Saudi Arabia may have only recently opened up to global tourism but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of places to stay – quite the contrary. Visitors are spoiled for choice, with everything from jaw-droppingly luxurious hotels to thoughtful, bespoke offerings that celebrate the local culture and traditions. Our guide to the best places to stay in Saudi Arabia does all the hard work for you – now is the perfect time to start planning your adventure in the Kingdom.

1. Six Senses Southern Dunes, Red Sea

Desert hotels in Saudi Arabia are a growing trend and Six Sense Southern Dunes is one of the most impressive: opened in 2023, it was the first hotel in The Red Sea, the regenerative project covering reefs, islands and island desert on the country’s west coast. You can see the sea in the distance, but it’s the rolling waves of sand dunes that surround guests here – and which can be explored on immersive hikes and stargazing sessions led by knowledgeable guides.

The modernist design reflects the shapes of the desert, making clever use of techniques and lightweight materials to stay as cool as possible without relying on air-conditioning; at its heart is the Oasis, a calming space with fountains beneath a rose-shaped canopy. The spa, meanwhile, has a hammam, a holistic anti-ageing room and the Alchemy Bar, where you can learn how to make body and facial scrubs. In fact, there are lots of opportunities here to pick up new skills, from sustainability sessions in the Earth Lab to making latte art in the Arabic tapas restaurant Merkaz. One of the best family-friendly places to stay in Saudi Arabia.

2. Rosewood Jeddah

Mark a special occasion by dining on the Al Malaki Terrace at the Rosewood Jeddah

Mark a special occasion by dining on the Al Malaki Terrace at the Rosewood Jeddah

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Walk into the lobby here and you’ll be greeted by a beautiful columned atrium, crafted in marble with a floor mosaic in the shape of a lotus flower. Modern and Arabian design unite at a Jeddah hotel that was the first to offer 24-hour butler service for every type of accommodation. It’s set on the city’s Corniche by the Red Sea shore, making the Sky Lounge terrace one of the hottest places to be at sunset.

If you’re celebrating something special, occasion dining can be arranged on the Al Malaki terrace, feasting on dishes that include grilled Indian Ocean lobster with crushed taro root. For a Viennese twist, Soleil offers authentic delicacies from the Austrian capital. Close to the Corniche Circuit, Boulevard Mall and the Fakieh Aquarium (great for families), this is one of Jeddah’s more established hotels, with a reputation to match.

3. Shangri-La Jeddah

Enjoy the incredible views from your suite at the Shangri-La Jeddah

Enjoy the incredible views from your suite at the Shangri-La Jeddah

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Jeddah is a very different place from how it was a decade ago, with a growing cultural scene drawing global names – including the Shangri-La, which has ramped up the city’s hotel landscape. Set on the new waterfront, it makes the most of the views, with floor-to-ceiling windows in stylish, light-filled rooms that frame the sea like a postcard, and a rooftop restaurant lounge with Pacific Rim flavours and resident DJs creating a laidback party vibe at sunset. There’s a focus on global cuisine here: the other restaurant highlight is Shang Palace for its dim sum and BBQ Peking duck cooked over wood chips, while pastry chef Nicolas Lambert conjures elaborate, delicious patisserie. Relax and unwind by indulging in spa treatments that range from hot stone massages to ultimate body wraps. Al Balad is nearby, as is the Red Sea Mall and Floating Mosque – and it’s a short drive to the airport. A perfect hotel option for both business and leisure travellers.

4. St Regis Riyadh

One of 2023’s big openings, the St Regis brings a hit of New York gravitas to Riyadh along with its signature Bloody Mary mocktail and 24/7 personalised butler service. It also has the distinction of being the only hotel in the Via Riyadh, the city’s new must-visit destination – a Salmani-style square with luxe shopping and a cinema. The restaurant is named Jackie, after Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with huge portraits of the fashion icon and a Greek-American menu that includes New York strip steak and grilled octopus. But it also has a real sense of place, carved from Tuwaiq mountain stone and with intimate, majlis-like spaces throughout, doors decorated with mother of pearl, and gold appearing everywhere from the coffee cups to the 24-carat hot-stone massage in the spa (which also has a cooling snow shower). Head to the third-floor Sky Lounge for a lively pool scene with shisha pipes and DJ sessions.

