The Red Sea

Neighborhoods

Where to base yourself

• Ummahat AlShaykh Islands

  Stay here

  The headline island cluster — St Regis Red Sea Resort and Nujuma Ritz-Carlton Reserve on neighbouring private islands, accessed by speedboat or helicopter.

• Southern Dunes (mainland)

  The mainland-coast desert resort district — Six Senses Southern Dunes on the dune edge, the easiest mainland access from RSI airport.

• Ashaar Valley (canyon)

  The inland canyon resort district — Desert Rock by Habitas, climbing-and-canyon-walk activity programme, the most architecturally distinctive Red Sea stay.

• AlWajh & Yanbu (gateway towns)

  The traditional Saudi coastal towns flanking the development — visited rather than stayed in, but useful day-trip destinations for cultural context.

Hotels

Where to stay

• Six Senses Southern Dunes

  76 villas in a desert-and-coast hybrid setting — the most ambitious wellness programme on the Red Sea, with private-pool desert villas and the strongest dive-centre operation.

  $$$$

• The St Regis Red Sea Resort

  90 villas (47 over-water, 43 beachfront) on Ummahat AlShaykh — the headline over-water-villa experience, with the brand's signature butler service.

  $$$$

• Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

  63 villas on Ummahat AlShaykh #1 — the smallest, most exclusive private-island Red Sea stay, with 22 over-water villas and an emphasis on conservation programming.

  $$$$

• Desert Rock by Habitas

  60 villas built into a granite canyon inland from the coast — the most architecturally distinctive Red Sea stay, with rock-climbing and canyon-walk programming.

  $$$$

• Shebara Resort

  73 stainless-steel orb-shaped over-water and beach villas on Sheybarah Island — the sci-fi-design alternative, opened 2024 with a strong dive programme.

  $$$$

Dining

Where to eat

• Long Weekend, Six Senses Southern Dunes

  Open-fire pan-Arabian dining in the resort's signature restaurant — the most ambitious culinary programme on the Red Sea, with a strong vegetarian focus.

  $$$$

• Tilina, Nujuma Ritz-Carlton

  Over-water seafood restaurant on the reef edge — daily-changing menu drawn from the morning Red Sea catch, the most romantic dinner on the coast.

  $$$$

• Gishiki, St Regis Red Sea

  Japanese-Levantine crossover restaurant in a thatched-roof pavilion — the omakase counter is the standout, with sushi-grade tuna from Red Sea waters.

  $$$$

• Resort dining (full board)

  Most Red Sea travellers choose all-inclusive or full-board packages — the resort dining is genuinely the only option once you're on an island, and the kitchens are operating at international standard.

An ideal day

What to do

1. Morning

   Two-tank dive on the Red Sea reef walls — the second-most-biodiverse reef system on earth, with reef sharks, eagle rays, and rare endemic species. Both Six Senses and St Regis run PADI dive centres.

2. Late morning

   Snorkel from the over-water villa deck (the visibility is genuinely 30+ metres) or join a guided reef-walk in shallow water with the resort marine biologist.

3. Lunch

   Beach-side or pool-side resort lunch — most properties run a barefoot-elegant beach service with grilled fish and Levantine mezze.

4. Afternoon

   Spa treatment (Six Senses Southern Dunes runs the most ambitious wellness programme on the coast), or a private dhow charter to one of the 90 protected islands for a sandbar-picnic afternoon.

5. Evening

   Sunset cocktails on the over-water villa deck, dinner at Tilina or Gishiki, then optional star-gazing session with the resort astronomer (the protected-area dark-sky designation is genuinely unmatched in the region).

Logistics

Getting around

Red Sea International Airport (RSI) opened in 2023 as the dedicated gateway for the development — daily Saudia flights from Riyadh (90 minutes) and Jeddah (45 minutes), plus seasonal direct service from Dubai (90 minutes). On arrival, the resorts arrange all transfers as part of the booking — Six Senses and Desert Rock are short land transfers (15–30 minutes), while St Regis and Nujuma are accessed by 25-minute speedboat or 10-minute helicopter from the airport's dedicated boat terminal. Within the development, you don't drive yourself — every excursion (dive boat, dhow charter, mainland day-trip) is run by the resort. The 1-million-visitor cap means pre-booking is essential and walk-up is not possible.

