Desert Islands Resort and Spa by Anantara

Stefania Di Ciacca

We stayed at Desert Islands Resort for one night from 11–12 November. Although our stay was short, it was absolutely lovely. All of the staff were friendly and helpful, with a special mention to Sasandi, who checked us in and immediately made us feel right at home. The room was spacious and comfortable, and breakfast the following morning was excellent, with a great selection. The chefs kept the buffet well stocked and spotless, making for a very pleasant dining experience. We would also like to thank Gerard for driving us between the resorts and back to the ferry terminal. Thank you for a relaxing and enjoyable stay.

Musa Toktaş

Desert Island Resort is standing in the Sir Bani Yas Island for more than 22 years. Hotel did not lose anything from the quality. Staff is 5 star, behaviours are make you think yourself as royal family. Spa made me think like Im in a heaven. Couple massage is recommended. If I come again the reason is the quality and affordability. Thank you especially staff at reception they were great.

Pouria Sabet

Honest review here. Although we were expecting much much more as we were here on a special occasion (which I let them know a week advance), the entire experience was a huge let down. While the location and the island itself is stunning, the hotel and the service and the experiences is more in line with a two star hotel. Firstly, food is a huge issue. There are only 3 restaurants on the entire island to get a feed at. All of the items are extremely overpriced and very very weak in taste. We left the island hungry. The room service experience was a huge disappointment as we were served FRIDGE COLD food after an hour of waiting. In general,lots of waiting for the smallest of requests. Guest requests often seem to be to be forgotten. Lastly, the experiences offered are all in the morning, and on an island like this, nights can get very boring without zero activities and programming. To sum it up,please do your research on what else is available, like the Anantara in Dubai and save yourself the long drive and ferry ride to this place.

Mina Hamoodi

We were very disappointed with our recent stay at Anantara Desert Islands Resort on Sir Bani Yas. The boat transfer, which used to be a luxury experience, has turned into a shared public water taxi that also transports food deliveries and is no longer operated by Anantara. Breakfast was chaotic, with staff struggling to attend to guests. Getting coffee was a challenge, and often it arrived after we had finished eating. Staff are not trained to offer 5-star service (e.g. we sat outside for breakfast and none of the staff bothered to setup the table with plates, glasses, cutlery, offer still/sparkling water, etc). You have to follow up on every order several times - very frustrating Housekeeping was very poor, the rooms are not properly cleaned with very surface-level touch up. One of the toiletries in the shower slipped and broke and housekeeping just refilled the same broken dispenser, didn’t bother refilling the body shower dispenser, and left particles of the broken disposer on the shower room floor. Our 2.5 yr old grandson later slipped on the shower floor and injured his toe. We had asked housekeeping to come and replace the duvet during ‘turn down’ service as it was covered in blood but they didn’t bother. No attention to number of people in the room to offer enough water and towels. The safari drive is overpriced for what it offers—essentially just a drive around the island. Cycling around the island, which used to be a great experience, has been cancelled and is now only available with a guide, and is almost always fully booked. On the day of New Year’s Eve the children were hungry so we called in-room dining but they said all chefs were occupied with new years dinner and they shut down room service from 6pm so we couldn’t even order chicken nuggets This stay did not meet five-star standards. The shortage of staff is very noticeable, and the overall quality has declined. Anantara needs significant improvement to restore its previous standards. This experience raises concerns about whether this has become the new norm for Anantara standards, including at flagship properties such as Qasr Al Sarab. I wouldn’t return here unless Anantara made serious upgrades that are tried and tested by others to confirm this is the case and would be very reluctant to stay in other Anantara properties

H A

Extremely disappointed with our stay at Anantara Sir Bani Yas. For a resort that markets itself as luxury, the severe lack of staff was shocking and affected every part of our experience. Basic requests took far too long, were repeatedly followed up on, or were simply ignored. The food situation was unacceptable, especially for families. Dining options were very limited, with little to nothing suitable for children. On multiple occasions, our kids were left hungry. Despite this, the food was grossly overpriced and the quality did not come close to justifying the cost. Due to understaffing, frustration among guests was widespread, with arguments breaking out because there was no one available to assist or manage situations. This created a tense and unpleasant atmosphere throughout the resort. Being on an island made everything worse, as you cannot simply leave. Feeling stuck with poor service, limited food options, and no alternatives turned what should have been a relaxing holiday into a stressful and disappointing experience. This stay did not justify the price in any way. At its current level of service, Anantara Sir Bani Yas does not offer value for money and is not recommended, particularly for families.