Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara — Hotel in Sir Bani Yas

I usually do not write any comments or complain about my vacations or "staycations"

But for the first time of my life, I really felt extremely disappointed by both the service and the quality of the resort, when you take into account the price that you have to pay for such place...

All started with the booking few weeks ago, where I had to call several times to figure out how to accommodate 3 adults in the same room and what would be the differences as compared to what was proposed on the website.

Once sorted and paid, there was a lot of confusion later on in the confirmation emails, with some add-ons already paid that were forgotten and a miscommunication between the reception and activity desks, who did not have access to the same information and did not share the same information either.

On the day of arrival, we made sure to arrive in advance, as required in the confirmation email. We arrived at 10:40AM, for the 12:00 Ferry, which was fine. Unfortunately it was raining on that day, which can happen, and on which one has no control. The ferry was delayed, due to the strong wind and waves, which is again, totally understandable and not something Anantara can control or be taken responsible for.

However, what I can hardly understand is the total lack of communication in regards to the situation. During the 1:30hrs of delay, almost no communication or update were shared with us. Some people with kids were getting quite frustrated, as time was passing, no food was available except for some cookies and most importantly no information was shared with them on when or whether we could take the ferry for the island.

We were then able to take the ferry and were extremely happy with the place by itself, Sir Bani Yas, which is extremely nice. The nature, the animals, the landscape and the activities are astonishing, there is nothing to complain about on these points.

The way we were welcomed at the hotel was also great, with someone available and listening to what happened earlier during the day, and providing some explanations for us to have a better understanding of the situation. After having mentioned the above and having asked for a compensation, they proposed to use the payment of the extra bed (440AED) in activities, rather than reimbursing it or getting an upgrade (in the hotel which was far from being fully booked)

Unfortunately, even with the above positive points, this is clearly not sufficient to justify the extremely expensive price that we had to pay for the night... The package for 3 adults, just for one night in a simple room, breakfast, lunch, dinner and one activity, almost reached 4,000AED!

I'm happy to pay such price for a night, don't get me wrong, but not for this level of standing and not for the quality we had access to.

The hotel (we stayed in Anantara Desert Islands and Spa) feels old, with rooms and bathrooms that are just okay, a television which is lagging, without Chromecast included and only few used board games available at the reception two spend time indoor when the weather is not good. In normal conditions, I would have gone for the Spa to compensate the weather But given the price of 4,000AED I already paid, I did not want to risk another 1,500 to 2,500AED in massages...

Overall, I have to admit that I am quite disappointed by this first experience with Anantara, and would most probably be reluctant to try another of their hotel in the coming months.

As a comparison, I paid half the price in the Ritz Ras Al Khaimah a couple of months ago, for a private villa with pool, with an irreproachable service and a room that was perfect from A to Z (bed, location, check-in, check-out, facilities...

A few family friends went together recently (Monday Dec 11,2023 to Tuesday Dec 12,2023) . Ours was a short stay but we made the most of it especially by participating in group activities such as Nature & Wildlife drive, Easy biking, Night Wadi Walk and morning nature walk. This was more or less a repetition of our previous trip almost a year prior.

The activities guide Jafar was phenomenal. He took a lot of interest in showing us around during the activities we booked. The activities were the primary focus of our stay and we were delighted with the activities that Jafar guided us through because of his enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile.

And Chef Venkat again made for us the most wonderful dishes we had in a long time. He custom made "Bendakaya Pulusu", Rasam, "Pappu" etc., which were super delicious as usual. When your food is great, your overall experience is enhanced and Venkat was fantastic.

And we had a wonderful dinner in "The Taste of Africa"! We were very well served professionally with the most delicious food by Sonia and Aaraw, who welcomed us warmly and took care of every need including providing blankets for some of us as they accommodated our wish to be seated outdoors.

And Leo Nguyen, the front office manager was exceptional. He listened to our feedback and immediately responded with the best possible solutions.

Also, Naresh from front office was extremely helpful when we reached the ferry point, while boarding the ferry and he personally took care of us very well both ways.

Overall, what an experience again !!!!! Thanks to the management team for giving us such an amazing experience.

