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 »

More articles by Gary Leff »

Comments

  1. I love the looks of the D Resort Sebenik in Croatia! Have always dreamed of going there (just like Al Maha!).

  3. My favorite item in the Luxury Travel Diary’s auction is the 3 Luxury Nights By the Beach Tropea, Italy.

  7. I love The Luxury collection hotels that I have stayed at so far and I have never been to Dubai so I think Al Maha would be the perfect place for me to stay.

  12. The Al Maha sounds like a an amazing experience- something as a student I know I would not be able to afford for a long while.

  13. The Grand Hyatt Singapore would be my choice- the Grand Hyatt I went to in Bali when I was younger was gorgeous.

  17. I’d love to stay at Al Maha so that I can completely disconnect from everything — out in the middle of nowhere!

  19. My favorite item I’m the auction is the “5 NIGHTS HALF BOARD AT REETHI BEACH RESORT, MALDIVES”. I will definitely be bidding on this as it looks like a bit of heaven that I want to visit.

  20. I would like to stay at the Al Maha Desert Resort as I have never visited UAE, and this would be the perfect way to appreciate this majestic country and it’s offerings….also I have a 1St class redemption from abu dhabi to book soon….

  21. Oh man 2 nights at the Viceroy Bali would be my bid. That’s a perfect stop on a honeymoon adventure.

  22. I would want 2 nights at Al Maha because of the juxtaposition of a beautiful resort being in the middle of a barren desert! And each thing makes the other more beautiful.

  23. I would like to stay at Al Maha because I am travelling to Dubai in a few months and would love to see the wildlife, I would bid on the hotel at the Triglav National Park Slovenija 🙂

  24. I just think Al Maha looks mysterious. With a nomadic desert surrounding, tent-esque hotel rooms, falconry, torches, etc., It’s like a sample of ancient Arabia. I’d love to be immersed in those feelings.

  25. I’d bid on the three suite nights at Das Central in Sölden and pretend I was James Bond.

  26. I’d love to stay at the Al Maha to plot my next book. (Camels! The desert! Exotic luxury!)

  29. My favourite auction prize is the James Bond Spectre location. My boyfriend just smiles and nods when I talk ‘more holidays’ but this actually got his attention and he was keen to watch and make a bid!

  30. I would like to stay at the Al Maha as I have to go and visit my inlaws in South Africa soon, we usually change in Dubai but never stay and I think this place would be AMAZING to prepare or get over the stress family life can bring!

  33. I would love to stay at Al Maha because it looks like the grandest in luxury. Been in Dubai would be a dream come true!

  34. My favourite auction is for 2 nights in a luxury apartment in Florence, Italy. Looks wonderful and I have always wanted to visit Italy!

  36. I need this trip. ; )
    I went through a tough divorce after 24 years of marriage, and a few days in the desert sounds like heaven to me! Thanks!

  39. Am very interested in the 3 day private villa in Goa trip. Might actually look into getting that one.

  40. I’d love to vist Al Maha because of its conservative approach. In Canada we also approach our natural resources with a sense of conservation, and I would welcome the opportunity to visit this part of the world. I have never been to Dubai and have heard many wonderful things about it.

  42. I would love to stay there because I am taking my mom to Dubai for her birthday and I looked at this hotel but did not have the starpoints but still really want to go there. They have some amazing activities that I would love to do.

  44. What can be better then relaxing at the Al Maha Desert Resort and do fine dining in the desert at night under the millions of stars.

  46. I would want to experience Al Maha to see what one of the top properties on tripadvisor is like! I’d love to see the desert and the animals that live in it, all from the utmost luxury.

  47. My favorite auction would have to be the Park Suite at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. And now I could fly an American 777-300ER to get there!

  50. My favourite auction is for the 2 nights at Gili Lankanfushi luxury resort in the Maldives. It looks amazing.

Comments are closed.