Sleek desert nests an extraordinary twist on ‘glamping’

”Keep watching and maybe you can see Arabian oryx, and if we’re lucky, snakes, scorpions and spiders,” says our driver Kassim as the 4WD enters Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. “They really like tourists.” My nieces, nine and six, both born and bred in Dubai, are not visitors, but they let out a playful gasp, and the gentle interrogation begins.

We’re roughly 40 minutes’ drive from downtown Dubai; it’s an unremarkable journey to get to the desert on the fringe of this chrome sheikhdom, past the outlet mall, camel track and Rugby 7s stadium on the Dubai-Al-Ain Road. But now the bleak scene has transformed into a stirring caramel ocean; latte sand-dunes cresting and falling as far as the eye can see. Gazelles dart into the shrubs as we climb and fall towards the camp.

Desert safaris are nothing new in Dubai, but overnight eco-friendly glampsite The Nest by Sonara encourages you to experience this untapped side of the emirate, and its unique natural offerings, for a little longer; from dusk to dawn. Kassim drops us at camp and we’re welcomed with a cold towel and drink, though it does little to abate the sweltering May heat.

Overnight bags and school uniforms in tow, we roll up to our designer dune in an electric buggy. The calibre has been raised. Designed by award-winning Italian architect Gianni Ranaulo, these 14 slick desert “nests” are less bell tent and more like props from the film set of sci-fi remake Dune. Dystopian, but make it chic.

Our dedicated mudeef, or butler, provides a quick tour of our sunrise-facing tent (but I use that term loosely). A curving ceiling cocoons us in this crescent-moon shaped space that’s built into the sand and mimics the desert’s dunes like a cat’s eye. It’s fitted out with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, a double bed, two twin beds on the floor for my nieces, as well as an enormous private ensuite with a shower and toilet.

A mini bar built into the rendered wall is stocked with bottles of wine, including French Chablis and Bordeaux. The guest compendium reveals an excessive AED250 ($104) corkage charge for any alcohol bought onto the camp. It seems steep, but it’s a novelty that wine and alcohol is available for purchase at the main Sonara entertainment camp, something previously forbidden in these desert tourist attractions.

Part of a trio of desert camps owned by Swiss-born Dubai expat Stephanie Reichenbach, The Nest is the first overnight iteration and, like its siblings, is solar-powered with a zero-plastic policy. Guests staying at The Nest can enjoy tapas at the lounge there or venture to the main Sonara camp for a three-course share-style meal and live entertainment. We opt for the latter and spend the early evening sandboarding, riding camels, watching falconry and doing archery.

Tucked away in the dunes, the Sonara camp is styled with lounges, fairy lights and wood-frame teepees scattered with cushions. A man dressed in traditional dish-dash is playing my favourite Arabic tune, Aisha, on an electric guitar when we arrive. Having previously lived in the emirate for nearly seven years, I’ve done my fair share of cliche desert safaris. This is a tasteful contemporary twist on a very Dubai experience.