Best wishes

Adding review from my previous trip below as Google allows me to edit my review but not add a new one :

A few families went together recently (Saturday Jan 28 to Sunday Jan 29,2023) . Ours was a short stay but we made the most of it especially by participating in group activities such as Nature & Wildlife drive, Easy biking, Night Wadi Walk and morning nature walk. Every one of those experiences was amazing.

The activities guide Khalid is someone special. He went out of his way to guide us well & ensured we get to see the best sights and experiences. He has a creative streak in him in terms of photography. He takes time out to create scenarios & capture some of your most memorable photos & videos.

Deepukumar Singh in Al Shams restaurant is one of a kind i.e extreme service. He was so so good in attending to our needs, he deserves a special mention.

And Chef Venkat & Arun Kumar made for us the most wonderful dishes we had in a long time. They custom made "Bendakaya Pulusu" and "Pappu" that was so delicious, I told my family it was the no.1 most favourite memory from that trip!! It was that good. Thank you, Chef Venkat, for your magic and thank you Arun Kumar for facilitating & ensuring we get such a great dish. I may come back only for that amazing "Bendakaya Pulusu" again. We loved it, everyone loved it and that finished so fast from the table!!

And we had a wonderful experience in "The Taste of Africa"! We had dinner there on Saturday Jan 28 evening. I believe her name is Rose, she welcomed us warmly and took care of every need including providing blankets for some of us as she accommodated our wish to be seated outdoors. I believe her name is Sonia, but she was wonderful in serving us with a smile and the gentleman who made one amazing cocktail!

And Denis in the reception is an amazing guy! He has a certain dynamism and adds new energy & enthusiasm to your conversations.

Overall, what an experience!!!!! Thanks to the management team for giving us such an amazing...

I am a avid traveler and definitely love to review resorts. As for this one, the experience wasn't exactly a 5 start hotel.

Sir Bani Yas Ferry Port (5/5): The arrival at the Sir Bani Yas Ferry location was excellent. As soon as we arrived, representatives from the hotel helped us with our luggage. Also, the port has a facility for those soon travelers to the island. This facility is small but comfortable. They offered free drinks (coffee, sodas, water) and a few snacks like cookies. It also has bathrooms.

Transportation to Island (2/5): The boat that we took from the port to the island is far from being pleasant. The boat is relatively small and the experience was awful. First, I was expected an upgraded top of the line boat in which we could get the ocean breeze with great views. The reality is that the boat was old. The boat's passenger cabin was enclosed and located at water level on the boat so there was no pleasant views, crowded, and lack proper ventilation. Definitely disappointing considering we were going to a 5 star hotel.

Hotel Arrival Service (5/5): It was pleasant that the staff received us well with drinks, wet towels, and even dates. The check-in was quick and organized. It was great that they delivered our luggage all the day to our room.

Physical Hotel (3/5): I am a Civil Engineer by education and by profession so I will be critiquing this very hard. The hotel feels very outdated. I have been to other Anantara resorts and this one feels old and lack an exciting vibe due to its architecture. The inside design is rustic which was nice but yet felt quite old due to its textures and hallways. The pool side was boring without anything exciting. It lacks a built-in bar inside the pool, and it did not have kids games. Definitely a boring pool since there were not activities around the pool.

Food (3/5): The food was pleasant but it felt like a 3-4 start hotel. It was descent but not exciting. For lunch, we had a pizza (3/5), fish biryani (4/5), a burger (3/5), and drinks (3/5). For dinner we had the beach buffet which was seafood and that was (4/5). The shrimps were amazing. For breakfast, definitely I give a (2/5). It lack variety. There was a lot of plates none of us knew or will ever eat.

Rooms (5/5): The rooms were spacious and were well designed. Definitely felt like 5 star hotel room.

Hospitality (5/5): Staff was always courteous and nice. We even lost one card key and within 2 minutes we had another card and we were opening the door. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Wild Safari (2/5): The safari is nice but far from being an African safari. My biggest issue was the price. I will probably pay half the price of the actual price, not more.

Overall: Would I stay here again? Unless I get invited by Anantara to reconsider the review, probably not. It is nice that it is in an island and that is surrounded by wild life, but it lacks the features of a...