Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel Villas

The location, villa and the safari experience

The breakfast was super average (less than average than maybe some other Abu Dhabi resorts)The food everywhere was super pricey There was no readiness when it came to weather emergencies

Beatiful property. Perfect for nature lovers & privacy seekers.

Upon check in we were told that they’re flexible about late check out so we agreed & arranged for our check out & departure at 4pm. But on the day of check out we were asked to leave at 12pm because other guests are expected! I wish they were clear from the beginning so we don’t have to changed all our daily plans last minute.

We were blown away by the breathtaking beauty of the location and the warm hospitality of the staff. Check-in was smooth thanks to George. We were greeted with a refreshing drink and cold towel. The room was spacious, and the design is true to the theme of the villa. Nice to see the animals just roaming around the property. Dining option was also good considering the location big thanks to Rodel of Savannah grill who assisted us during our dinner. the breakfast was delicious with good and quality options. Check-out was efficient c/o Ethan and he even gave our 2 children giraffe toys which they really love.

Location and staff

Size of the villa not accurate and size of swimming pool is too small!!!!

The perfect escape to an amazing island . Wolds and animals everywhere . Staff like zin Min always smiling and assisting us during our arrivals to the villa Al Sahel and next days when checking out from the resort. He exceed our expectations ( assisting- supporting us - gudining us . I wish the hotel DG see my comments as I have been around the worlds and know staff workflow with passion like him a real added value to the Anantra resort air baniys .

The Restaurants are very far and you need to depend on Internal Bus Service. In my case the driver dropped me at the wrong place and I had wait for another 20 mins for the next shuttle. By the time i reached the Italian Restaurant there was no food left . Surprising if you are boasting of 5 Star Property then an Italian restaurant cannot run out of Pizza and Pasta. Unbelievable but had no choice

extra friendly staff

Food is limited and overpriced

atmosphere, flaura and fauna

delivery of bags at the Al Dhana Jetty needs to be speeded up

+The two main advantages of the location that we liked were the placement of the villas surrounded by trees, with antelopes, deer, hyraxes, peacocks, and many birds roaming freely, as well as the island being a natural park offering interesting excursions where you can observe animals in their natural habitat. For families with children, this could be a good option for a short vacation.However, when it comes to the quality of service, staff level, and the overall atmosphere with something interesting beyond the nature park, unfortunately, we didn't find anything close to matching the 5-star standard or the more $500 per night price with breakfast.- The boat transfer from the port. Very small waiting areas on the shore, not even half of the waiting guests could fit in. There are no amenities that would meet the service level expectations, such as tea, coffee, or drinks—neither for free nor for a fee. The boats themselves are very basic, and passengers are transported for 45 minutes without even basic comfort, such as drinks.- Transfers between locations on the island—be prepared to wait up to an hour for a transfer to a restaurant not located in your complex. The staff's training is very poor, and in general, in many aspects of service and hospitality, you can see a lack of proper management. For example, don't be surprised to see a lot of trash at the edge of the beach near the hotels, even though many guests clearly walk along the beach beyond a 10-meter radius from their loungers. This is a rather rare sight for the UAE, but it’s hard to understand how management could allow this at a 5-star hotel on an island.

- Low quality of both breakfast—there’s a very small selection, far from the standard of the UAE and 5 stars—and paid (very expensive, even for Dubai, hot dishes starting from 180 AED...) meals at the restaurants, which are at the level of a 3-star hotel in Egypt or Turkey. It didn’t meet expectations from Anantara in general, nor did the dishes justify the high prices. Also, the service level was extremely low. We waited for a children's menu order for one hour!- Overall, it’s rather unpleasant to see such huge efforts and funds being invested in the development of nature and animal breeding on the island, with the irrigation of 3.5 million trees and the care of more than 10,000 animals on the island. At the same time, there are no complaints about the villas, the hotel, or their cleanliness; the complex is in good condition and could be an attractive destination. However, due to the poor management quality, low level of staff, and unorganized processes, it feels like occupancy during peak season is no more than 50%, or even less. Both we and our friends, who stayed with us, would not return or recommend this location, especially considering the 5-star price, but the actual experience would be more fitting for a 3-star level with a lack of thoughtful guest experience planning.

