As Dubai’s original desert resort, Bab Al Shams has something of a legendary place in the city’s history. Mention it to anyone who has lived here for a while and there’s a good chance they’ll have a memory of the resort or even a story to share about it.

For me, it was where I took my parents on their very first visit to Dubai, about 14 years ago. We didn’t stay, but enjoyed dinner and a horse-filled Arabian show amid the surrounding sand dunes. For one of my friends, it’s where she spent her first wedding anniversary and for another, it’s where she delivered the news of her first baby to her in-laws.

Now, 19 years after it first opened, the resort has been transformed into the first property from Kerzner International’s new Rare Finds collection. Bab Al Shams, A Rare Finds Desert Resort, has reopened to the public after a 10-month closure and The National was invited for the exclusive first media review. Here's what we discovered.

Turning off Al Qudra Road into the resort, there is a noticeable change of pace almost immediately as the road beings to curve along a sand-lined border backed by lanterns, trees, shrubs and colourful flowers. Perhaps it's because I'm so engrossed in this transition that I miss the turn-off for the hotel — although a few other guests later share that they also did the same thing. Worry not, it's an easy circle back around to reach the double-height wooden gates at the entrance of the Arabian fort-style hotel.

Bab Al Shams's new Rare Finds sunset-inspired logo adorns the top of the tower-like entrance, where I soon find valet staff who are quick to take my car and luggage. Stepping inside the hotel, there's no grand lobby in sight. Instead, it feels very much like entering someone's luxurious home, with low ceilings, intimate seating and a cosy central sofa area where guests are offered tea and dates as they wait to check-in.