I’m going to visit Al Maha Desert Resort next month. Lucky called it his favorite Starwood Starpoints redemption ever. It’s an all-inclusive with standalone villas and infinity pools in the desert outside Dubai where rates can exceed $1700 per night and is consistently deemed one of the world’s best properties on TripAdvisor.
For bookings made by March 8 Starwood is offering awards there for ‘only’ 39,000 points a night instead of the usual 60,000. And I’m going to use some of my points there.
And I’m going to give away a couple of nights there, too! And it’s thanks to Luxury Travel Diary.
Luxury Travel Diary is a high-end travel blog with great reviews based in the UK that has a bunch of travel auctions with real bargains.
I suppose that folks who already know about these auctions don’t like this added attention, because frankly there aren’t enough bidders relative to the value of the offerings and some of these items go too cheap.
- Here are their auctions
- And here are the ones ending soon which are probably the best to check out right now – to get an idea of just how good a deal you’re likely to get.
Luxury Travel Diary wanted to highlight some of their deals, and offered to help organize a giveaway of a 2 night hotel stay at Al Maha Desert Resort. As I said, it’s an inclusive resort. So you get breakfast, lunch and dinner. That even includes room service. And you even get two desert activities per night stay at the property. This is a giveaway worth ~ $3000 or 78,000 – 120,000 Starwood points.
To enter: leave a comment on this post with your favorite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary, or why you would choose to stay at Al Maha Desert Resort. You may enter two times if you wish and answer those two questions one time each in separate comments.
Contest deadline and drawing winner: Entries close Friday, January 29 at Noon eastern. I will draw winner with the assistance of random.org.
The fine print: The winner will be able to pick when to redeem the nights within 6 months. It’s not available on public holidays, Eid, Christmas and New Years (both of which are beyond 6 months anyway, but in the terms I was given). Advance booking is required and it’s subject to availability.
For avoidance of doubt, my own stay next month is paid for with my points. I have no affiliation with Luxury Travel Diary or Al Maha Desert Resort. I am not getting anything in exchange for running this giveaway other than an opportunity to share the place with readers.
I will put the winner in touch with the hotel for booking. They are solely responsible for providing prize to winner. All decisions made in the course of running this giveaway are final and unappealable and your entry signifies your acceptance. The goal here is to make readers aware of a pretty cool auction opportunity, and to give away a stay. So please don’t make it hard on me for doing so!
You probably won’t fly to Dubai and back for a 2 night stay, though you might add onto it and do other things in the region (great opportunity to spend American AAdvantage miles and fly Etihad first class at 90,000 miles each way before the March 22 devaluation, and Etihad even provides a car service anywhere in the UAE… or to spend Alaska miles and fly Emirates).
I would love to go for desert activities with my 8-yr old son, and or course relax in that beautiful private pool at Al Maha afterwards!
I would love to go given this prize 🙂
Planning a trip to Dubai and would love to add two more nights for giving my wife the best babymoon ever!!
I’d like to stay at Al Maha for the desert excursions…particularly dune driving and falconry!
My favorite item up for auction is the 2 nights at Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires.
2 Nights At The Grand Hyatt Singapore is my favorite item up for auction
7 Nights At Aquila Porto Rethymno Hotel In Crete, Greece. The location and the views are perfect for those of us currently battling the snow. And it’s only 20 pounds at present… shh… don’t look. This is not the auction you’re looking for.
My favorite item up for auction right now would be the 2 night stay for 6 guests in Costa Rica
I would want to stay at the Al Maha Resort because of its close proximity to the desert!
My favorite auction is the Grand Hyatt Doha and I would love to try out the Al Maha resort.
I love the dessert and I’ve yet to get to that part of the world. Al Maha looks great.
Favorite auction item: three nights at Hyatt Doha
Have wanted to visit Al Maha since Lucky wrote it up earlier. Seems like a great spot for a 2nd mini honeymoon!
My favorite auction currently is 2 nights in a Luxury Villa at the 5-star Viceroy Bali…amazing!
I would want to stay at the al Maha to experience the Middle East outside the built up environment of Dubai etc
my favorite auction right now is the Marion Guesthouse in South Africa
2 NIGHTS AT THE WILLIAM HOTEL NEW YORK – USA as I am heading to the big apple!
Would love to take some friends down to the DR with the 7 Nights For 6 Ppl At Laguna Beach, Dominican Republic auction!
Favorite auction item: 2 Nights At Argentario Golf Resort & Spa, Tuscany
Al Maha because i get to see the stars in a desert!
I have never been to Dubai, so I would love the excuse to go if I won a stay Al Maha Desert Resort !
have been wanting to go to Dubai. A stay at the Al Maha resort will be make the trip special.
Favorite auction item would be the 2 nights at the Grand Hyatt Singapore. I’ve always wanted to go to singapore.
I’d choose to stay at Al Maha because I’ve never been to the Middle East before and this would make a great first impression!
I love all the included activities at Al Maha like falconry and dune drives
Villa Sungai in Bali
My favorite auction item are the nights in Santorini
My favourite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary is 4 nights at Huma Island Resort & Spa, Philippines – Palawan is an incredible and unspoilt island!
Getting married in May and would love to take our first trip as a married couple to Al Daha in Dubai!
I would choose to stay at Al Maha Desert Resort to watch an incredible desert sunrise in complete silence from the comforts of my own private desert infinity pool!
Glamping in the good old USA? That’d be my pick, never glamped before.
I’d love to look at the night sky in the desert.
As for the Al Maha, I think the desert at sunset is what I would look forward to the most
Desert sunset sounds amazing along with the chance to spend time in that part of the world.
The Al Maha Desert Resort has been on the top of my list for some time!
Al Maha looks incredible. Hanging in the private pool while wildlife wanders nearby! Falconry would be pretty great too!
My parents currently live in Dubai. I would love to win the stay to gift it to them for their 37th wedding anniversary since they rarely get the chance to experience such luxury!
The 2 night stay at The Edge in Bali on Luxury Travel Diary would be a great combination for some of the AirBnB’s I’ve been scoping out!
My favorite auction item is the 3 nights at the Grand Hyatt in Doha!
Ibis Bay Beach Resort, Key West, Florida is my favourite auction item!
Al Maha Desert Resort looks like a great place to visit due to the opportunity to try out the fun desert activities and enjoy the all inclusive dining!
i’m staying at the al maha next month so that i can go dune bashing!
I like the Dune Drives
I would love to stay at Al Maha Desert Resort to attend Dune Dining event. Thanks.
the 4 Nights for 6 Guests at Villa Sunagi, Cepaka, Bali looks perfect for my upcoming trip!
I would love to stay at Al Mala for the stunning sunsets and being able to enjoy the activities like dune bashing in the desert.
Love to stay at Al Maha.
I love camels so seeing the camels in the desert around Al Maha Desert Resort would really make my stay special.
Dune Drives!
Al Maha looks absolutely stunning and a perfect destination to leave your laptop/electronics/responsbility at home. It also helps that we will be in Dubai in April, and would love the opportunity!