Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Sixty-three villas in the Blue Hole archipelago, on reefs almost nobody has dived.
Nujuma occupies part of the Ummahat islands in the Saudi Red Sea, reached by boat or seaplane from Red Sea International Airport. The archipelago sits within a development area that has been placed under strict environmental limits — a capped number of keys across the whole destination, no-build zones and marine protection. The reefs here have had almost no recreational pressure in living memory, which is the single most interesting fact about the property.
Sixty-three villas, over water and on the beach, are arranged in clusters shaped to the reef edges rather than in the standard jetty line. A marine conservation team works from the island, and diving runs on reefs that are still being surveyed. It is among the first international luxury properties to open on this coast, and the operating history is correspondingly short.
Reefs without a history of visitors. Divers who have worked the Red Sea for decades describe this water as different in kind, not degree, from the Egyptian coast.
Built under a cap. The whole destination has a ceiling on keys written into its planning rules, which is a constraint no other region in this register operates under.
Who it is not for
Nujuma is wrong for travellers who want an established destination with a long track record — the coast opened recently and the operating record is thin. It is wrong for guests expecting a conventional resort bar culture, which the country's rules shape differently. And it is wrong for those who want a short, familiar journey. Those wanting proven Red Sea diving should look to the Egyptian coast; those wanting architecture should look at Shebara.
Sources
- ritzcarlton.com/nujuma — sixty-three villas, Ummahat islands, Red Sea
- Villa count, destination key cap and current dive operations unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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