A Grand Entrance to the Ultimate Relaxation

We drove non-stop on the road that snaked its way among towering sand dunes and, just as  we began to think that we’d made a mistake coming all the way here, we finally saw it:  a series of towers, turrets and serrated roofs in the sandy vastness.  It is colossal.  It’s an entire city!  I briefly wondered whether our arrival will be announced by a fanfare of trumpets.

 

 

We were ushered into this elegant reception hall – an enormous chandelier hung from the high ceiling, walls were adorned with lanterns and framed photographs of royalties, sofas were either carved in traditional design or dressed in exotic-patterned fabrics, traditional lamps and lanterns everywhere, a fountain right in the middle of the hall, and  massive glass windows farther back that offered a glimpse of the rich desert behind it.  Soft Arabian music played in the background.

 

 

As we sat there, transfixed, a man came and offered us wet towels and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice as they took care of our check-in formalities.   The place is grand.  Qasr al Sarab is not a resort.  It’s a palace.  It’s an enormous sand castle – a magical kingdom – sculpted into towers and turrets peppered with torches and lanterns straight from an Indiana Jones movie!

 

 

The picture of the lobby (second from the bottom) is from Google images.

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