Day: March 1, 2024

Nothing much lies on Qatar’s border with Saudi Arabia. A few sunbaked outposts and miles and miles of vast, empty desert in all directions. 

Then, earlier this year, something very different appeared in the middle of this nowhere: A huge, gleaming luxury hotel complex, complete with its own theme park.

The Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas is clearly no ordinary hotel. 

Seen from the air it resembles an entire coastal town. Pristine twin beaches peel away from a central harbor. Above the sands, bright white villas and buildings cluster around blue swimming pools. Behind them, an oasis of greenery. It’s one of the Middle East’s largest resorts.

So what happens, when a gigantic upscale hotel appears miles from anywhere just as a pandemic freezes global travel?

It gets really busy, according to Etienne-Charles Gailliez, the resort’s general manager. On opening its doors in February it became a staycation hit with locals, he says. More recently it’s been a popular destination for visitors and business travelers from the wider region.

There’s plenty of room. Hilton Salwa Beach has 84 villas, ranging from two to four bedrooms, with private pools and direct access to the white-sand beach (prices from US$ 1,500 a night). There are 31 Arabian village-style apartments and villas, while the main hotel has 246 rooms and suites.

The huge grounds also contain more than 20 food and drink outlets, including seven gourmet dining options, a high-end spa with VIP suites, sports courts, swimming pools surrounded by landscaped gardens, corporate facilities, and a marina.

On top of that, there’s Qatar’s largest theme park, featuring dozens of attractions, including “King Cobra,” a thrilling twin tube ride that sends riders into the mouth of a massive snake-like structure.

If you have notions of living in a proper English castle, Devizes Castle in Wiltshire offers the expected castellations and turrets as well as a history that dates to the 11th century.

The current castle was built in the 1830s and stands on top of ruins of a former royal household that was passed down through kings and queens for 500 years from the 1130s, until 1648 when it was dismantled in the English Civil War.

The first castle was built on the site by Bishop Osmund of Salisbury around 1080, according to Savills, which has the listing. After a fire, it was rebuilt in stone in 1113 and claimed by King Stephen of Blois in the 1130s.

It was passed down through the royal family over the years and was frequently visited by monarchs, including King John, Henry III, and Edward I. The old castle eventually passed to Henry VIII, who gave it to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, but later reclaimed it after their divorce. 

Today, all that remains of the original castle is its mound, the outline of the moat, and some foundations. 

Despite the fact that the current five-story castle dates to the 1830s, “it looks like a proper medieval British castle,” listing agent George Nares said. “On that elevated position, it looks like a mini-Windsor Castle.”

And “because of that elevated position, it has fantastic views,” he said. To the east, you’re looking out over the town of Devizes, and to the west, “you’re seeing the rolling countryside of Wiltshire.”

It’s very private, he said. “you’re within the castle walls, once you go through the gatehouse, so it is very secluded from the town.”

The castle has “lovely big rooms that are fantastic for entertaining,” Mr. Nares said.