Latest news with #MountainCreviceVillas
CairoScene
04-07-2025
- CairoScene
Desert Rock Resort is Carved Into the Hejaz Mountains of Saudi Arabia
Desert Rock by Oppenheim Architecture integrates architecture with the Saudi landscape, using stone and earth excavated on site to create a seamless, sustainable mountain resort. In the Hejaz Mountains of Saudi Arabia, Desert Rock Resort is not built on the landscape - it is etched into it. Designed by Oppenheim Architecture, with the interior concept developed by Paolo Ferrari, the resort is carved from the mountain itself, using stone and earth excavated on site for both structure and finish. The arrival experience is discreet and immersive. Guests enter through a secret valley, with the resort gradually revealed by the contours of the land. Desert Rock spans 30,000 square metres, with clusters of buildings scattered throughout a cloaked valley and nestled among rocky outcrops. Roads are hidden behind landscape mounds to preserve uninterrupted views, and minimise sound and light pollution. The architecture draws inspiration from the Nabataean civilisation, with the resort's design blending into its rugged surroundings and almost camouflaged within the landscape. Geometric forms and sharp edges define the architecture, balanced by pools and curved landscape elements. The resort comprises 48 villas and 12 hotel rooms, with some perched high above the landscape and others at ground level. Cliff-Hanging Villas feature recessed windows and elevated private pools, evoking the feeling of a secluded cavern. Mountain Cave Suites and Mountain Crevice Villas are carved into the plateau, with pools set on the edge of the stone crown. The accommodation offers views of the mountainous landscape, with each building shaped by the terrain and constructed using concrete made from aggregates sourced directly from the site. The interiors are finished with natural materials such as plaster, limestone, bronze, and wood. Custom-designed furnishings and fixtures are found throughout the resort, including details like sand-cast steel door knockers, integrated bed frames, and sunken sofas, all contributing to the character of the spaces. Excavated materials are repurposed into the project's infrastructure, reducing environmental impact. Native plants are used throughout the arid landscape, and passive cooling techniques lower the resort's overall energy consumption. Most materials are sourced or recycled from the site, further punctuating the resort's foundation in sustainability.
Arab News
06-02-2025
- Arab News
Inside Red Sea Global's newly opened Desert Rock Resort
RED SEA: As Saudi Arabia expands its portfolio of luxury hotel offerings, the newly opened Desert Rock Resort stands out for its otherworldly terrain and exceptional service. There will be no quibbling about the benefits of Saudi Arabia versus the Maldives here — an issue that has crept up when potential visitors discuss Red Sea Global's other outposts, such as the futuristic overwater resort Shebara. When it comes to Desert Rock there is simply nowhere else like it and the resort has leaned in heavily to make use of the spectacular landscape. Set amid humbling mountains pockmarked with caves, the resort is a 20-minute drive from Red Sea International airport. Desert Rock Resort. (Supplied) Home to 32 Wadi Villas on the valley floor, 17 Cliff Hanging Villas, four Mountain Crevice Villas, one Royal Villa and and 10 Mountain Cave Suites carved into the rockface itself — yes, it's as mind-boggling as it sounds — the hotel boasts private, temperature-controlled pools in every room and amenities that go a long way to helping guests understand the eye-watering price tag — Dyson hairdryers, Frette sheets and an array of luxe poolside accessories — while an assigned 'Villa Host' takes care of your every need via WhatsApp. While the mountain-top Cave Suites and their views of endless rolling deserts and soaring rust-colored mountains are an influencer's ticket to viral fame, the two-bedroom Mountain Crevice Skyline Villa is ideal for a larger group — with a conversation-starting bathtub (it fit at least five giddy, fully-clothed adults on our press tour) and glass-ringed fire pit. Desert Rock Resort. (Supplied) Descend to the valley floor and Oppenheim Architecture's bunker-like structures melt into the Martian landscape. Use your chic wooden key card — the details are everything at Desert Rock — and you'll be met by cozy interiors by Toronto's Studio Paolo Ferrari. Earthy tones, a focus on luxury stone and bronze-brown accents make the large villas and suites opulent without losing the warmth of the desert. A pool, kids' club and star-gazing evenings are complemented by the Akun adventure hub, which offers thrilling ziplining, via ferrata, abseiling, rock climbing and archery, with more activities planned for 2025. Desert Rock Resort. (Supplied) A team is on hand to keep visitors safe, but this is no easy experience — we climbed up to the ziplining jump off point on the bare mountain face, at some points resorting to all fours as we followed a rough path hewn into the rock that often became no path at all. That refusal to bend to lazy luxury is also shown in the 622 steps one can climb to the highest point of the hotel, an observatory reached by crossing a rope bridge at a dizzying height. The lack of a lift was a wise choice –— it may not be easily accessible but that is exactly what makes the astounding view once there so worth it. Desert Rock Resort. (Supplied) The flipside, of course, is that certain areas of the resort are not accessible for guests with physical disabilities. It's also important to note that — due to the space this hotel takes up — travel between rooms, restaurants and the spa is usually by buggy. Desert Rock Resort. (Supplied) The four main eateries — NYRA, helmed by Turkish chef Osman Sezener whose restaurant in Bodrum has one Michelin star; MICA, a buzzy mocktail bar that also offers small plates; breakfast spot Basalt, which transforms into an Indian eatery at night; and the poolside Wadi that offers Peruvian cuisine — rival the brightest stars in the Gulf's major cities, with NYRA and Wadi standing out for their fresh, colorful dishes including tender beef tongue and artfully presented seafood plates. Many of the courses were presented with specific beverage pairings that drew out the flavors of their accompanying dish and pushed experimental mocktails to heights not before experienced by this writer. Round that all off with a spa that boasts views of soaring, craggy cliffs, as well as indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, a water therapy room and a couple's hammam room, and you've got the ideal recipe for a serene sojourn in the Saudi desert.
