Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara

My family and I spent 3 nights at Sir Bani Yas Island in the August summer break. I have to say it was a wonderful experience, the staff are lovely and so accommodating especially as we were a large party of 10. The food variety wasn’t very large as they only had one restaurant open in the main hotel for lunch and dinner. The main restaurant was only open for breakfast and then closed during the day. That being said, the quality and service of food was very good. We did kayaking, Archery and the wildlife drive during our stay and all 3 activities were fun and well organised. The pool was also a very good size and deep, however it would have been nice to have easy access to the bar to order drinks while swimming. |Another downside was that the kids club was closed and was only opened when we enquired about it. The staff then kindly opened it the next day for a few hours however it wasn’t the best kids club. The kids activities were very limited and failed to excite the older children. The kids club could do with an update. ||We have stay in other Anantara hotels and this was one of our favourites. The staff and the property itself really do make a great experience.

Anantara is often associated with luxury, but Desert Islands falls short of this expectation. While the overall experience was pleasant, it lacked the luxurious touch. A special summer offer provided good value for the stay. The staff were generally friendly and welcoming, though at times their attentiveness felt excessive. Restaurant staff frequently interrupted to inquire about the meal, often rushing to clear plates, mistaking pauses as a sign of completion. Visiting during the week is ideal when it’s quieter, as the hotel seems to struggle with high occupancy. Food options are limited, with several menu items unavailable. Recommended activities include kayaking and a safari, either on foot for those seeking adventure or otherwise. For an improved experience, the hotel could enhance service quality by hiring more staff to manage guest volume and train them to offer excellent customer service without frequent interruptions during meals. The spa services were impressive, though service was slow due to only one therapist being available. The treatments were relaxing, and despite the therapist's limited English proficiency, they were skilled. It will be interesting to see the property's transformation after the renovation.

Beautiful experience if one is looking for a quick get away with their partner. Three days are more than enough to enjoy the Anantara resort which is beautifully constructed with an amazing staff, clean rooms and great views. The activities on offer along with the management of it was on point. The only thing that needs to improve is the quality of food served. Breakfast was good but dining options not so good

An aging resort that needs some renovations. Food is average and rooms are fine. The pool is large and beautiful. The restaurants are the most in need of upgrades and care. Service is excellent. The spa service impeccable but without all the small extras you may find in most luxurious Anantara locations. Overall a great place to. Be aware that reservations to the other locations will be move to this resort as there are limited service and much construction in other locations.

Exceptional hospitality, friendly staff, maintenance of the resort at such remote locations was superb. Transfer from boat location into to hotel was quite comfortable. ||We were travelling with the children and they had great experience in kids club.||We have missed some lively beach experience though as in other resorts.

It was really a nightmare experience. I rarely write bad reviews but even with getting a nice room upgrade, it is not worth it at all. There are construction works ongoing so that you don’t see the beach when you are in the hotel and the noise of trucks is crazy. Room service takes one hour to bring a beverage. 2 out 3 restaurants are close. Staff although kind is useless. In restaurants you have to wait 15 min to get a menu and more than one hour to get served.

It’s very nice location as it is on the island and it’s not accessible by a car. The hotel facing directly to the see with no obstructions. However still lots of works going on here, i.e. beach works, room renovations, Amwaj Restaurant renovation. Only one Lebanese Restaurant in the Hotel and another one in the other african resort Savannah Restaurant. So not much to choose from. Even Soup of the day in each restaurant was Tomato Soup both evenings which doesn’t really make it Soup of the day, does it? Anyway, we do understand it’s an island and probably they serve whatever they have available when they have a certain stock available on the island. Rooms very spacious but feels aged. Great balconies with two beach chairs which is convenient if you just wanna lay in the balcony and admire the view or listen to the sound of the see. Very relaxing. The most interesting part of this stay that you see animals around like Ghazals or Hyrax everywhere. Also they have a great Safari during the day which was amazing as we saw many types of animals: Ghazals, Deers, Oryxes, Giraffes, Ostriches, Hyraxes etc. Safari is highly recommended. That was the main reason we came for. It was our wedding anniversary as well, that was another reason, however hotel didn’t manage to arrange anything for this occasion even though we mentioned it at the time of booking. Overall, we recommend to stay in this hotel at least once, preferably for two night so you have one full day to stay as you’ll lose a lot of time for traveling, taking a boat, a ride from boat to the hotel etc. They’re still working on a lot of changes so we’ll be surely coming back in a year or two.

