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).
Al Maha because it looks like a desert oasis
The 4 night stay at a luxury villa in Goa, India sounds amazing.
I’d love to stay at the Al Maha as an introduction to the luxury of Dubai! The photos look stunning!
Al Maha certainly seems more of an adventure than a regular hotel room in town.
I’m heading to South Africa in June and I would definitely route my flight with a stopover in Dubai just to visit the Al Maha.
BTW I win an auction through Luxury Travel Diary and their customer service is awesome.
3 Nights In A Villa At Loama Resort Maldives At Maamigili looks good to me!
I wish I could take my girlfriend for 7 nights in Crete!
Would love to take my adult children and grandchildren to Laguna at Dominic republic .
Myanmar cruise would be an unforgettable gift to my new wife for our 1st anniversary!
I would stay at Al Maha for the beautiful desert sunsets and the dune bashing!
I would stay there because it is a really cool hotel in the middle of the desert!
I would love the 2 Nights At Tschuggen Grand Ski Hotel & Spa, Switzerland!
My wife has never been to the UAE and this would be an awesome way to show her a new part of the world!
The 4 night stay at a luxury villa in Goa would be my choice. Heading there this year!!
The auction for 3 nights in a Suite at the 5-Star Das Central, Austria looks like it would be great. Just like Sound Of Music.
5 Nights At Green Leaf Boutique Hotel, Cambodia
I would stay at the Al Maha for the sheer luxury (and to be able to brag to my friends)
Already have tickets to Doha for a week next month, so would absolutely love to get to Dubai as well. Pick me!! 🙂
Oh the al maha resort in the desert sounds so much better than being snowed in in 3 ft of snow.
Never been to Dubai, and the Al Maha Desert Resort would be a fantastic way to do it for the first time!
I would stay at al Maha because it looks gorgeous (and falconry!)
My favorite item up for auction is two nights at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore!
I would love to stay in luxury in the Desert. The Al Maha Desert Resort with its pools and included food sounds amazing.
I’d take 2 nights in a Park Suite at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires.
I think the falconry at the al Maha Desert Resort looks pretty awesome.
I would love the 3 Luxury Nights At The Iconic Santorini, Greece as it looks like a great honeymoon spot!
Alternatively I’d take 3 Nights For 4 In A Luxury Parisian 2-Bedroom Apartment.
The Al Maha stay is, without question, my favorite item up for auction. I’ve been drooling over this property ever since I first saw it!
I have read great things about the Al Maha resort and think it would be a wonderful way to spend two nights in the desert!
The private villa and pool sound amazing. I’d love to check out the resort.
$200 To Spend At The Stoned Crab, Key West, Florida- that would be a fun night!
I’d want to do the 3 luxury nights at the Iconic Santorini, Greece. I have yet to go to Greece and heard that Santorini is breathtaking!
I’d also love to do the 3 nights in a Villa at Loama Resort Maldives at Maamigili. The Maldives is on my must-travel list!
Al Maha, because I’ve never stayed in such luxury!
My favorite auction is two nights at the Grand Hyatt Singapore
I would love to stay at Al Maha because it was indeed my best points redemption ever!
2 nights at this resort would be a dream for me and my family!
I never been to UAE. I would love just to be in the middle of the desert and still get a 5 star resort stay. Amazing!
I would stay at the Al Maha because who doesn’t need a dip in the pool in the desert!
For auctions, I’d like to stay at the Villa La Maschere near Florence. Unfortunately, the auction still has 6 days to run.
Favorite item: 2 Nights At Villa Le Maschere, Near Florence, Italy
I will probably only make it to the UAE once in my life, so might as well stay at the Al Maha and visit in style!
2 nights at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. I would pic that
Al Maha is one of the most magical resorts in the Middle East and it would be a dream to take my fiancee there!
I wish I could afford that but I am sure you will love to see me there 🙂
I’d love to stay at Al Maha with my husband as we’ve never been to that part of the world before!
My favorite is the safari since that is in my dirty list of wants, but low on the feasibility list.
https://www.luxurytraveldiary.com/auction/?ult_auc_id=18483
I’d love to stay at the Al Maha Resort, it looks beautiful, and definitely looks like a different feel compared to the Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt Dubai hotels that I typically stay at when visiting the UAE. If only I weren’t using all of my SPG miles for EK F awards. 😛
The 3 luxury nights at the Iconic Santorini is one of the best auction items. Seems amazing!
I would like to stay a tAl Maha Desert Resort since that is what the giveaway is for!