Banyan Tree AlUla

I have thought long and hard about this but I think it should be know. I thought for the price, the service would be spectacular but it fails at a few points. I was told to called 10-20 minutes ahead of time if I needed a ride, but at times they were 30 minutes or more. The longest I waited was about 45 minutes. Then I thought I had everything planned out with the concierge but the rest of the team working there didn’t seem to be on the same page with any of the arrangements I requested a week before. Mostly just simple dinner reservations, tours, and some stargazing. And then for the most expensive dinner, I asked for a medium rare steak and it was served almost done. It was a waygu steak too. They offered to redo it, then it came back with some sauce all over it. I didn’t think a waygu steak needed sauce. The manager did however, waived a car ride and covered a dinner for us. Which was about 20 percent of what I spent on the dinner. I wanted to only say good things but I hope this helps them improve their service because those villas are paradise.

Overall it's a great hotel. Food can be improved (both restaurants and breakfast). At check in we were not asked to leave some money on the room for charges. So at dinner when I asked to leave the dinner charges on the room, we were told its not possible and one of the staff members went back to the room with us so we can settle the bill with a credit card. This was quite strange, never experienced that in a 5 star hotel before.

The location is wonderful. The tents are spacious and well spaced to give you privacy, the rooms are well furnished, and everyone who works there is courteous and do their best to serve. I would give it a 10 if it were not for the breakfast. First of all they could use a bigger hall, expand the buffet area and create more space between the tables. But most importantly is the quality of the food. This is a property managed by Accor, a French company, and yet the croissants are dry, and the pastries are uninteresting. The cheese selection is very limited. The jelly/jam/honey selection is also small. They may think of having the coffee and the juice stations outside instead of having to order them from the servers. Coffee at the rock pool is expensive, 115 riyals for two cups of coffee (50 each + 15% VAT) is ridiculous. It should be complimentary especially since they use the same coffee machine and coffee pods provided free in the room.

Aesthetically pleasing. Every inch of this place is beyond beautiful. Much quieter and much nicer than its counterparts. Privacy here is great with your own in-villa pool. However, keep in mind that you’ll be heavily reliant on buggies throughout your stay at the hotel. Request buggies 10-15 mins before you need to be out the door. The restaurants here are decent but would not recommend if you’re not staying at Banyan.

The hotel is fantastic, high-end design and quality, amazing facilities. Service level is best quality. the location is the best in AlUla. Spa services and the rock pool are an experience itself. Unfortunately only one restaurant was open, and the prices there are a bit too high for what you get. We will be back!