5. Raffles Makkah Palace, Makkah

Raffles Makkah Palace has been a favourite of visitors to the holy city for some time

Raffles Makkah Palace has been a favourite of visitors to the holy city for some time

Raffles Makkah Palace, Makkah 4

Raffles Makkah Palace has been a favourite with visitors to the city’s holy sites since it opened in 2010, not least for its location next to King Abdulaziz Gate and its grandstand views over the Grand Mosque and Kaaba from every suite – though many guests are similarly taken by its proximity to the famous Abraj Al Bait Mall. It’s an elegant hotel with Arabesque good looks, weaving in rich fabrics and golden notes alongside intricate mashrabiya screens and white marble.

And the cuisine is very good, from Italian flavours at Al Majilis to the show kitchens of Al Qasr, where Moroccan, Arabic and Asian dishes are prepared in front of you. In the afternoon, make your way to The Creamery, where guests relax with ice creams in cushioned cabanas on the terrace. The Raffles Group is known for its old-school service ever since the original opened in Singapore in 1887, and this Makkah outpost more than upholds the tradition.

6. Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh

The Al Faisaliah has been a fixture on Riyadh’s skyline for the past two decades, set in the distinctive pyramid-shaped skyscraper that rises above the Al Olaya neighbourhood. It recently had a reboot, though, when the Mandarin Oriental added it to their collection in 2022 and asked innovative architect and designer Adam Tihany to revamp the interiors. The result is a luxurious mix of marble-covered, chandelier-lit elegance, light-grey decor and Pop Art design touches, along with automated curtains and some rooms with Juliette balconies.

It’s a favourite with locals, who flock to the LPM Restaurant – a little pocket of Paris in the city – for its French menu (other restaurants include Yauatcha, for Chinese dim sum, and Globe, for modern flavours from around the world, although the date cake is excellent). Spa treatments inspired by the location include the Golden Hammam experience and the Arabian Pearl ritual with its hot lava stone massage. The location is the best in town, close to the malls, nightlife and historic alleyways of fashionable Tahlia Street, as well as Al Batha, Wadi Hanifa and the National Museum.

7. Our Habitas, AlUla

Habitas have created an incredible home near AlUla, combining luxury with the natural surroundings

Habitas have created an incredible home near AlUla, combining luxury with the natural surroundings

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A real game-changer for the Saudi hotel scene. Habitas is known for its boho resorts in Namibia, Qatar and Tulum, with a focus on experiential wellness, and its Saudi debut opened in 2021 in a canyon within the Ashar Valley. This is eco-chic at its finest, with 96 rooms – half cabin, half tent – amidst the rock formations and dunes; all have verandahs and outdoor showers, along with e-bikes to roam around on.

Floating in the infinity pool (swimwear and bikinis allowed) with the sandstone cliffs rising in front of you is an incredible experience, as is the sound-healing session in the desert, while local ingredients such as prickly pear and frankincense are used in the spa treatments. AlUla’s old town and the remarkable ruins at Hegra – a UNESCO World Heritage site on a par with Petra – are nearby. With hidden trampolines and swings to play on, and a separate glamping pop-up called Caravan, this is certainly the coolest hotel in Saudi Arabia right now.

8. The Ritz Carlton Riyadh

Is this a palace, or a hotel? With 52 acres of landscaped gardens, swooshing fountains and classical sculptures, the Ritz-Carlton is one of the grandest places to stay in Saudi Arabia. Set in the central Al Hada district and originally built to house guests of the King, it’s palatial in scale and ambition, with a golden lift taking guests up to the 496 rooms – book the two-bedroom Royal Suite if you have the budget – decorated in royal red and gold with marble bathrooms.

The male-only spa offers treatments such as olive facials and Dead Sea salt toning; restaurant menus range from Italian to Chinese, with the all-day Al Orjouan for Middle Eastern dishes such as the crowd-pleasing shakshuka. There’s even a bowling alley, while the swimming pool is one of the most beautiful in the country, surrounded by carved white marble with a ceiling fresco of swirling clouds overhead. A fairytale hotel for sheer escapism.

