street Wadi Mousa, 21163, Jordan
Maldives | The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
A 45-minute seaplane hop from Malé drops you at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli—a canopy of palms fronting talc-white sand and a sapphire lagoon. Seventy-seven villas, beachside or overwater, pair plunge pools with hammocks and cabanas, while a private butler choreographs everything from sunrise lattes to after-dark stargazing. Drift between the glass-edge sunset pool and the Iridium Spa’s hydrotherapy pods, then choose among seven restaurants: Arabian-Indian small plates under a bamboo canopy, omakase in a treetop pod, or grilled reef fish on the sand. Dive or snorkel Vommuli’s house reef—or simply stay horizontal with a novel and the tranquility of the Indian Ocean for company.
Email: stregis.maldivesvommuli@stregis.com
Address: Vommuli Island Dhaalu Atoll, 13080, Maldives
This article originally appears in Soigné Middle East’s second biannual print edition.
