For more-ecofriendly five-star luxury, Australia’s Longitude 131 º wilderness camp sits on a sand dune near Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, offering great views of the sunset over Ayers Rock. The white-domed roofs house only 30 guests, who get a taste of Aboriginal lore through tours of the isolated area and dining under the stars (single, $1,100; longitude131.com.au ).
Bahrain’s golden landscape is set for this month’s opening of the opulent Banyan Tree Desert Spa and Resort , which houses the biggest spa in the Middle East. Guests can watch gazelles at the nearby wildlife reserve, tour the Gulf country’s well-preserved forts or relax at their spacious individual villas with their own private pools (from approximately $1,500 per night; banyantree.com/ Bahrain ).
Tunisia’s Pansea Ksar Ghilane is located in the middle of the Sahara, the hottest desert of them all. Guests stay in linen tents with pale marble floors around a natural oasis amid the dunes. They can relax by the pool or take camel treks to ancient forts and the springs of Atn Rath ($210 per night, breakfast included; pansea.com/ksar ).
For a bit more water with the sand, try Namibia’s Burning Shore Beach Lodge , where the Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie booked every room to await the birth of their daughter. Nestled between the world’s largest sand dunes and the Atlantic Ocean, the lodge offers both dolphin cruises and Jeep rides across the country’s lunar landscape (from $990 per night; burningshore.info ). Paparazzi not included.
