Amazing Abu Dhabi
First port of call, check in at Dublin airport for our direct flight to Abu Dhabi, we were lucky enough to get to experience the East Lounge in Terminal 1, this adds a lovely start to your trip to be able to grab complimentary food and drink in a lovely relaxed environment.
Off to the boarding gate for our 7hr flight, I was sat in Economy but there was plenty of legroom, a great choice of movies to choose from and the food was fab, On arrival in Abu Dhabi, we got a transfer and a speedboat to Sir Bani Yas Island our home for the next few nights and this took around 3.5hrs. We arrived at the Desert Island Resort Hotel and wow it was stunning, we all had premier sea view rooms. These rooms were spacious, bright and airy and offered a complimentary Nespresso machine and Anantara Spa amenities.
We were up bright and early for day two and after a delicious breakfast in the Palm restaurant with a beautiful spread and any choice of hot breakfast cooked to order we were ready to for our wildlife game reserve! We got to see numerous species in the reserve from cheetahs and hyenas to giraffes and the Arabian Oryx, safe to say when the option to stop and walk around came we were delighted to be able to get up close and personal with the beautiful animals. We were then treated to a stunning beachside lunch before a tour of all 3 Anantara properties on the Island.
The three hotels on the Island are the Desert Island Resort & Spa – this is the one we stayed in and was just fab – the lead in room is a deluxe garden view and they go all the way to suites and pool villas. Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort, this is a villa complex offering 1 or 2 bed villas and they offer a private pool. Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel Villa Resort another villa complex that offers a plunge pool in each room, this would be a great option if you want to be at one with Nature as this complex shares the great outdoors with all of the animals living around you. Wake up, open your curtains and have your morning coffee with a lovely Giraffe. After the tour we got to have a free afternoon at the pool, then it was time to get ready for a beachside dining experience, the perfect way to end our time in Sir Bani Yas Island.
After breakfast we checked out and headed for the speedboat to go on the next adventure to Qasar Al Sarab. Wow what an entrance to a hotel... This place was like nothing I had ever seen before. We had entered the largest sand desert called the Empty Quarter.
We were taken on golf buggies to our rooms to offload our bags and we were all treated to experience the 1 bedroom Villa with private pools, Outstanding, amazing and WOW... We then went on a hotel tour and checked out the rest of the rooms and each one is as nice as the next, all different options and with amazing views of the Dunes.
This hotel has several different dining experiences to choose from with a beautiful pool area also.
After our stay here we headed back to Abu Dhabi for our flight home and were surprised with a trip to the W hotel on the Abu Dhabi formula one track. We had a lovely tour and a beautiful dinner – such a lovely treat before heading home, but the surprises were not over there! I flew home on Etihad in business class and WOW my first time in business and it was to die for. The food, the movies, THE BED! Even my bags coming out first!
Abu Dhabi I’ll be back!
