Saudi Arabia — Palaces, Desert Cliffs & the New Riyadh 🕌

The Kingdom has opened its doors: royal-palace hotels in Riyadh, Red Sea glamour in Jeddah, and a capital transforming faster than anywhere on Earth. Hand-picked stays and must-book experiences — every link takes you straight to Trip.com to check live prices and book.

🏨 Where to Stay

• The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — a palatial retreat built in the style of a royal palace across 52 acres of gardens with 600-year-old olive trees, opposite the Diplomatic Quarter, long favoured by visiting royalty and heads of state.
• Shangri-La Jeddah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — smart pick — a super-yacht-inspired hotel in Jeddah's tallest tower on the new Red Sea waterfront, with the Michelin-recognised Niyyali restaurant and sea views from every floor-to-ceiling window.
• Centro Olaya ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — a chic, well-priced boutique hotel on Olaya Street in Riyadh's business and shopping heart, with a rooftop pool and a genuinely central location — the kind of stylish, attainable base most first-time visitors actually want.
• Our Habitas AlUla ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — hidden gem — an adults-only, sustainably built desert retreat in AlUla's Ashar Valley, tucked among sandstone canyons and an ancient oasis near the Hegra UNESCO site, with art villas incorporating Desert X installations and nightly stargazing — one of the most talked-about new openings in the region and still little-known outside it.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — a palatial hotel on the Red Sea Corniche overlooking the King Fahd Fountain, with two fine-dining restaurants, a gentlemen's spa using indigenous Taif rose ingredients, and consistently glowing service reviews.

✈️ Flights

• Flights to Riyadh (RUH) — direct and one-stop flights from Manchester.
• Flights to Jeddah (JED) — one-stop connections from Manchester for the Red Sea coast.

🎟️ Experiences

• Al Masmak Palace Museum — the 19th-century mud-brick fortress where modern Saudi Arabia began: King Abdulaziz's 1902 raid to recapture Riyadh started here, and his spearhead is still embedded in the wooden door.
• Kingdom Centre & Sky Bridge — Riyadh's iconic 302-metre "bottle opener" skyscraper, crowned by a glass Sky Bridge on the 99th floor with panoramic views over the capital, best at sunset.

🚗 Car Hire & Transfers

• Car Hire — the easiest way to reach the Edge of the World cliffs and Diriyah outside Riyadh.
• Private Transfers — fixed-price, door-to-door from King Khalid (Riyadh) or King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) airports.