Sindalah (stylized SINDALAH; Arabic: سندالة) is a luxury island destination in Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia. Sindalah is one of the various announced regions in Neom City. The island covers a total area of 840,000 m2 (9 million sq ft).[3] Sindalah opened its doors to visitors in October 2024, making it the first Neom region to be completed.[4][5]
The luxury island is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 efforts to establish a strong tourism industry and is expected to create 3,500 jobs.[6] Sindalah aims to attract 2,400 visitors per day by the year 2028.[7]
Design
The island is 20 acres in size and was designed by Luca Dini who sought it to be akin to a village of luxury resorts.[8][2] The island has a sports club, spa and wellness center, more than 51 luxury retail outlets, a golf course, and 38 restaurants, 12 of which are run by Michelin star chefs including Carlo Cracco, as well as an MasterChef partnership.[2][9][10] Dini wanted the island to also blend into the coral reefs and clear waters of the Red Sea.[2] The island incorporates "interactive" quartz pillars to sensory experiences and includes thousands of coral pieces that were relocated from abroad to "enhance" the existing reef around the island.[2] The urban core of Sindalah is aptly called The Village and consists of luxury hotels and retail offerings.[11]
Sindalah was designed from the ground up to be a superyacht destination, namely to compete with yachting in the Caribbean as a winter destination.[2] The island's marina has 85 berths for yachts up to 165 feet, and buoys just outside the harbor to accommodate yachts up to 550 feet.[2][12] The island is 17 hours away from most Mediterranean yachting destinations and will act as NEOM’s entry point to the Red Sea - providing easy access for European, Saudi and GCC boat owners.[11]
History
Background
The island was officially announced in December 2022 by Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.[13][14] About 40,000 workers worked on the Sindalah project.[2] The Saudi government hired four local contracting partners and up to 60 subcontractors.[11]
Following its announcement, several hotel projects are currently in the pipeline on Sindalah. Marriott International has signed a deal to open three properties in 2024, including a 70-key Luxury Collection beach resort, a 115-key Luxury Collection city hotel, and a 66-key Autograph Collection,[15] while a 277-key Four Seasons hotel is slated for opening in 2026.[16]
Opening
Sindalah opened to guests on October 27, 2024 with a party organized by Robb Report consisting of 65 superyachts with celebrities including Alicia Keys, Katherine Jenkins, and Chris Tucker.[17][2] At the time of its opening the island was still under development, with the island planning 413 luxury hotel rooms and 333 apartments.[2]
