Anantara in Dubai boasts a fantastic location on the man made jewel of the Middle East, Palm Jumeirah. It offers unique overwater villas, first in the Middle East, and an abundance of facilities and dining venues for the guests to enjoy.

Accommodation

Anantara has a wonderful selection of accommodation for any taste. All rooms, suites and villas are unique in their offering. You can choose from swim-out rooms and start your mornings by jumping straight into the lagoon from your terrace or stay at one of the romantic overwater villas, first ever in the Middle East. For an ultimate experience book one of the beachfront pool villas, located directly on the beach yet very private.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment with fantastic views towards the sea and Burj Al Arab. The apartments are exceptional, true home away from home, with spacious bedrooms, luxurious bathrooms, hidden kitchens, living room with a large terrace or balcony, 2 double bathrooms and a guest powder room. All furnished with beautiful modern furniture, ultra techy aircon and light controls panels, Nespresso coffee machines, music docks and much more!

If you are in Dubai for a long time and want to feel like a true resident, these apartments are perfect for you.

Facilities

The Palm is one of the best locations for a beach holiday in Dubai. Not all hotels on the Palm have a nice beach but Anantara’s beach is wonderful. Long stretch of white sand and views towards the city make it a perfect place to lounge around while soaking up the warm Arabian sun.

Main pool is quite shallow – perfect for the little kids. Lagoons that surround the resort are also very inviting for the young and young at heart. If your room has a direct lagoon access, you won’t be able to resist jumping into the deep blue directly from your terrace.

Seeing that Anantara caters so well for families, there is a kids club and a teen room with games. We didn’t have a chance to sample those but I am sure they provide great care for the younger guests.

For the Lux Travellers who enjoy active holidays there are 2 full size gyms, tennis courts and water sports centre on the beach. You can choose from the family friendly kayaks and paddle boards to adrenalin infused jet ski rides or wake-boarding. Those who want to learn something new can take up scuba diving or try their hand at beach volleyball.

At the time of our stay there was a little spa at the hotel, but it is currently undergoing a complete refurbishment and will soon be bigger and better with a hammam and other amazing facilities we are yet to try.

Dining

You can always distinguish a fantastic five star hotel from just ‘a good one’ by the way they serve breakfast. I am a big fan of long lavish breakfasts, especially if they can be enjoyed outside on a warm day in a nice setting. And breakfast in Anantara are just like that – sunny, elegant and very yummy. Outside terrace understandably gets a little busy by 10am.

Lunch is best enjoyed in a beachside restaurant The Beach House (as the name suggests it is located right on the beach). It serves simple Mediterranean dishes in a casual environment for lunch and dinner.

In the evening Anantara has a few exotic options, one of them being an Australian steak restaurant Bushman’s or Thai inspired Mekong.

Seeing that there is no true fine dining restaurant at the resort, once a month Anantara invites famous chefs from around the world to set up a gala degustation dinner in a silver service environment.

After dinner come over to The Beach House lounge for a digestive and a shisha, an Arabic way to finish the day in style!

The Lux Traveller Loves

Excellent range of accommodation, from basic rooms (even though no rooms in Anantara can be truly called ‘basic’) to ultra luxurious pool villas.

Very family friendly

Excellent resort facilities

Splitting Hairs

I think Anantara could benefit from opening a fine dining restaurant to provide an heightened elegant experience for those guests who love to dress up in the evening.

If you are travelling to Dubai for business Anantara is quite far (30-40 min) from the city centre.

All In All

The Lux Traveller highly recommends this resort for families looking for a fantastic beach holiday in Dubai or to honeymooners wanting to experience an overwater villa in the Middle East. We have certainly enjoyed this resort and would love to return soon!