Rosewood Amaala has opened on Saudi Arabia’s north-western Red Sea coast. Red Sea Global, the developer of the Amaala destination, announced the opening on 19 August, and Rosewood followed with its own announcement on 20 August. It is the Hong Kong-based group’s first resort in Saudi Arabia, set on about 40 hectares at Triple Bay.
The resort has 110 keys, each with its own pool according to Rosewood, plus 26 branded villas sold as Rosewood Residences Amaala. The architecture is by the Milan studio Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, and the interiors are by the French designer Tristan Auer.
What sets the resort apart is how much Saudi craft has been written into the guest’s day. In the spa, guests can learn Sadu weaving and Arabic calligraphy as part of their treatment, and a library at the heart of the resort is given over to local literature. For travellers who choose a hotel for its sense of place, that is the reason to look closely.
A low village between reef and mountains
Rosewood describes the site as the place where the Tabuk mountains meet the world’s fourth-largest barrier reef, and the plan is organised around that meeting. Red Sea Global describes a low-density resort, with the keys grouped in clusters among green spaces rather than gathered into a single building. Beyond the private pools there are several shared pools and two natural rock pools on the shore.
The rock pools are the clearest expression of the idea. Rosewood says they are set into the sea to give guests close contact with the reef while limiting the impact on it. Conservation work runs through Corallium, the destination’s Marine Life Institute, which carries out research and public education.
Gerald Chevasson, managing director of Rosewood Amaala, summed up the approach in the opening announcement: "Everything here begins with the Red Sea."
Rooms that open to the water
Every key looks towards the sea, either from within the resort or directly from the shoreline, and each has a sand-lined terrace, with indoor and outdoor rooms running into one another.
The range starts with Pavilions along the Northern Reef, suited to families, and Suites for couples, and rises through One-Bedroom and Family Villas to Royal Villas. From the one-bedroom villas upwards there are full kitchens, outdoor barbecue areas and butler service, with private chefs on request. Family Villas have several terraces and pools, and Royal Villas are set around landscaped courtyards for more privacy. Three Lodges sit inside the spa itself, each with a private garden and its own treatment room, for stays of five nights or more.
Auer also designed the interiors of Rosewood Residences Amaala, 26 villas of three to five bedrooms.
Sadu, calligraphy and sound
The spa, Asaya, takes the form of an artist’s retreat, in Rosewood’s words. Its treatments draw on Saudi healing traditions and the rhythm of the coast, and guests can learn Sadu weaving, calligraphy and the healing use of sound, with the act of making treated as part of the therapy.
Al Sadu is the weaving tradition of the Bedouin, worked on a ground loom in bold geometric bands, and UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage. Arabic calligraphy needs no introduction to readers in the region. Placing Sadu and calligraphy in a spa programme turns them from decoration into something guests do with their own hands.
The facilities are generous: 2,100 square metres, with six treatment rooms, a double suite with a private hammam, and separate wet areas for men and women with sauna, steam rooms and experience showers. Social House is a private day spa that one group can book for the day. Two fitness centres are fitted with Technogym Artis equipment, one of them reserved for women, alongside yoga and movement studios. The daily programme includes sunrise and aerial yoga, breathwork and ecology walks.
At the Arabian Apothecary, guests work with local herbs and the healing traditions of the region. Each day, Sukūn Hour, named after the Arabic word for stillness, gathers guests in a different place on the resort.
A table shaped by old trade routes
There are eight places to eat and gather. Olea brings together the coastal cooking of Italy, Spain and Greece, joined by olive oil, and a six-metre olive tree at its entrance recalls the historic trade routes that carried oil, spice and ideas between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Saha is laid out as a set of pavilions arranged like a village gathering place, serving progressive Middle Eastern sharing plates.
The Grill cooks meat, seafood and vegetables over wood and charcoal, and Puro Cove Club, on the shoreline, specialises in ceviche and crudo. The Pool Lounge serves all day beside the largest pool, which has a sloping sand entry, and the Asaya Lounge offers lighter food and botanical drinks. Rosewood calls Wadi Library the cultural heart of the resort, its shelves carrying local literature, with craft sessions held there.
Families have the Rosewood Explorers club, with its own pool, for children aged four to twelve. Its daily activities are built around the reef, environmental storytelling and Saudi culture and craft.
Power, arrival and what comes next
Rosewood says the resort’s power comes from more than 406,000 solar panels paired with battery storage, which supply renewable energy day and night. Only electric vehicles move guests and goods around the destination, and pools are sanitised without chemicals. Hotel Designs reported that guests arrive by private electric vehicle or by boat through the marina.
Luca Finardi, Rosewood’s vice president of operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the opening "marks an important milestone for Rosewood". Red Sea Global described it as the third resort to open at Triple Bay, with five more to follow in the coming months.
For travellers from the Gulf, the appeal lies less in the villa count than in the sense that this resort belongs to its place: a Saudi shore, Saudi crafts, and a reef that sets the pace of the day.
Sources: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Red Sea Global, Hotel Designs