A stay at Nujuma begins well before the first welcome drink appears. Flying into Red Sea International Airport, desert, water and very little else are visible from the air, while the airport itself is small enough that we were outside within minutes of leaving the aircraft. The first sign of how seamless the wider experience would be came with the luggage. Once the team confirmed which hotel we were staying at, our bags were taken care of and we continued towards the resort with only our hand luggage.
From the airport, the journey takes around half an hour by road to the marina before continuing across the Red Sea by speedboat. By the time we stepped inside our villa at Nujuma, our luggage was already waiting for us, despite the fact that we had left the airport before it. It was a simple detail, but one that immediately showed how carefully the arrival process had been considered.
Set within the Ummahat Islands, Nujuma was the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve to open in the Middle East. Its name is inspired by the Arabic word for stars, something that initially feels like a subtle part of the resort’s identity but becomes meaningful once night falls.
First impressions from the water
Approaching Nujuma by boat gives the first proper sense of the resort. Overwater villas sit low against the horizon, a long jetty reaches into clear blue water and the arrival feels deliberately removed from everything left on the mainland. The comparison with the Maldives is difficult to avoid, although the architecture and surrounding landscape quickly establish a different sense of place.
The team was already waiting as our boat pulled in, with cold towels, biscuits and a chilled interpretation of Saudi coffee. There is no conventional stop at reception. Instead, we were taken directly to the villa by buggy, where check-in was completed inside, while the room key came as a bracelet that could stay on throughout the day.
Designed by Foster + Partners, Nujuma uses shell-like forms, pale timber, woven surfaces and sandy tones that sit naturally within the landscape. Regional details appear throughout without becoming overly themed, while the positioning of the villas is as important as their appearance, particularly once the level of privacy becomes clear.
A villa that gives you little reason to leave
The first thing visible when the villa door opens is the sea. A large living room sits to one side and the bedroom to the other, with the private pool and deck directly ahead. The curved architecture continues inside, where low furniture and built-in elements work with the unusual proportions rather than fighting them, creating a space that feels calm despite its considerable size.
Cream upholstery, timber floors, rugs and patterned textiles add enough texture without competing with the view outside. We found ourselves spending far more time in the villa than we would at many other resorts, partly because it gave us little reason to leave.
The outdoor deck is almost another living room, with a generously sized private pool, sun loungers, additional seating and an outdoor shower directly above the water. More importantly, neighbouring villas are angled carefully enough that our sunset-facing villa never felt overlooked, creating a seclusion that makes the pool genuinely useful rather than simply decorative.
The bathroom continues the same sense of scale, although the shower pressure was one of the few details we would have changed, feeling a little gentle for a villa at this level.
The following morning began shortly before sunrise, with the moon still clearly visible over the water while daylight was building behind the villa. With nowhere we needed to be, an espresso outside, some reading and a long period of simply looking across the sea felt like the right way to start the day.
Late July might seem an unlikely time for a Red Sea escape, particularly for anyone familiar with summer in Dubai, Doha or Riyadh, but the weather surprised us. Midday was certainly hot, yet mornings and late afternoons were considerably more comfortable than expected, allowing us to cycle, eat breakfast outside and spend the early evening beside the water. Having previously visited the Red Sea in cooler months, we had assumed summer would be best avoided. This stay challenged that.
Slow mornings and Sita’s Levantine table
Breakfast is served at Sita, Nujuma’s Levantine restaurant and French-style patisserie. The format is mainly a la carte, which suited the pace of the resort, with fresh pastries brought to the table alongside a changing breakfast amuse-bouche. On one morning, this was a tiny waffle topped with cream and blueberries, sweet without being overly heavy. Eggs, pancakes and familiar dishes cover the rest, while the coffee programme is strong and the barista team clearly knows what it is doing.
Sita was also where we had our first dinner, and eventually where we chose to return for our final one. The menu leans into Levantine cooking, and some of the strongest dishes were also the simplest. Hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and other cold mezze arrived with Arabic bread served hot from the oven, and the hummus was the one we kept going back to: smooth, rich and exactly as it should be. A wagyu beef kebab followed, ordered medium rare and cooked precisely as requested, working naturally with the bread and mezze already on the table. A green apple, lime and basil sorbet finished the meal on a refreshing note. Nujuma also takes its zero-proof drinks seriously, with sparkling grape options, wine alternatives and more considered alcohol-free serves, although the drinks designed specifically without alcohol were more convincing than the non-alcoholic wines we tried.
Cycling an island that never feels busy
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Nujuma is considerably larger than it first appears, and cycling around the island on the second day gave us a better sense of its scale. Wooden pathways connect the overwater accommodation before giving way to firmer island paths, while beach villas and residences are spread much farther apart.