Banyan Tree has one of the most beautiful swimming pools you'll ever lay eyes on

Banyan Tree has one of the most beautiful swimming pools you'll ever lay eyes on

Banyan Tree, AlUla Swimming pool

9. Banyan Tree, AlUla

Banyan Tree has not one but two big Instagram moments. The first is the Rock Pool, surely one of the most incredible hotel swimming pools in the world, set between two monumental limestone cliffs and looking over the lunar landscape of the Ashar Valley. The second is the view of Maraya, the sci-fi-style mirrored concert venue whose reflective surfaces camouflage it against the sand and boulders. Opened in 2022, the Banyan Tree is pure desert luxe, with tented villas all with inside-outside bathrooms, picture windows to frame the view and terraces with fire pits – Mariah Carey has stayed in one of the five Royal Villas.

It also has one of the best Thai restaurants in the region, using herbs from the garden, along with Harat for Middle Eastern favourites; you’ll also find Thai ingredients in the spa treatments, with special experiences such as sound baths, and massages in a rock cave nearby. The Banyan Tree is one of the most beautiful hotels in Saudi Arabia, excellent for connecting with the landscape through stargazing, trail hikes around the mountains and wadis and zip-lining.

10. Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre

The Kingdom Centre is hard to miss. Rising 99 storeys above the city, it looks like something out of an MCU film, or Lord of the Rings, with a surface that reflects the sky and a summit shaped like the crescent moon of Islam. The recently refurbished Four Seasons occupies floors 30 to 50 – ‘only’ halfway up but high enough for some spectacular views; although if you book dinner for two on the glass bridge that connects the two prongs you’ll be dining at a vertiginous 300 metres.

But if you don’t have a head for heights there’s plenty to like here, from the installations by local artists – including skateboard decks covered with Arabian calligraphy – and a patisserie from French pastry legend Pierre Hermé to the heated sand beds in the spa (male only but there are treatment rooms for women). The first-floor pool has cabanas for relaxing in, while the centrepiece Grill has a menu featuring shellfish bisque, wagyu beef and kabsa chicken. A great all-rounder in the Saudi capital.

11. Al Balad Hospitality, Jeddah

The restoration of Al Balad's old houses is a wonderful opportunity to experience the history and culture of Jeddah

The restoration of Al Balad's old houses is a wonderful opportunity to experience the history and culture of Jeddah

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Al Balad is Jeddah’s historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of winding streets, souks, ancient mosques and beautiful houses made of coral. As part of a new restoration project, around 34 of these houses are being turned into small boutique hotels – three of which are now complete, with modern touches such as luxurious bathrooms alongside authentic details including wooden beams, hand-painted floor tiles and furniture inlaid with shells.

The largest, Beit Jokhdar, stands out for its incredible wooden balcony, Beit Al-Rayess has courtyard views from all six rooms, while the two-roomed Beit Kedwan has lovely protruding windows known as rawasheen and a rooftop terrace for sunset views. Personal experiences can be arranged, from Arabic calligraphy and woodwork workshops to tours of the nearby souks.

12. Dar Tantora The House Hotel, AlUla

This is a place lit by lanterns and candles, and cooled by ceiling fans, and staying here feels like stepping back into the past. It’s an incredible restoration project, taking many of the abandoned stone and mud-brick houses in the heart of AlUla’s old town and turning them into hotel rooms – 30 so far, but with more to be added. Rooms are furnished with traditional fabrics and day beds, and there are few signs of the modern world, save for the rooftop swimming pool, but this is a deeply relaxing, special place to stay.

Spa treatments are based on local wellness traditions, while the courtyard restaurant has an all-day menu of seasonal ingredients – the rooftop cafe, with oasis views, serves teas and local snacks. Experiences and local tours connect guests with AlUla’s history and culture, from breadmaking to the Heritage Oasis Trail, led by a local Rawi for fascinating insights. A wonderfully atmospheric place to stay.