There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi each summer, broken only by the rustle of palm fronds and the occasional thud of a date falling to the ground. It is harvesting season again, and for a few months, the retreat's own farm becomes as much a part of the guest experience as the sea view. Between July and September, the property's 450 date palm trees give up around six varieties of dates, and what follows is a small, seasonal ritual the retreat has grown into over the years, one that touches breakfast, the bar, the spa and everything in between.
A harvest with roots deeper than hospitality
Long before it became a guest experience, the date palm was simply part of life here, a source of food, shade and income across generations in the region. That history is not lost on the retreat, which now harvests more than 3,200 kilograms of dates each year from its own groves. The fruit feeds into the property's sustainability efforts and, in a smaller way, into the local community too. It is a reminder that the land the retreat sits on between Dubai and Abu Dhabi has always done more than provide a backdrop.
Walking the farm before tasting it
For guests curious enough to look past the pool, the Date Farm Tour offers a way in. Led by in-house Retreat Date Storyteller, Nadia Bouassia, the walk through the palm farm is part history lesson, part harvest, ending with the simple pleasure of tasting a date pulled straight from the tree. Guests who never make it out to the farm still catch a glimpse of the season through a curated date display in the lobby, paired with a tasting station that greets arrivals before they have even reached their room.
The fruit's second life plays out across the retreat's menus. In the culinary classes, guests get hands-on with the property's signature date pudding, while at the bar, Jewel of Al Jarf blends dates with tamarind and honey into something layered and distinctly local. Perhaps the most unexpected touch is at breakfast, where date seed coffee turns what many would discard into something worth drinking, the seeds air-dried, roasted, ground and brewed in house. It is a small detail, but one that says something about how far the retreat is willing to take the idea of using the whole harvest.
A spa ritual built on the same trees
That same philosophy carries through to the Tamr Al Nakheel Ritual, or Dates of the Palm Ritual, the season's newest addition. Rather than borrowing an idea from elsewhere, the treatment draws on dates harvested from the retreat's own trees and their natural richness in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is a fitting extension of the story that runs through the whole season: the palms lining the farm are the same ones shaping how guests unwind by the end of their stay.
Why it still matters, every summer
For Rachid Bakas, General Manager of Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi, the appeal lies in how far one harvest can reach. 'It is amazing to see how the fruit of these precious trees has inspired experiences across the retreat, from arrival and dining to beverage and now spa and wellness', he said. 'While we are a Greek-inspired retreat, we are deeply connected to our setting in the Emirates, and celebrating the date harvest is a beautiful way to honour the destination we proudly call home'.
Set along the coastline between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Anantara Retreat Santorini Abu Dhabi is an adults-only retreat inspired by the Greek islands. With just 22 keys, including a royal suite, it remains a place shaped as much by what grows on its own grounds as by the sea beside it.
