ANANTARA THE PALM DUBAI

I took advantage of the offers in Ramadan and booked a standard room through a hotel search engine (not Anantara's own website). when i went to check-in I left my car with the valet parking staff at the resort's main entrance and proceeded to reception in the main hall. The front office staff informed me that my booking is in the residence and that i had to go to another building and perform check-in. Something that i was not too thrilled about and was not really too obvious when i made the booking. However I asked if I can upgrade the room as i wanted to stay in the main resort. Front office staff Abdu was very helpful and presented me with an upgrade to a lagoon access room for a very reasonable additional charge. From there on wards all was superb, The room was very spacious and well equipped. The bed was extra comfortable and since the hotel had low occupancy it was also very peaceful and quiet. The access to the lagoon and the ability to swim at our convenience was the icing on the cake. The lagoon water was very clean and the whole ambiance resembled a tropical paradise. The water temperature was also perfect. The staff that drove the buggy and showed me to my room was extra nice and polite. I really enjoyed my stay over there but i have to say that i personally would not go there and stay in a standard room residence but will certainly go back and stay in a lagoon access room and highly recommend it. Apart from this there are 2 things i would like to highlight as an area for improvement. First there was a Nespresso machine in the room which is an added advantage however the coffee capsules were not genuine Nespresso capsules but were a generic brand compatible with the machine but did not taste as good. My wife and I happen to be big fans of the brand and always start our day with a shot or two of nespresso and this small detail which might be insignificant for many was disappointing to us. A luxury resort such as Anantara should not sacrifice such simple pleasures for cost reduction.

We stayed for 3 nights arrived early morning and left late evening on our final day. We had half board, breakfast wasn't included on our first day as we arrived at like 8:30am and check in wasn't until 4:00pm which is fair enough. So they gave us 25% off for the breakfast buffet we didn't ask how much it was but we had beans on toast and some pineapple juice and it came to £45 for two of us with 25% off ridiculous! Drinks were also expensive, £14 for one cocktail which wasn't very strong. Luckily there quite a few happy hours which made them 2 for 1 which was good. The food was very good, I highly recommend the Australian restaurant as the steak was amazing. The Thai restaurant was also good, and we had a nice lunch at the beach restaurant and the cafe. The hotel is a bit far out but taxis are cheap, we went to the water park, the mall and the burj khalifa. It was Ramadan so these places were quite quiet. We had a nice sea view room and lots of complimentary bottles of water which was good. Staff were friendly and the hotel was very nice, we enjoyed our stay. Just take some extra money and you'll be fine!

Very friendly hotel and the staffs are all welcoming. The 24hours pool was fantastic and more so the beach was good as well. The food needed more varieties but other than that the hotel is a well built location.

My overall experience in Anantara is superb! The staff are very welcoming. Felt like i was in Thailand when we ride in tuk-tuk to get in our room. Premium Access View was so big and the view was amazing. Will try next time the lagoon access view as i believe is worth the stay. A birthday cake for me was really appreciated. The place i'd rather be on my birthday. will definitely recommend this hotel when you are in The Palm Dubai :)

Overall Stay Had an amazing stay at the Anantara Resort Hotel (June 11th – 18th) in room 1511. Would definitely return again if the lagoon access was available at the right price. Arrival / Check In I had requested a transfer from the airport to Anantara. However when we arrived at the airport and spoke to the Anantara representative they didn’t seem to have me listed and slight confusion ensued. This was all rectified in a few minutes and we were soon on our way. Check in very smooth, given an upgrade which was amazing and THANK YOU Room Lovely Deluxe Lagoon Access Room, huge in fact. To have the swim up access was amazing and the only hotel in Dubai that has this option. All the amenities you would expect from a 5 star hotel. Bathroom was great. Several good movie channels. Cleaned at least twice a day. Restaurants Ate at Beach House, Revo Café, Crescendo and Bushmans. Crescendo was amazing for breakfast, lots of choice. Our favourite was the Beach House, Parash Sharma was an absolute star, really looking after us. We even asked for sweet potato fries as they were not on the menu, Parash made sure that they were available on our next visit. Pool / Beach We split our time between the Beach, Pool and Swim up room. Beach very nice, staff good and no complaints. Pool, busy at times but staff helpful. Unable to get sun lounger one day but it was mid-afternoon. Staff All of the staff were excellent. Parash Sharma was the real standout in the Beach House. The cleaners were excellent and a special thank you to Erneson who did the towel animals. Location Certainly the location is not for everyone. It is at least 20 minutes to really get anywhere off the palm. For us it was a pool / beach holiday so the location was perfect. They do provide various free transport options to the malls and marina area if you want to explore. Other Stuff Wifi was great no issues at all when in and around hotel. Didn't use the gym but it looked ok