View from property

Reviews of Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara

5 out of 5
Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara
Sir Bani Yas Island, Sir Bani Yas Island

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 49 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 24 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 81 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 81 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Tybano

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from Leo Nguyen | Front Office Manager on 11 Jan 2024
Dear Tybano, Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience. We were delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and that you were particularly pleased by the hospitality and genuine service from our team. Your encouraging compliments are certainly appreciated and have been passed on to our team who were thrilled to learn about you great experience and appreciative comments. Thank you for choosing to stay with us. We look forward to an opportunity to welcome you back in the near future. Best regards,

10/10 Excellent

Kinan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful island and hotel
Fantastic experience overall. The kids enjoyed the activities, swimming pool and the mini kids club 😀
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from SBY on 19 Oct 2023
Dear Kinan, Thank you, we are so glad that the kids had a ball, happy children, happy parents! We hope to see you back again soon.Best Regards, The Management Team

8/10 Good

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Long drive but well worth the visit, we really enjoyed the tour of the game park by car and by foot, and the spa was excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from SBY Management Team on 9 Oct 2023
Dear Matthew, Thank you so much for your feedback, we are so glad the game park drive and spa made the trip worthwhile, we hope to see you back again in the near future.Best Regards, The Management Team

10/10 Excellent

abudaqqa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing staff, service and experience
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from SBY on 29 Apr 2023
Dear AbudaqqaThank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are thrilled to learn that you enjoyed our staff, their service and had a great experience with us at Desert Island Resort and Spa by Anantara.We look forward to welcoming you back again soon.Best Regards, The Management Team

10/10 Excellent

Aimen

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The Safari was really fun and the rooms were extremely clean and spacious.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from SBY on 26 Apr 2023
Dear AimenThank you for your rating and review, we are super glad you had fun on our wildlife drive and enjoyed the space and the cleanliness of our rooms, we pride ourselves in ensuring a great guest experience.We look forward to welcoming you again.Best Regards, The Managment Team

8/10 Good

Wiktor

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

OSCAR

Travelled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in May 2021
Response from Rachid Bakas on 3 Jun 2021
Dear Graham, Thank you very ,much for such a great rating. Regards Rachid

10/10 Excellent

Wanjoo

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amenable staff, clean and spacious room condition, and nice swimming pool for kids. Worthy of staying with kids.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021
Response from Rachid Bakas on 16 May 2021
Warm Greetings from Anantara Sir Bani Yas Resorts, We would like to thank you for rewarding us with such a good review and for choosing us during your recent getaway. It is so nice to see how the team had looked after you from the start till the end and we all appreciate the nice words and rest assured that your feedback will be conveyed to the team and everyone will be recognized for their excellent job. We are all looking forward to welcoming you back soon and I will be very happy to assist you with any further arrangements. Warm Regards Rachid Bakas Resort Manager

10/10 Excellent

Syed

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Rachid on 1 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for the great score and we are looking forward to welcoming you back soon. Best Regards Rachid Bakas

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Rachid on 19 Jan 2020
Thank you very much for the beautiful feedback. Regards

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Rachid on 7 Oct 2019
Warm Greetings from Sir Bani Yas Resorts by Anantara, Thank you for taking the time to complete the review following your recent stay with us. The team is very glad to know that you have enjoyed the uniqueness on the island and its tranquility which is the perfect cure of the city hectic routine. We are very much looking forward to welcoming your return to Anantara Desert Islands Resort & Spa in the near future for another memorable experience. Sincerely, Rachid Bakas Director Of Rooms

8/10 Good

Maria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Rachid on 7 Oct 2019
Warm Greetings from Sir Bani Yas Resorts by Anantara, Thank you for taking the time to complete the review following your recent stay with us. The team is very glad to know that you have enjoyed the uniqueness on the island and its tranquility which is the perfect cure of the city hectic routine. We are very much looking forward to welcoming your return to Anantara Desert Islands Resort & Spa in the near future for another memorable experience. Sincerely, Rachid Bakas Director Of Rooms

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Rachid on 6 Aug 2019
Thank you so much for the great rating.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property made you feel like you were anywhere except the desert. The staff was the most courteous and professional group of employees that I have experienced in my vast amount of travel. Thank you for the BEST staycation ever!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019
Response from Rachid on 14 Jun 2019
Thank you very much for taking your time to share your feedback and concerns which of course will help us to improve our services. We are looking forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Best Regards Rachid Bakas Director Of Rooms