Cost snapshot

What things cost in The Red Sea

Espresso

$5.00

Dinner for two

$100

Taxi (5 km)

$15

4★ hotel/night

$650

Numbeo medians, mid-week shoulder season. Verified 2026-05-13.

Best time to visit

Twelve months in The Red Sea

FAQ

Common questions about The Red Sea

Is the Red Sea coast actually open?

Yes — the first resorts (Six Senses Southern Dunes, St Regis Red Sea Resort, Desert Rock) opened to guests in late 2023 and Nujuma Ritz-Carlton plus Shebara opened in 2024. The wider development continues through the decade with additional resorts and Amaala (the northern wellness-focused sister project) opening progressively. Bookings are accepted through standard luxury-travel channels.

Six Senses or St Regis or Nujuma?

Six Senses Southern Dunes for the desert-and-coast hybrid experience, the most ambitious wellness programme, and the strongest activity range. St Regis for the headline over-water-villa product with the brand's signature butler service. Nujuma for the smallest, most exclusive private-island stay with the most personalised conservation programming. Most editors rank them as roughly comparable — the choice is stylistic.

Maldives versus Red Sea?

The Red Sea is genuinely a different proposition. The reefs are second-most-biodiverse on earth (versus the Maldives' more typical coral-island reefs), the protected-area cap means significantly fewer guests in the water, the dive walls drop 1,000m+ within easy reach of the islands, and the cultural-context day-trips (AlWajh, Yanbu, the inland canyons) add a layer the Maldives doesn't have. The Maldives wins on flight-time-to-water and on resort maturity; the Red Sea wins on diving and on environmental setting.

When to visit?

October to April is the working window — water temperatures 24–28°C, air temperatures 26–32°C, calm seas and excellent dive visibility. December and January are the absolute peak with European winter-escape demand. May to September is hot (40°C+ air) but the water remains pleasant and many resorts run reduced-rate summer programmes; just be prepared for mid-day heat that limits beach time to early morning and evening.

Do I need a visa?

Yes — the standard Saudi tourist eVisa covers Red Sea coast travel ($130 USD, one-year multi-entry, processed in 24–72 hours via Visit Saudi). Resort dress codes are fully relaxed (swimwear at the beach and pool is fine); modest dress is only relevant for excursions to the mainland gateway towns of AlWajh and Yanbu.

From the edit

Guides & stays in The Red Sea

Hotels

Best Luxury Resorts on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea 2026: Five Giga-Project Stays Tested

Five Red Sea Project resorts we paid to test in 2026 — the Ritz-Carlton Reserve overwater flagship, the design-led island properties, and the smartest sub-USD 1,800 sleepers in Saudi Arabia's new luxury archipelago.

May 14, 2026 · 11 min read

Destinations

Where to Stay on The Red Sea (2026): Sheybarah vs Nujuma vs Desert Rock Picks

The three Red Sea Project bases that earn a luxury booking — the Sheybarah Island stainless-steel orb flagship, the Nujuma Ritz-Carlton Reserve overwater-villa anchor, and the Desert Rock inland mountain-resort alternative — with named hotels and the textbook Red Sea International Airport access rhythm.

May 20, 2026 · 13 min read

Destinations

The Red Sea 5-Day Island and Lagoon Itinerary (2026): Sheybarah, Nujuma and Desert Rock Rotation

A five-day Red Sea Project itinerary built on the Sheybarah Island flagship-orb anchor, the Nujuma Ritz-Carlton Reserve overwater-rotation, the Desert Rock in-cliff-canyon mountain-anchor, and the in-archipelago coral-reef dive-and-snorkel programme — with named hotels, real seaplane-and-speedboat transfers and in-resort programmes.

May 20, 2026 · 14 min read

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Sources

• Numbeo cost-of-living — The Red Sea — verified 2026-05-13
• climate-data.org — The Red Sea — verified 2026-05-13