At home in the dunes

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Banyan Tree Al Wadi general manager Pascal Eppink explains why this new desert resort, which is set to open in Ras Al Khaimah in September, will encourage guests to stay longer than you might think.

For several years, Emirates Hotels & Resorts' famous Al Maha property was the UAE's only desert resort. While this has established a loyal following and a reputation for exceptional luxury, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) revealed that some like-minded hoteliers are also preparing to set up home on the dunes.

Desert Islands has already opened off the coast of Abu Dhabi and Anantara is preparing to launch a second property, its flagship in the region, in the Empty Quarter.

Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is also looking to make its name in the Emirates, with the September launch of Banyan Tree Al Wadi in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), the company's first Banyan Tree branded property in the UAE following the opening of sister brand Angsana on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai at the end of last year.

While Anantara is still keeping details of its Qasr Al Sarab property under wraps, the imminent opening of Banyan Tree Al Wadi just after the summer means that its general manager Pascal Eppink is raring to go. And having been on site since the early part of 2008, he has real experience of why the property will offer more than a typical desert resort.

"This will be the first desert resort with its own private beach, nature reserve, hydrotherapy spa and golf course," reveals Eppink, speaking exclusively to Hotelier at ATM.

The low level resort, which comprises 101 villas, each with their own private swimming pool, has been designed in keeping with the traditional architecture of RAK.

"The colours of the buildings are as similar to the sand as possible, so the resort blends into the desert as if it has been there forever," says Eppink.

In keeping with the theme, there is a Bedouin camp in the nature reserve, a falconry centre at which guests can take a course and leave as a trained falconer and even a snake pit.

Guests will be greeted by a member of staff and a camel upon arrival and those staying in luxury villas will be granted a camel for the duration of their stay "so they can give the camel a name and use the camel at any time," says Eppink.

Animal specialists have been hired to look after the animals in the nature reserve, which will have its own rehabilitation programme, with visiting experts also coming to the resort as a result of tie-ups with universities in the area.

"We will have a falcon exhibition centre. When guests come in, they will see the history of falconry, we will display where the birds come from and how they live, we will offer daily educational tours in a purpose-built classroom and have professors coming in to talk about the different subjects of flora and fauna native to RAK," says Eppink.

With such a multi-faceted property to manage, Banyan Tree has partnered with several other experts and existing facilities in order to offer guests the best service. Dubai-based adventure activity company Desert Rangers is setting up a base in Ras Al Khaimah specifically to run activities for Banyan Tree Al Wadi.

"They will deploy a number of people to RAK who work only for Banyan Tree, so that makes our services flexible in the sense that if a guest wants to sleep in and wants to start a tour at 11am instead of 9am, we can do it," says Eppink.

The golf course, meanwhile, will be operated by Banyan Tree, but the facility itself already exists: the Peter Harradine-designed Al Hamra Golf Course. Banyan Tree Al Wadi will therefore open with 325 staff, but the full golf course and restaurant team will take the tally up to 400.

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