About Desert Rock

Desert Rock is a luxury resort nestled in the heart of Saudi Arabia’s majestic desert landscape, offering an immersive experience in one of the world’s most stunning natural environments.

Opened in December 2024, the resort is part of the ambitious Red Sea development project, which aims to redefine tourism and sustainability in the region. It belongs to the same company than the one who developed Shebara, which we recently reviewed as well.

Designed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding desert, Desert Rock stands out for its futuristic architecture and eco-friendly approach, using local materials and renewable energy sources. What makes it truly special as you'll see later in this detailed Desert Rock review is its ability to combine modern luxury with nature, offering visitors an unparalleled opportunity to experience the vastness of the desert in absolute comfort.

The property

The first thing that impressed us when we arrived at Desert Rock was how big the property was. It had just opened a month before our arrival and we didn't really know what to expect as all pictures that were available online were just 3Ds and renders.

Well, Desert Rock is a HUGE property. We love walking, but still, we were always using the buggy service to move from our room to the main area where the breakfast restaurant (Basalt), the gym and the reception are.

Desert Rock offers a wide variety of rooms, as we'll see later in this review, and you need to know that they are located at some remote locations.

The property is big, this, you've understood by now. But what makes it truly special is how beautiful everything is. The way Desert Rock has been built is just impressive. All rooms and villas perfectly fit in the rocks and it blends in naturally.

Our Suite at Desert Rock

Let's continue this review of Desert Rock Saudi Arabia with something you'll be keen to know more about: the room.

As mentioned earlier, there are many different room options at Shebara, each more impressive than the other.

During our visit, we stayed in the Moutain Cave Suite, which, I believe, is the one that best represents the uniqueness of Desert Rock. The other rooms and villas are extremely beautiful, but they are not built INSIDE the rock as the Mountain Cave Suites.

Our room number was 512 but we would recommend a room on the other side as we sadly did not get sun on our balcony at any point during the day. If possible, ask for a Mountain Cave Suite facing South.

The service at Desert Rock

As Desert Rock just recently opened when we arrived, we had a few concerns about the level of service they would be able to deliver. Indeed, even in the best resorts in the world, it can take time for the team to coordinate properly and to get comfortable about the property and the different offerings available.

Well, Desert Rock surpassed our expectations in these regards.

Indeed, the service was EXCELLENT. Friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and always with a huge smile. They definitely try their best to offer each guest a memorable experience.

As we mentioned earlier in this review of Desert Rock, the buggy service is very useful to move around the huge property so make sure to use it.

Spa and Gym

Let's continue with a VERY key point of this review: the spa.

It is simply beautiful. The design, the chose of materials, the global atmosphere,...absolutely everything at Desert Rock Spa is 6*.

We did enjoy a 60 minutes couple massage on the most comfortable beds we've ever had (they have the same at Shebara). The facilities are also top level with outdoor pool, hamman, sauna and everything you could expect.

If you're more on the active side than on the relaxing one, you might want to venture to the gym. It is equipped with the latest Technogym bikes, treadmills,...and even some massage guns and a machine to analyse your body composition (fat, muscles,...).

Overall, our review of Desert Rock's spa and gym could hardly get any better.

Dining options at Desert Rock

Desert Rock offers a wide range of restaurants and we were lucky enough to experience most of them.

The highlight of our meals at Desert Rock was Nyra, a restaurant which would almost deserve 1 Michelin Star. The food and the presentation were absolutely amazing and we wished we had more nights there to do a second meal at Nyra.

Basalt is the main restaurant where you can have breakfast (a mix of A La Carte and Buffet), lunch and dinner. At lunch and dinner they serve Indian cuisine which was very good, but not exceptional. For the price, we could have expected a bit better.

The Library is an alternative option for lunch in a different atmosphere. We had one lunch there during our stay at Desert Rock and the crab salad was to die for.

For the most adventurous, you can venture to the Observatory, on top of the rocks, and enjoy a mocktail and a few canapés in front of a beautiful sunset. Do it, it is worth it!

Unfortunately, Wadi was not open during our visit so we did not have the chance to review it.