This Ancient Desert Town’s Newest Hotel Is Lit Only by Candlelight

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The Afar take: A unique and atmospheric hotel

There’s a sense of magic in AlUla, an ancient city in northwestern Saudi Arabia that has been a crossroads of cultures for millennia, where human habitation can be traced back 200,000 years. AlUla oasis has sheltered and fed travelers, traders, and pilgrims for centuries, and ancient civilizations—the Dadanites, Lihyanites, and Nabateans—all left their marks on the extraordinary rock formations that are the backdrop. In a country that only opened up to tourism in 2019, AlUla feels like a pioneer, as does Dar Tantora the House Hotel, albeit in a calm, understated way.

Courtesy of Nour El Refai/Dar Tantora the House Hotel

This is not one of those futuristic hotel projects in Saudi Arabia that look more like AI than reality. Dar Tantora the House Hotel is located in AlUla Old Town, a place inhabited from the 12th century up to the 1980s. The hotel resides in a collection of mud-brick houses carefully restored by Egyptian architect Shahira Fahmy and reborn as 30 individual rooms, each with its own personality. Archaeological studies show that parts of the hotel are more than 500 years old.

Who’s it for? Travelers who want to feel immersed in another era

AlUla may be home to some of the most extraordinary sights in Saudi Arabia, but it still welcomes only a relatively small number of international visitors each year. This is very much a destination in progress, with only a handful of high-end hotels, including Our Habitas and Banyan Tree, opened in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and new arrival the Chedi Hegra, although more are on the way. Dar Tantora is the only hotel located in AlUla Old Town, making it the ideal option for visitors who want to feel connected to the local community, yet still have easy access to the heritage and natural sights that make this a destination worth traveling far for.

The location: An ancient desert town

AlUla is one of the shining tourism jewels of Saudi Arabia with incredible scenery, both human- and nature-made, and millennia of history. While the hotel is about a 30-minute drive from the main heritage sites and Nabatean tombs at Hegra, staying here gives guests easy access on foot to the Old Town and the adjacent Al Jadidah Arts District, both home to restaurants, cafés, shops, art galleries, and regular cultural events.

Courtesy of Nour El Refai/Dar Tantora the House Hotel

Also within walking distance are a 10th-century fort with spectacular views over the valley, the AlUla oasis with 2 million date palms and 200,000 citrus trees, and quirky attractions like the AlUla on Wheels roller rink and the AlUla Music Hub that hosts regular jam sessions and open mic nights. As a fairly frequent visitor to AlUla from my home base in Dubai, I love the flexibility and sense of community connectivity that staying at Dar Tantora provides. AlUla is a place where it’s common for residents to stop you for a chat, to ask where you’re from, and to recommend things to see and do.

The rooms: Candlelit interiors, earthen walls, and bijou terraces

Dar Tantora’s 30 rooms follow the layouts of the original houses, with minor concessions made to accommodate modern bathrooms. No two rooms are the same: Some are adorned with original wall murals traditionally painted by Old Town residents for newlyweds. Others have rooftop daybeds and large indoor and outdoor sitting areas. My room has a hand-carved rustic wooden door and is spread over two floors with an interior stone staircase. There’s a large living room with a desk (“the perfect room for a writer,” my butler tells me), and a cocoon-like bedroom with earthen walls, a palm-frond ceiling, and alcoves for lanterns. Another hand-carved door leads onto a bijou roof terrace with a comfy sofa, perfect for lounging with a book and a cup of tea in the afternoon and for peering up at ink-black skies at night. Two locations in AlUla were granted Dark Sky Park status in October 2024, and the stargazing here is extraordinary.

Courtesy of Nour El Refai/Dar Tantora the House Hotel

One thing to note is that, with the exception of the bathrooms, Dar Tantora is lit entirely by candles at night. Each evening, the staff light more than 1,800 candles in the public areas and rooms. This can be utterly romantic or completely impractical, depending on your take. As churlish as it sounds, I find it a bit of both. In the stone corridors and public areas, the soft, warm light is moody and atmospheric, completely transportive and perfectly fitting these spaces that have been inhabited for centuries. But in the rooms, it feels awkward at times. As an early riser, I need to ask for extra candles and a lighter before going to bed so I don’t have to navigate my room—and the stone stairs—in complete darkness in the morning. There’s a flashlight by the bed to stop you from stumbling into furniture and, in a nod to modernity, power outlets to charge devices (which, one supposes, could also be used for a lamp in dire straits). On the other hand, there’s something so irresistibly cozy about bedding down and being hugged by the soft, thick duvet, candlelight flickering on the walls, as I fall into a deep slumber surrounded by complete silence.

