Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort

It was such an amazing experience, calm atmosphere, nice beach, water is cool and we saw a lot of beautiful fish there. Of course our trip wouldn’t be that good without welcoming team members, they were so nice and made us feel like home. We definitely want to come again and stay longer. We wanted to thank Zainab, she was so friendly , so kind and even arranged an island tour for us and we still can’t forget it!! Also big thanks to Sanabou and Ochoa. You are fantastic! Read less

A big thank you to Oasha for helping us! She was so nice and always made sure we were happy. She gave us awesome ideas for fun things to do and made everything feel extra special. I had the best time ever, and I can't wait to go back! If you want to go to the beach, I think Anantara is the best place to stay. Thanks, Oasha, for making it even better! Read less

This is an honest review based on staying here for a special occasion as a family of 4 (parents and two toddlers) in October 2024. The overall feeling as we left was of utter disappointment. Whilst the large majority of staff were incredibly courteous and pleasant, however it was clear that they are being very poorly managed. Unfortunately, there were many negatives, but also some positives. Given the very high price to stay here, it is very disappointing that management has implemented very poor oversight over matters. A lot more thought and attention is needed if it wants to consider itself an attractive place to stay. The biggest issue we faced was improper or (giving benefit of the doubt, incompetent) pricing practices, where almost every single payment interaction we had resulted in the hotel attempting to overcharge us, it was almost amusing. It felt as if management had asked employees to try and sneak extra fees on guests’ invoices in the hope guests were so affluent, they would not check and simply sign the invoices off as being correct. Examples include: • at the main pool bar - ordered 1 x decaf latte and 1 x diet coke to take away to room. Took 20 minutes to be served despite being in a hurry and the bar being empty. After receiving our order, the invoice stated 3 x decaf lattes. On questioning staff why this had been placed as 3x, we were informed it was because the computer doesn’t have a listing for “decaf latte”, so they had to input 3 x a normal latte. Upon speaking to a manager about how silly that sounds, they admitted it was their mistake and removed the extra items. • We had AED 200 credit to spend at the resort as per our room board. We spent AED 190 of that during our stay. Upon checkout, they asked us to pay the AED 190 for the spend without informing us that this was our credit we already had with them. It took time to show them the error of their ways before they “remembered” about our credit and apologised. • Pre-checkout, they sent someone to physically inspect the room minibar in front of us. Not seen this practise anywhere else, and it was quite embarrassing. They also asked us to confirm no mini bar consumption upon checkout, which we did, and reminded them this was verified by their staff’s inspection. Despite that, a few hours after checking out, we received an email from the hotel with a bill for AED 330 and payment link, purportedly for minibar usage - listing a long list of items that we didn’t even know we had in the fridge! Again, it required conversations with management for them to realise their error and apologise. The service generally was also very poor, although it is not clear why – the hotel has limited capacity and plenty of staff on hand. We learned that most staff had been working there since the hotel’s opening in December 2021, so they have had enough time to be trained adequately. Despite these, some of the issues faced include: • Even though the entire island has a max capacity of about 70 rooms, the service is incredibly poor. Examples include - having to wait 30 minutes to receive 2 bowls of porridge/oatmeal for our toddlers for breakfast. And when they arrived - they were more like milk with a bit of oats chucked in (very watery), and served with the largest eating spoon you’ve ever seen. Not sure how any adult could use those to eat porridge, never mind a 2 year old. • Every single meal we went to had at least one incorrect item sent to the table. • The geography of the island means that you have to rely on golf carts to pick you up and transport you around. The timing of these is mixed. Sometimes you order one and they arrive within 5 minutes, others it is closer to 30 minutes. As such, your freedom and ability to plan timings are both restricted. In the warmer months, I suggest avoiding any of the rooms that are not close to the central areas (with restaurants, fitness centre, pool, etc.). • On one occasion, despite enquiring several times, housekeeping simply would not turn up to clean our room. On the positive side, you’re in an exclusive hotel on a private island nestled away from the hustle and bustle of Dubai (albeit the mainland is only a 20 minute boat ride away) - the place is great. However, it is really let down by its management and policies. Ultimately the feeling is one of disappointment. Read less