Had such a lovely and peaceful time at this resort! Although the hotel is older and could do with a bit of a facelift, the location, service, and spacious rooms really made up for it. Breakfast was fresh and have to say that the staff was exceptionally friendly and kind (especially Mr. Elly from reception). Pleased with my stay and would definitely come back (but hopefully when the hotel gets a bit of an aesthetic upgrade :))

My family and I spent 3 nights at Sir Bani Yas Island in the August summer break. I have to say it was a wonderful experience, the staff are lovely and so accommodating especially as we were a large party of 10. The food variety wasn’t very large as they only had one restaurant open in the main hotel for lunch and dinner. The main restaurant was only open for breakfast and then closed during the day. That being said, the quality and service of food was very good. We did kayaking, Archery and the wildlife drive during our stay and all 3 activities were fun and well organised. The pool was also a very good size and deep, however it would have been nice to have easy access to the bar to order drinks while swimming. |Another downside was that the kids club was closed and was only opened when we enquired about it. The staff then kindly opened it the next day for a few hours however it wasn’t the best kids club. The kids activities were very limited and failed to excite the older children. The kids club could do with an update. ||We have stay in other Anantara hotels and this was one of our favourites. The staff and the property itself really do make a great experience.

Anantara is often associated with luxury, but Desert Islands falls short of this expectation. While the overall experience was pleasant, it lacked the luxurious touch. A special summer offer provided good value for the stay. The staff were generally friendly and welcoming, though at times their attentiveness felt excessive. Restaurant staff frequently interrupted to inquire about the meal, often rushing to clear plates, mistaking pauses as a sign of completion. Visiting during the week is ideal when it’s quieter, as the hotel seems to struggle with high occupancy. Food options are limited, with several menu items unavailable. Recommended activities include kayaking and a safari, either on foot for those seeking adventure or otherwise. For an improved experience, the hotel could enhance service quality by hiring more staff to manage guest volume and train them to offer excellent customer service without frequent interruptions during meals. The spa services were impressive, though service was slow due to only one therapist being available. The treatments were relaxing, and despite the therapist's limited English proficiency, they were skilled. It will be interesting to see the property's transformation after the renovation.

Beautiful experience if one is looking for a quick get away with their partner. Three days are more than enough to enjoy the Anantara resort which is beautifully constructed with an amazing staff, clean rooms and great views. The activities on offer along with the management of it was on point. The only thing that needs to improve is the quality of food served. Breakfast was good but dining options not so good

An aging resort that needs some renovations. Food is average and rooms are fine. The pool is large and beautiful. The restaurants are the most in need of upgrades and care. Service is excellent. The spa service impeccable but without all the small extras you may find in most luxurious Anantara locations. Overall a great place to. Be aware that reservations to the other locations will be move to this resort as there are limited service and much construction in other locations.

Exceptional hospitality, friendly staff, maintenance of the resort at such remote locations was superb. Transfer from boat location into to hotel was quite comfortable. ||We were travelling with the children and they had great experience in kids club.||We have missed some lively beach experience though as in other resorts.

It was really a nightmare experience. I rarely write bad reviews but even with getting a nice room upgrade, it is not worth it at all. There are construction works ongoing so that you don’t see the beach when you are in the hotel and the noise of trucks is crazy. Room service takes one hour to bring a beverage. 2 out 3 restaurants are close. Staff although kind is useless. In restaurants you have to wait 15 min to get a menu and more than one hour to get served.

It’s very nice location as it is on the island and it’s not accessible by a car. The hotel facing directly to the see with no obstructions. However still lots of works going on here, i.e. beach works, room renovations, Amwaj Restaurant renovation. Only one Lebanese Restaurant in the Hotel and another one in the other african resort Savannah Restaurant. So not much to choose from. Even Soup of the day in each restaurant was Tomato Soup both evenings which doesn’t really make it Soup of the day, does it? Anyway, we do understand it’s an island and probably they serve whatever they have available when they have a certain stock available on the island. Rooms very spacious but feels aged. Great balconies with two beach chairs which is convenient if you just wanna lay in the balcony and admire the view or listen to the sound of the see. Very relaxing. The most interesting part of this stay that you see animals around like Ghazals or Hyrax everywhere. Also they have a great Safari during the day which was amazing as we saw many types of animals: Ghazals, Deers, Oryxes, Giraffes, Ostriches, Hyraxes etc. Safari is highly recommended. That was the main reason we came for. It was our wedding anniversary as well, that was another reason, however hotel didn’t manage to arrange anything for this occasion even though we mentioned it at the time of booking. Overall, we recommend to stay in this hotel at least once, preferably for two night so you have one full day to stay as you’ll lose a lot of time for traveling, taking a boat, a ride from boat to the hotel etc. They’re still working on a lot of changes so we’ll be surely coming back in a year or two.

Had such a lovely and peaceful time at this resort! Although the hotel is older and could do with a bit of a facelift, the location, service, and spacious rooms really made up for it. Breakfast was fresh and have to say that the staff was exceptionally friendly and kind (especially Mr. Elly from reception). Pleased with my stay and would definitely come back (but hopefully when the hotel gets a bit of an aesthetic upgrade :))