Despite that size, the resort never felt busy. There were stretches where we cycled without seeing another guest, and the spacing of the villas helped preserve the feeling of quiet even when the property was clearly occupied. Our villa was close to Sita and the main hub, while restaurants on the opposite side could take five or six minutes by buggy, so the bicycles gave us useful independence. They could’ve been better maintained, but having them still made exploring the island much easier.
By lunchtime, the heat had built enough that eating indoors made more sense. Jamaa and Maia sit together around the beach and pool area, with Jamaa handling much of the food offering while Maia brings in Nujuma’s astronomy-inspired approach to drinks.
We started with two taco-style dishes, one built around fish and another with slow-cooked beef, avocado and melted cheese, followed by a steak cooked to the requested temperature. It was a good lunch rather than a defining meal, and what stayed with us more clearly was the unhurried afternoon that followed, cycling back to the villa, spending time around the pool and eventually taking a nap. That rhythm became part of Nujuma’s appeal, because there is enough to do without any sense that every hour needs to be filled.
Sunset at Tabrah and the stars that give Nujuma its name
Dinner that evening was at Tabrah, the seafood restaurant inspired by Saudi fishing traditions. The venue sits farther from the main cluster of villas and restaurants, and arriving early turned out to matter more than anything on the menu.
The Red Sea was almost completely still as the sun dropped, turning from blue to gold and then deep orange while the surface reflected almost every change in the sky. The colour stayed long after sunset, spreading across the horizon in pale blue, grey and orange, and it became one of the strongest memories of the stay.
Dinner began with a light welcome drink, a small amuse-bouche and bread served with several butters, including one flavoured with seaweed, before we moved into a relatively restrained selection of starters. For the mains, we shared two dishes. The stronger was a saffron and pumpkin risotto with seafood, rich without becoming excessively heavy, with the sweetness of the pumpkin working particularly well with the saffron. Sea bream with elongated gnocchi came alongside and was well prepared, although the risotto was the plate that remained more memorable.
At around 11pm, the evening shifted from the water to the sky during Nujuma’s guided stargazing session. An astronomer spoke about how stars were historically used for navigation through the desert and their place within Arabic culture, adding context that made the activity more than a simple telescope session.
Neyrah Spa and a warmer kind of service
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By the third day, there was little interest in creating an ambitious schedule. After another relaxed breakfast, the morning was divided between the gym and Neyrah Spa. The gym is well equipped for a proper session, while the spa begins treatments with an outdoor ritual using water, flowers and a choice of oils before moving into spacious treatment rooms with intricate timber details.
The massage was particularly good, with the therapist clearly paying attention to the consultation requests rather than treating them as a formality. Afterwards, the day returned to cycling, the beach and water clear enough to watch fish moving through the shallows, with visibility that became increasingly impressive as the light changed.
Service was one of Nujuma’s strongest points throughout the stay. The team was polished and attentive, but what we appreciated most was how easy people were to speak to, with conversations that moved beyond scripted hotel interactions and a warmth that never tipped into excessive familiarity. At this level, service can occasionally become so formal that a noticeable distance develops between staff and guest, and Nujuma largely avoids that.
Who Nujuma suits best
Three nights felt well judged for a first visit, giving us enough time to slow down properly while still leaving parts of the resort unexplored. For longer stays, the nearby St. Regis Red Sea Resort sits only a short boat ride away, adding another change of scenery and additional dining options without requiring guests to leave the destination.
Nujuma makes particular sense for couples, honeymooners and travellers drawn to privacy, design and nature, although its wider appeal is simply the chance to disconnect. There were small imperfections, from the shower pressure and bicycle maintenance to a few dishes that were less memorable than others, but none significantly changed the overall experience.
What stayed with us instead were the uncomplicated moments: our luggage somehow arriving before us, coffee beside the sea while the moon was still visible at dawn, cycling through quiet stretches of the island, watching orange light reflect across perfectly still water and later seeing that same moon through a telescope. Nujuma works best when the resort allows its surroundings to lead. The architecture, villas and service create the comfort, but ultimately it is the Red Sea itself that gives the stay its character.
Quick summary – Nujuma A Ritz-Carlton Reserve
- Style: Private island Ritz-Carlton Reserve with overwater and beach villas
- Location: Ummahat Islands, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
- Getting there: Red Sea International Airport, then around half an hour by road and a speedboat transfer
- Key feature: Private pool villas positioned for seclusion, plus guided stargazing after dark
- Dining: Sita (Levantine and patisserie), Tabrah (seafood), Jamaa (poolside) and Maia (astronomy-inspired drinks)
- Wellness: Neyrah Spa with an outdoor welcome ritual, plus a well-equipped gym
- Ideal for: Couples, honeymooners and travellers who want to disconnect