Exceptional property unlike anything else, in the heart of the conservatory surrounded by animals and birds at all times. Anantara level luxury and service, always too notch.

Pretty much nothing. Prices for nature activities are a bit exaggerated but that’s understandable given the luxury of the overall stay.

The room are spacious and the nature is nice.

The boat trip to the island was unpleasant, made worse by the presence of drunk staff onboard. Overall, the service was very slow, and nothing about the experience felt elegant or deserving of a five-star rating. On Saturday night, we tried to enjoy a drink at the hotel bar, but it was incredibly disappointing—there were no lights, no candles, and no bartender to serve us. I feel for the staff, as they seem to be doing their best, but the lack of proper processes, management, and training is evident. Additionally, the decor is quite poor, with tacky Chinese statuettes in the hall and empty walls without any artwork. What a huge letdown!

Incredible stay on the Sahel Villas…Private garden and pool, wildlife running around everywhere you look, amazing service from wonderfully attentive staff. Serenity to die for

Loved everything about the property

The villas, the animals

The beach were not as good

Excellent staff, great property

While the chef and all staff were brilliant and went out of their way to offer food of our choice, maybe some more vegetarian options on their menu would be great

The breakfast/dinner location was beautiful, picturesque outside seating ...loved the boerewors, they are hard to come by anywhere in the UAE so that was an unexpected yey! Access to the other establishments was a great add-on as well, we spent time at the main resort and the beachfront restaurant too....as for hospitality, special shout out to Emmanuel and Michelle who made our stay awesome.

There was a peacock stationed on our roof every night squawking for hours, barely got any sleep the first night and they could not move us to a different room until the last night. On the 2nd night they did put a lot of effort into removing it from our roof at crazy hours of the night (thanks guys).

The staff were very friendly! Managed to give us a late check-out which we were so grateful for ? special shoutout to Vivek & Retno for being so accommodating (apologies if names were spelt incorrectly) ?

Great place to reboot. You wake up, go out into the courtyard of the villa and see gazelles and peacocks walking calmly next to you and not being scared at all. The villa's heated pool was the perfect way to end each day. Full relax.We enjoyed the safari; there are many animals and birds in the park: gazelles, antelopes, giraffes and ostriches.

Somewhat tiring road to the island. Next time we will plan to fly by plane.

very beautiful location and nice breakfast Ronixa, Aarav, Saheerwere very good

there was no correspondence from hotel or teh fairy lounge area to us even when we had written will take 3 pm ferry abd we had appointment with doctor so were bit late and when we called the hotel to ask ferry to wait for 5 minutes they kept directing us to differnt differnt numbers and it wasted time and fairy left in front of us, this could have been easily avoided.

Beautiful location! From when you arrive at the ferry port it’s a great experience, landing on the island is impressive and it only increases as your drive across the island to the resort. The Sahel villas are fantastic, great size with amazing facilities. The villa pools are beautiful, surrounded by animals which never gets dull! Gazelle, peacocks and hyrax all around. Dining outside was another highlight, among the animals eating fantastic food - the peacocks are very friendly!

Nothing we really disliked. It was a great experience! Will definitely be returning with the family, as it has such a lovely family vibe.

Very clean property. Very peaceful and serene. The Island is well maintained and the ruling family of Abu Dhabi is doing the right things to maintain the eco system and to make the island self sufficient

The island has three properties operated by Minor Hotel- Anantara, and all 3 are atleast 15 mins drive from each other, for food and facilities the guests are dependent on the hotel vehicles which consumes time. During peak hours the waiting time for pick up and drop go beyond 20 mins