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“Embrace a unique escape on Sir Bani Yas Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. Experience a truly beautiful reserve with indigenous wildlife, white beaches and stunning natural landscapes.” Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island

Located in the more remote Al Gharbia Region of Abu Dhabi, Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island offers an idyllic escape with three distinctly different resorts on one island accessible by boat. Guests can choose from the eye-catching fortress-style Desert Islands Resort hotel, rustic villas in a savannah setting at Al Sahel Resort or Al Yamm Resort, ocean front villas on the island’s pristine white sandy beach.

Each of the resorts offer guests an unique experience but what they have in common is the underlying quality and service that you expect from a five-star luxury resort. One of eight islands on Abu Dhabi’s west coast, Sir Bani Yas is a place to relax and reconnect with nature, a vision of the late Sheikh Zayed to conserve the area for future generations and part of his ‘Greening of the Desert’ initiative. The island honours the Bani Yas Tribe, the oldest and largest in the region, who once resided here.

Guests can enjoy, like we did, a guided visit of the wildlife park which is a sanctuary to a variety of free-roaming native and non-indigenous animals, some of which are near to extinction in the wild. The coastal waters surrounding the island are home to various marine life including three species of turtles, dolphins and an abundance of sea life.

There’s a variety of activities on land or sea or just relax at the beach, transport between the resorts is complimentary so you easily experience everything the island has to offer. Book a massage at the Anantara spa, snorkel in the crystal blue ocean, kayak in the mangroves, rent a paddleboard, take a boat trip to a shipwreck or cycle the island at sunset. Here’s a first look at our weekend trip in pictures …

I was invited to visit Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island. Some items/activities were for paid by me. The views in this post are all my own based on my experience. Unless otherwise stated all photos © Jo Brett 2019. All rights reserved.