Saudi Arabia The future is already today

The cradle of Islam, the birthplace of Mecca and Medina, the country of eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites and dozens of modern mega-projects, Saudi Arabia is developing by leaps and bounds and invites you to: immerse yourself in the past, think about the eternal in the middle of the red sand desert, return to the present on the beaches of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, feel like royalty in the hotels of international luxury brands.

The first cruise company in the East has opened in Saudi Arabia – AROYA Cruises with routes along the Red Sea, and in the near future – along the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. On board there is a wide choice of restaurants, pastry shops, a children's water park with water slides, various playrooms for children and teenagers, a spa center, a thermal suite, a beauty salon, a gym, an open-air pool, as well as meeting rooms, a clinic and a prayer hall.

 Attractions

Any trip to Saudi Arabia is unthinkable without visiting Riyadh, where shopping and entertainment centers, hotels and world-class restaurants are located. Here you should visit the 14th-century Masmak adobe fortress in the city center, the Murabba Palace and the National Museum, stroll through the oldest city market, climb the “Sky Bridge” at the top of the 300-meter skyscraper Kingdom Center. 90 km from the capital, visit the cliff of Jebel Fihrain, also known as the “Edge of the World”.

Jeddah, one of the oldest port cities in the Middle East, is the starting point for a trip to Mecca. The history of Jeddah for 2,500 years is reflected in the exhibits of the Taibat Museum. The symbol of the city is the Al-Rahma Mosque, or Floating Mosque, which seems to float above the Red Sea. Nearby is a modern yacht club with a marina and a sailing academy, as well as spa centers and luxurious restaurants. Be sure to visit the King Fahd Fountain, the tallest in the world, with a water jet rising 312 meters. And in the evening, head to the Al Shalal theme park with roller coasters and other attractions.

Al-Ula, the largest open-air museum on the planet, reflects the history of mankind for 200 thousand years. Walking around it is akin to traveling in time: from the ancient city of Dadan and Jebel Ikma with many ancient rock writings to the concert hall "Maraya" - the largest mirror building on the planet. In the Old City, a tenth-century citadel has been preserved with a labyrinth of streets and squares, where restaurants, shops and art galleries are located. Here you can feel like Superman on a zipline, ride a camel, an SUV or a buggy.

22 km north of Al-Ula is the ancient city of Hegra - the first on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Saudi Arabia; a complex of 111 rock-cut tombs, the second most important city of the Nabataean kingdom after Petra and a thriving center of trade. During a helicopter tour, you will see the 52-meter-high Elephant Rock (Jabal al-Fil), the Dancing Rocks of the Jabal al-Ruqqab Nature Park, Mount Harrat and the oasis of the Al-Ula Valley. Also worth a safari in an off-road vehicle is the Sharan Nature Reserve, home to Arabian wolves, gazelles, bat-eared foxes, ostriches, Nubian ibex, Cape hares and hyraxes.

Events

Saudi Arabia hosts many sporting and cultural events. From traditional festivals to the Keinemusik International Electronic Music and Underground Festival in Al-Ula (4 April 2025) and the Red Sea International Film Festival, which will be held in the centre of Jeddah from 4 to 13 December 2025. The list of sporting events includes the Dakar Rally, the Italian Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, horse racing, golf championships, boxing tournaments and a Formula 1 round at the Jeddah Circuit (18–20 April 2025).

Hotels

The Red Sea Global megaproject is planned to open fifty hotels of international brands across the country by 2030. This resort centre on the Red Sea coast is served by the Red Sea International Airport designed by the architectural firm Foster + Partners. It received its first domestic flights in 2023, and international flights in April last year. The following fantastic hotels have already opened as part of the complex.

Desert Rock Resort – The Red Sea

20 minutes from the airport is the family-run Desert Rock Resort – The Red Sea, designed by Oppenheim Architecture, an international bureau with 25 years of experience. Its villas with sand-colored interiors seem to be a natural continuation of the mountain-desert landscape of Al Hijaz: like cave cells, they are carved into the rock, located in gorges, hanging over cliffs or nestled in the valley. Each villa is spacious, panoramic, with its own pool and butler. The hotel has four restaurants and bars, including the gastronomic Nyra, run by Turkish chef with a Michelin star Osman Sezener. Here, both ancient, primitive traditions of frying and smoking dishes over an open fire and new techniques are used, using locally sourced products. The process can be observed in the open kitchen. The avant-garde non-alcoholic bar Mica offers innovative mocktails and snacks. To give the drinks an unusual taste, they use techniques such as fermentation, preservation, pickling and smoking, and serve herbal elixirs and snacks. The bar is open until 1am, inviting you to admire the starry sky by the fire. The main restaurant Basalt is open for breakfast with a menu for fans of a healthy lifestyle, local cuisine and those who are used to not denying themselves anything on vacation. During the day, they serve modern Indian cuisine, complementing meals with live performances, music and dance numbers and fireworks, which adds a theatrical effect to the atmosphere. Located by the main pool, Wadi greets you with Peruvian cuisine and DJ sets.

The Spa at Desert Rock offers luxurious rituals in the hammam with Moroccan volcanic clay Rassoul, gold, oil enriched with meteorite extract, using AMRA and Dr. Burgener products, a Vichy shower and a steam shower. For you, personal training and yoga practice, a 24-hour fitness center with Technogym exercise machines, a sports pool with adjustable water temperature. Exercise machines can be installed in your villa upon request.