The food and drink: A culinary tour of Saudi Arabian and Middle Eastern flavors

Days begin at Joontos restaurant with breakfasts centered on ingredients sourced from local farms and AlUla’s oasis, its date palms providing the morning view from outdoor tables. Shakshuka, a dish of poached eggs, tomatoes, and mixed spices, is a sensible way to start, although you can also dive into an indulgent bowl of masoub, a popular Saudi dish made of bread mashed with banana, topped with cream, almonds, and honey, or a rich French toast with local dates, date syrup, cream, and halwa. I order the same breakfast twice—the Moroccan poached eggs, served with whipped labneh, chili oil, olives, roasted cherry tomatoes, and crunchy dukkah, plus saj flatbread fresh off the griddle. It’s a perfect combination of flavors, temperatures, and textures. Don’t be surprised if you’re joined by a friendly bird or two. The adjacent acacia trees provide perches for sparrows, and bulbuls, and each morning a little blackstart hops over to the wall next to my table, bobbing his head, opening his wings, and never once trying to steal anything off my plate.

Courtesy of Nour El Refai/Dar Tantora the House Hotel

The lunch and dinner menu at Joontos features tasty bites like batata harra, crispy potato chunks doused in a cilantro emulsion with black lemon and garlic cream, and a zingy salad of grilled green beans with roasted seeds, goat cheese, and pickled lemon. Hearty Saudi-inspired mains include lamb kofta with local spices, tomato sauce, and yogurt, as well as margoog, a stew of lamb, beef, and local vegetables with green rice. Desserts also lean into local flavors, like the soufflé made from dates and AlUla oasis citrus, and mahalabia, a milk pudding with cardamon and local orange blossom that pairs well with coffee. This being Saudi Arabia, no alcohol-based drinks are available.

Dar Tantora also aims to attract the local community with reasonably priced food and beverage offerings. While dining in AlUla’s other high-end properties can be jaw-droppingly expensive—think $19 cappuccinos and $49 sandwiches—at Dar Tantora a coffee, lunch, or dessert costs much the same as anywhere else in the Old Town. Appetizers start at $9, mains at $19, desserts at $8, and a cappuccino comes in at $6.60.

On the roof, Al Maqha café serves drinks and desserts with views over the Old Town, and there’s also a cigar lounge for smokes and zero-proof cocktails. And keep an eye out for Bahjat, Dar Tantora’s resident coffee-maker. Residing in a room next to the reception area, Bahjat keeps the Saudi coffee, scented with cardamom, bubbling away all day. Whenever you need a caffeine fix, he’ll be happy to pour you a cup from a traditional brass dallah pot.

The Dalila Spa: Candlelit treatment rooms

Dar Tantora’s Dalila Spa has four candle-lit treatment rooms for massages, body therapies, and facials. Local moringa oil is the base for many treatments, with additional essential oils tailored to seasons—for example, sweet orange for summer and frankincense for winter. Therapists are caring and efficient, tailoring treatments to the body’s needs and adding hot stones and herbal compresses for extra muscle soothing. Body scrubs include ingredients like date seeds and coffee, and wraps envelop the body with extracts of citrus and pomegranate. For a treatment that combats the dry desert air, the Desert Antioxidant Facial uses date pulp to calm and moisturize the skin.

Courtesy of Nour El Refai/Dar Tantora the House Hotel

There’s a small gym and a rooftop for yoga, stretching, and meditation, plus ample experiences to immerse guests in the culture of AlUla: Arabic beauty workshops focused on henna design, guided walks around the Old Town, and ceramic, calligraphy, and engraving classes.

But Dar Tantora’s main highlight, and a nod to modernity, is the swimming pool. After a hot, dusty day hiking around AlUla’s ancient heritage sites, the pool feels like a true oasis. It’s as enticing in winter too, heated to a comfortable temperature to combat AlUla’s surprisingly chilly evenings, and flanked by daybeds and pouffes made from traditional Saudi Sadu fabrics and handsome rugs.

Staff and service

The team here is a mix of young Saudis who are clearly delighted to be part of this pioneering generation of tourism professionals, plus multicultural staff from around the world; all welcomed me with eagerness and kindness.

Accessibility

While some of the ground floor rooms and public areas are wheelchair accessible, travelers with mobility issues and families with younger children may find the uneven stone floors a challenge. The lack of light at night makes navigating guest rooms tricky, and even during daylight hours many spaces are penumbral, a result of their ancient architecture and small windows.