The Best Giveaway I’ve Ever Done, Comment Here for Chance to Win 2 Nights at Al Maha!

by Gary Leff

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.

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).

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I just got started in the miles game and have never stayed at an all-inclusive, let alone one with plunge pools connected to the room!

  2. My favorite auction item is 7 Nights At Aquila Porto Rethymno Hotel In Crete, Greece.

  3. My husband and I went to Al Maha for our honeymoon and it was easily the nicest place we’ve ever stayed. I would love to go back again.

  9. My favorite item up for auction currently at Luxury Travel Diary has got to be the 5 Nights with Half Board At Reethi Beach Resort, Maldives. I am in the process of planning my Honeymoon and Maldives is one of the most expensive destinations in the world, so it would be great to get a deal here.

  10. I’d love to stay at the Al Maha with my wife. It’s a part of the world we’ve never been to, and looks beautiful. Would be an incredible experience for two people who haven’t traveled much internationally!

  11. For auction, I’d bid on two nights at the viceroy in Bali because we debated staying there when we went to Bali last summer. We ultimately stayed at the Samaya in Ubud so I’m curious to try the viceroy next.

  12. Your Al Maha Desert Resort giveaway would not only be a dream come true for my fiancé and I, but also, would come at a perfect time as we will be going to Dubai this year as part of our honeymoon itinerary and still haven’t booked our stays! It would be amazing to win this!

  13. I’d stay at Al Maha just go go to the ME… never been and this would make it a great excuse to finally head out there (and sample emirates/ethihad)!!

  17. I would love to stay at Al Maha so I would be sleeping in the desert and be there for sunset and sunrise to take amazing pictures and being able to relax afterwards 🙂

  20. “7 Luxury Nights For 4 On Cote D’Azur Near Monaco” sounds amazing and I would qualify it as my favourite item on the auction site, I love the French Cote D’Azur and have never been to Monaco.

  22. My favorite auction from luxury travel diary would be the 3 nights for 4 in a Luxury Private Villa in Goa, India. The idea of getting to stay in a private villa has such an appeal that is truly a rare luxurious treat and the price per the auction seems truly amazing.

  23. Being able to stay in not only such a private high end luxury resort but also have it be all inclusive seems like it would truly be a treat. The value is undeniable at the Al Maha.

  25. I would like to bid on the Luxury Tent stays near national parks in the US. They look fantastic!

  28. My fave auction is the 7 nights at Hotel Jezero in Triglav, Slovenia. Lovely country.
    Would love to stay at the Al Maha though!

  30. My favorite item up for auction has got to be the 5 Nights with Half Board At Reethi Beach Resort, Maldives. My wife and I have been dreaming of the Maldives!!

  31. I would choose the 2 Nights In A Luxury Villa At The 5-Star Viceroy Bali. I have never been to Bali before, and it looks great!

  32. I would like to stay at the Al Maha Desert Resort, because it is a unique property and would be a wonderful experience.

  33. I’d stay at Al Maha because of the all-inclusive meals, exclusive location and desert environment!

  34. I would love to bid on the 7 Nights At Aquila Porto Rethymno Hotel In Crete, Greece. Thanks.

  36. I would love to stay at the Al Maha resort because I love the wildlife including the camels and desert goats. Thanks!

  42. I would choose al maha because I am already going to dubai and would love to stay at the desert retreat with a pool for my own!! Thanks gary and points!

  44. I would like to win the auction: 7 NIGHTS AT AQUILA PORTO RETHYMNO HOTEL IN CRETE, GREECE

    I would love to go to greece! Specially for 20 dollars!

  45. My wife and I went to Al Maha for one night and it was excellent. We would love to go back again.

  50. My favorite item up for auction is the Grand Hyatt Singapore. I’ve been scoping a trip that direction and the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo (where they shot Lost in Translation) is spectacularly opulent.

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