8 of the Best Hotels in Abu Dhabi, UAE - AFAR

"A desert resort less than an hour from the city that combines traditional-inspired design with equestrian activities, the property’s 99 rooms and villas feature cooling white walls and mashrabiya-influenced details, with private-pool villas available for greater seclusion. The palm-flanked pool, private cabanas and pavilions offer places to relax, while the Saray Spa—influenced by Silk Road caravanserai—uses local ingredients such as Dead Sea mud, oud oil and camel milk. On-site stables of former endurance-racing horses provide lessons and desert rides, children can meet resident ponies Lucky and Rocky, and dining can be enjoyed at an Italian restaurant with a table set in the paddock." - Nicola Chilton