The hotel has a kids' club with indoor and outdoor games. They offer hiking tours, electric fat bikes, mountain bikes, via ferrata and zip line, mountain climbs and descents from the slopes. The cultural program includes falconry shows, master classes in traditional palm leaf weaving, camel rides, traditional coffee ceremonies, archery. And after sunset, you can study the star chart through powerful telescopes, admire the scattering of stars and fill yourself with the magic of the desert during a night walk.

Shebara Resort

Half an hour by seaplane from the Red Sea International Airport, and before you is an island hotel-oasis with luxurious villas on a white-sand beach and above the lagoon. The Shebara Resort collection includes a complex of Royal Beach Villas with 3 and 4 bedroom houses on a secluded island with its own yacht dock. This is an ideal option for a romantic, family vacation and events. You can rent one villa or the entire complex.

Gourmets will appreciate the Nikkei restaurant IKI.ROE - a fusion of Japanese-Peruvian cooking techniques and traditions, in an exquisite interior with an interactive kitchen and the omakase principle. Ariamare invites you on a virtual journey through the Mediterranean countries. Its recipes combine seafood, seasonal vegetables and fruits. Michelin-starred chef Marco Garfagnini also invites you to Pasta Lab, where homemade pasta is created. The trendy brasserie Lunara is open for breakfast, lunch and private service. The family-run poolside grill bar Saria specializes in modern Levantine cuisine. For adults only, the chic Solera pool bar offers innovative soft drinks and snacks created from the bounty of the Red Sea and the desert.

The spa offers luxurious hammam treatments with Tahitian black pearls and green caviar to cleanse and protect from the negative impact of external factors, massages with oils enriched with meteorite minerals to improve circulation, lymphatic drainage and filling with energy. The spa with separate areas for his and hers is equipped with a Jacuzzi, saunas, steam rooms. The fitness room offers personal training, yoga and antigravity. There are tennis and paddle tennis courts, family and adults-only pools with the best sunset views, a kids' club and a water sports center offering night and day diving, windsurfing, and catamaran sailing lessons. The arsenal of water entertainment includes Seabob, E-SUP, E-Foil, E-Foiling Scooter and other new products.

Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

This luxurious Maldivian-style resort is located on the protected Ummahat Islands in the Red Sea and offers 82 one- to four-bedroom villas designed by Foster + Partners.

The hotel’s diverse cuisine harks back to the days when Saudi Arabia was an important hub at the crossroads of trade routes. Open all day, Sita is reminiscent of an oriental souk, combining French patisserie and Levantine cuisine with the aromas of freshly baked bread, hummus prepared in front of you, and a collection of spices. Bread-making workshops are also held here. Jamaa offers Mediterranean cuisine with tables by the sea. Tabrah serves the catch of the day, honoring local fishing traditions, while Maia offers otherworldly mocktails. The Neyrah Spa treatment menu combines world-class wellness, local aromas and oils, therapeutic tea elixirs and superfood smoothies. Galaxea Dive Centre invites you to discover the beauty of the world’s fourth largest barrier reef – the Red Sea, home to hundreds of species of fish, hawksbill turtles and rays. Kayaking and catamaran excursions complement this. At the Heritage Centre, ecologists, naturalists, astronomers and cultural experts talk about the region’s marine resources, history, culture and traditions. All this can be diversified with excursions to volcanic fields and mangroves, ancient cities and petroglyphs. 

The St. Regis Red Sea Resort

A 10-minute boat ride from Nujuma (or a 25-minute seaplane ride from the airport) is The St. Regis Red Sea Resort, designed by Kengo Kuma. The hotel has 90 villas with pools, on the beach and over the lagoon, restaurants of Middle Eastern cuisine Nesma, Japanese Gishiki 45, Tilina with tasting sets, a beach club and a bar, which serves a local version of "Bloody Mary" - "Coral Mary" with dried lime (lumi) and seaweed. In the evenings here, as in any St. Regis hotel, you can watch sabrage - the ritual of opening champagne with one blow of a saber. Guests can enjoy the St. Regis Spa, a 24-hour fitness center, tennis and paddle tennis courts.

Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea

In the dunes of Umluj National Park, Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea is located. This retreat hotel, decorated in Bedouin traditions, offers master classes in garden weaving, a cinema and an open-air pool, an artisan village. The hotel has 36 rooms and 40 villas with private pools, including luxurious Retreat / Sunset Retreat villas (250 sq. m) with three bedrooms, indoor and outdoor showers, a private cinema, and Sunset Reserve (400 sq. m) with four bedrooms, a private kitchen, an outdoor space for events, a cinema and a study. The hotel's three restaurants offer local and international cuisine, grilled catch of the day, the culinary school teaches oriental recipes, and the Gelato Pod serves homemade ice cream, pastries and cakes. 

The two-story Six Senses Spa (3,974 sq. m) houses a gym with cutting-edge equipment, a spin bike room, a yoga and antigravity studio, a holistic anti-aging center, and a meditation center; hammam, infrared salt and regular saunas, cold water pools, steam room, jacuzzi, biohacking area, herbal garden and much more. The hotel is located 45 minutes by car from the Red Sea International Airport.