When Anantara came on offer through groupon, I grabbed the offer and happily took my family during the spring break.

The start to the trip was delightful as was al Yam villa, the food variety & quality was good, pretty much everything was leading towards a dream trip. Especially the safari was an eye opening experience with a truly informed guide. We did notice slight frustration with the staff in general but it was overshadowed by our over all experience at the hotel till the very end.

Anantara sorely disappointed us in their attitude towards guests who have no option but to stay beyond the stated package dates due to high tide. I do understand that it's beyond the hotel management's control but being in a hospitality business especially at a location where the weather plays a big role they have to be a little more understanding of or atleast inform guests before coming on island of such possibilities.

While they offered overnight stay and next days breakfast for free in the event of continued tides; no offer was made to provide even the most basic meal till morning if not for their extravagant lunch or dinner buffets which are high priced for the more budget restricted (hence package deal) visitors.

But the worst was when we had explained ourselves to the manager and she said " everyone else has been cooperative".
The implication was unwarranted and surprising.

Overall, tainted experience only due to this. It is a shame that a hotel of such high standards do not have a more considerate policy in place to handle situations like the above.

Once we arrived on the island, we were greeted by our own private car waiting to take us to our villa. The driver provided us with some drinks and then gave us a brief history of the island and told us all about the animals and building on the island.
When we got to our villa the staff on reception were very friendly and told us everything we needed to know about the facilities provided.
The room was amazing with a beautiful mangrove and sea view. We then had lunch at the Olio restaurant which was delicious and arrived quickly. In the evening we took the complientary bus to the Savannah Grill and WOW what a smell greeted us! We could choose any of the meats available and they were cooked to our liking and brought to our table. I tired ostrich for the first time and it was delicious. The bonfire was a lovely touch. There was a variety deserts offered and they were tasty.
When we returned to our room we found they had given us more bottles of water and provided us with cookies as a bedtime snack - although we were still full from the BBQ!
The next day we had breakfast at the Olio restaurant, there was a variety of cooked and cold foods, along with some delicious pastries. We then had a private car to take us to the Spa where we had a couples massage. The staff on reception arranged for our bags to be taken directly to the boat so that we did not have to take them to the Spa with us. The staff at the Spa were friendly and made us feel relaxed and comfortable. The massage was amazing- definitely relaxing. We chilled by the pool and the hotel for an hour before being collected for our safari drive. The knowledge of the driver was fantastic and we were pleased that we got to see a giraffe and some cheetahs in their natural habitat.
We were then dropped at the port for departure, the only downside to our trip was not being told when or how to board the boat. We had to ask a member of the cleaning team if we were allowed to board and if we had to walk around to the boat.

Overall a fantastic stay and we cannot wait to return to this beautiful island.

We just had the most amazing stay in Sir Baniyas Island. From start of our arrival on the island to finish the whole thing was just fabulous. There was difficulty with the boat & so after a lot of waiting and delay we were on our way only to be met by our own personal driver. We then were upgraded to a fabulous beach pool villa which was total luxury. The staff at the hotel were so helpful & accomodating. We had a lovely seafood BBQ in the Desert Hotel Resort on the Friday night. The whole experience was only fabulous and we cannot wait to go back!