Al Malfa Resort

rustic in a Saudi sort of way. Bathroom shower has no enclosures and is right next to the toilet and sink countertop. Splashing around comes with a consequence. No hair dryer. Outlets in room are not conveniently close to the bed. Breakfast buffet had the typical American cotton bread I don't like. Overall selection good, depending on your taste. Nice grounds, interesting interior decor, quiet location.

Charming location surrounded by date palms. We only stayed one night (as part of a group tour) and it wasn’t a swanky hotel but perfectly comfortable and our bedroom on the 1st floor (no lift) was spacious. Buffet for dinner had a good choice of tasty dishes. Breakfast buffet was fine but we didn’t have time to linger as we were off early to visit the camel market!

I stayed here as part of a group tour of Saudi Arabia, having come from Riyadh and a huge, modern shiny hotel this was a very nice contrast as a smaller low level place in the relative countryside. We arrived in the dark and it was lit up very nicely. It is in 2 buildings and over 2 floors, there is no lift but its only 2 floors max. Decent sized room and toilet/shower room. My only slightly negative comment, and this really is stretching it - is that there was no bedside table lamp, so if you were reading, the light was right over you lighting the whole room. We ate at the restaurant which was nice, but I am not sure if this was put on for the group or open to the hotel. Breakfast was nice too. There was a gym, but I am not sure on the male/female rules as we arrived quite late and I didn't have time, so didn't ask. The internet wasn't very good, and some people in my group moaned about that, however as we were on holiday, not conducting business meetings, I don't see what it mattered, and the hotel is fairly rural.

The Al Malfa hotel is lovely to look at as an example of the local "gingerbread" architecture. A pretty picture in red and white with a big back lawn area with trees and the sound of birds. Instances of lawns and bird song are few and far between in Saudi Arabia so it seemed all the more special. This is a nice hotel with lovely staff. There is no lift but as it is only 2 stories that is not a real draw back especially as the lovely porter brought my bag up the stairs. My room had a big bed with good bedding, a mini fridge, kettle and safe. There was no chair and I would have liked one. The bathroom was small but with a good sized walk in shower. The walls inside and out were rough straw adobe which fitted perfectly with the region. We had a good buffet dinner and breakfast in the restaurant. Enough choice and in the morning the waiter was happy to bring real coffee when requested. My only complaint concerns the wifi which was more or less non-existent. When I went down to the reception area to see if the coverage was better there one of the staff pro-actively hot spotted me with his cell phone so the terrible connection, or complete lack thereof, is obviously well known. The wifi aside the Al Malta is a very nice place and recommended if you are passing through Unaizah.