Find overwater serenity in a luxury Dubai resort.

2026-11-02

Surya and Narayan housekeeping job Outstanding well job we are staying for room number 5223 very nice room and near to pool and reception working destination room was perfect cleaning.

2026-11-01

You are potentially going to book a holiday to Dubai. Let those words sink in for a minute. Maximum amount of hotel, for the least amount of cost and please note, it was actually cheaper for us to book a 9 night stay at the Anantara, than it was for our family of four, to travel from the UK to one of the Canary Islands for a 7 night stay. For those that are not already aware, the best time to look at Dubai is the 4th Jan, as usually this date coincides with the Emirates sale. The Anantara is without a doubt a nice hotel, and having not only stayed here last year, but having now also recommended it to our friends, the hotel needed to deliver. When you book Dubai, you are requested to advise the duration of your holiday, 7 nights for this example. If you book an afternoon flight, your time of arrival is in the early hours, however if you opt for an early morning flight, you will be charged for 8 nights. This makes my teeth itch a little as most of the hotels allow check in from 2pm. Even with a 9am flight, it’s an 8pm arrival time, so please make sure you are aware of this prior to booking. Transfers, can be arranged with the company you booked with, however we waited 45 minutes for our booked transfer. Whereas our friends opted for a taxi. They arrived at the hotel sooner than us, no waiting and cheaper. In addition, if you download the Careem taxi app, you are given 30% off, your first three bookings, and if you have 2 adults in your party, that’s potentially six 30% savings. When we finally arrived at the hotel. Last year we were greeted to a cool drink and flannels, however this year, the greeting took a while, with us having virtually checked in before they arrived. Things just felt rushed and I would go as far to say, potentially short staffed. No snacks on offer due to the early morning arrival, no shops open, and the only option is to raid the fridge when you finally arrive at your room, or the sweet drawer. Please keep in mind this fridge and drawer option is chargeable. We had opted for half board and were given a missed meal slot to use as we wished. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last year we had breakfast, stayed by the pool or ventured out to visit the many areas of interest and then returned for dinner. This year the restaurant was closed at lunch time. The staff also gave conflicting information regards the lunch time options available. The route to the room is via a golf cart style vehicle, the routes are clean and tidy. In actual fact the hotel is extremely well maintained. When you arrive at the room, the driver shows you round and instructs how to use the aircon system. The room is spacious and unbelievably clean. Last year upon check out, we were given pictures, T shirts and gifts for our two boys. This year we had an elephant made from a towel only. The cleaning of the room, was split between three team members. All work extremely hard, however come the end of the trip, all are expectant of a tip. Even the guy that enters the room to exchange the empty water bottles for full bottles, knocks at your door, the night before you check out, to advise of his role. I do not know what the hotel pays in wages, and I don’t need to know. I am all for paying tips for a great service, however there was nothing within our trip this time, that went above and beyond expectations. I certainly do not expect what felt like begging, at night, in what is not only a grand hotel, but also being located in one of the most affluent areas on the world map. Last year the beach was combed, this year it wasn’t. Admittedly this is not a huge deal. The hotel advised of a glow night every Thursday prior to our travel, and we were expectant of an additional cost to participate in this. Having done a similar event in Lanzarote, we had high hopes, however, it was a DJ under a teepee and 8 glowing lights. Not including the night lights on the tables. Guests of the hotel stayed in the pool late, however the restaurant closes at 21:30 and the sun goes down at 17:45. So you can’t really embrace the activity, should you still want an evening meal and again the staff gave conflicting information. One staff member advised hotel guests didn’t need to pay, however should a paying guest require a bed or table, those staying at the hotel are expected to vacate the area. Then we were informed we were required to pay 200 AED and to be fair, if I had paid for this, I would have demanded a refund. It was half arsed at best. The large lagoon pool that is a quiet space, convenient for swim up rooms and those staying above. There was an area closed off for refurbishment, this was detailed via a note left in the room. Please also note that the main pool is to close for refurbishment during the month of November. The lunch bar is a nice place to be for lunch, over looking the beach area, again the staff gave conflicting information. One staff member advised the beach bar to be used only once during your stay and then another advised, that because the main restaurant was closed for lunch, the beach bar could be used as and when required. Everything just felt like nobody knew what was actually going on. 3 nights before we came home, a party arrived, I would advise a wedding party or similar. They had drinks in the beach bar and food and then came out to use the pool. I am unsure if drinks were inclusive of their package and excluding happy hour, the drinks can be expensive. These new arrivals wore wrist bands and were not only drunk in the pool, they were loud and abusive to guests. Not to mention the foul language and dancing in the pool with a bar stool covering their head. Some even opted to wear underwear in the pool as oppose to swim wear and nothing was said. If I had wanted to witness this type of action, I would have paid the additional cost and travelled to the Canary Islands. We removed the kids before someone got hurt, and changed before going to dinner earlier than usual. The restaurant is well laid out with staff accommodating every whim of the hotel guests. There are themed nights, inclusive of international, Asian and Mediterranean and the abundance of food is unreal. We never had a bad experience here and some staff as always outshine others. There is live soul music playing for some of the evening, and it’s a nice place to be. That is excluding the kids that were permitted to perform a karaoke rendition of some awful song. It wasn’t karaoke and it shouldn’t have been permitted. Other guests failed to get dressed at all and arrived in pyjamas, again this should not be permitted, it would not be socially accepted outside of the hotel and if they cannot be bothered to dress, then order room service. If this had been my first experience of the Anantara, I am certain we would never return. I have tried to keep the review positive due to knowing the hotel is better than what we experienced during this stay. The vast majority of the staff, are there to help and assist, the maintenance and cleanliness is to be admired and the facilities are well stocked. I’m not sure if the hotel, in trying harder, has actually missed the point of as to why people stayed there in the first place, or if like some other huge hotels nearby, it’s now over commercialised. Corners are potentially being cut to save costs and if this is the case, the conflicting information would make sense. if Dubai is to once again thrive in tourism following the Middle East conflict, then these cost cutting measures will eventually cost. There are other hotels both nearby and within Dubai, that offer more than the Anantara and I’m sorry to advise, that on this occasion, the Anantara failed. If I was to head back, it would be only due to finding an excellent deal. Every hotel in Dubai offers 5 star luxury, and every hotel has its own quirks, so you won’t be disappointed wherever you choose to stay. The small details on this occasion are because Dubai has spoilt us in the past and by advising of the negative comments in this review, perhaps I sound spoilt, however I wanted to surpass the previous stay, and I’m disappointed that it didn’t. Drinks from the bar are expensive and although you expect to be with that captive audience, £7 for a 300ml can of Pepsi is in my opinion excessive. We opted to use the Anantara shop and the one at the Sofitel, and these were much cheaper. We used our Stanley mugs to keep the drinks cool and drank the juices available at breakfast and dinner. The Mekong restaurant and the beach side restaurant are mostly inclusive however some food items carry a surcharge. Mekong messed up our order, even with us sending a pre order prior to arriving In summing up, a great hotel with work to do.

2026-10-31

Surya narayan housekeeping service - very good Room no 5221 He has been very helpful. The room is so clean all the time and the service was excellent