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Hotel
Fantastic stay. Highly recommend the Arabian buffet on the beach and an early morning safari.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Bakas Rachid on 27 Oct 2018
Dear Guest , Thank you very much for your beautiful review and we are looking forward to welcoming you back in the future . Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

10/10 Excellent

Christine, England U K

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a wonderful 2 day break at this hotel. The staff were very attentive and friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. There were plenty of sun beds on the beach or around the pool with a nice restaurant to have lunch snacks and drinks. We also went on the safari experience which was very interesting and had a very informative guide driving the open Land Rover also a real highlight to see the Giraffe and Cheetah roaming free.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Bakas Rachid on 30 Oct 2018
Warm Greetings from Sir Bani Yas Resorts, Thank you very much for taking time to share your experience following your recent getaway to the island. We are all happy to know that you had a good quality time and the team members were looking after you during the entire stay. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly would you need further assistance. Warm Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was a good experience and and and and and and and and
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Rachid on 26 Feb 2018
Thank you very much for the good review. We are looking forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Regards

10/10 Excellent

Adriano

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from sonja on 14 Jun 2017
Thank you so much for the rating Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

10/10 Excellent

jim, abu dhabi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Outstanding service, very well organized
A great experience....lots to see and do Wonderful
Response from Rachid on 15 Jun 2017
Dear Jim , Thank you very much for your visit as well as for your great review. We are all looking forward to welcoming you back soon in our little paradise. Warm Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

6/10 Okay

Benia2011, New York, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Beautiful setting ok hotel
The island and wildlife are beautiful, beaches are peaceful and quiet and the most clear blue water. Pool area is great. Hotel is a bit dated for 5 star but rooms are clean, have fabulous views. The a/c in the room was very loud, at her than that no complaints. Breakfast is ok, not great.
Response from Rachid on 15 Jun 2017
Dear Benia2011, Thank you very much for visiting us and for taking your time to review your experience. We are looking forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Best Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

10/10 Excellent

Suranjan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful Stay
Great place and recommend mostly for relaxation.
Response from sonja on 14 Jun 2017
Dear Suranjan, Thank you very much for the great review and rating. We are very happy to learn that you had an amazing time in our island and we are looking forward to welcoming you back in the near future. Best Regards Rachid Bakas Rooms Division Manager

10/10 Excellent

ASIM

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
very clean and very convenient
Amazing !

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice and excellent property, Staff is amazing
Must visit place. Very good and environmentally friendly location

10/10 Excellent

Melvin, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Top-notch service!
This was our second visit, and everything is just as good as we had remembered it. The best part about this resort is the service. In our opinion, it rates among the best we have ever seen anywhere in the world in terms of service.

8/10 Good

Alwin, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing Weekend Getaway
Service was Impeccable Thank you for arranging our room for our Wedding Anniversary. Special thanks to Mr Herman for all his help and wonderful recommendations at the hotel

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Get Away Trip
one of the best hotels to visit for short stay to break from the cities and head to enjoy wildlife in the Island and also enjoy archaeological sites and enjoy other activities plus the sea in complete self surrounding theme

10/10 Excellent

Lyn, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A mini break
Just awesome! The wildlife safari,the tour guide Laura and surrounding scenery made for a spectacular day in a short break. Outstanding restaurants at two different properties.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great luxury with a poor beach
The hotel and staff are absolutely wonderful here and so attentive to our every need. However, I think it is important for guests to know that the beach view is not pristine. There are huge sandbags that stretch along the shore a few meters out into the water that are not attractive at all. If you want to mostly stay beside the beautiful pool it works well. But if you are looking for a picturesque beach scene, you won't find it here.

8/10 Good

Arjun & Nisha, dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Paradise
A blog by my Wife To Sir Bani Yas Island. A Heaven away from Home Just felt like another regular day before we started our trip from Dubai investment park towards desert islands. The only condition i kept with my better half was that we will be away from calls and social media to make this anniversary better and more communicative towards each other than with our mobiles. At that time i did not know that what i am about to experience would be something i will remember all my life and will be till date one of the best surprises my hubby arranged for me for our 5th anniversary. We started our journey at 2 am on 26th morning.. By we i mean my hubby, mom our 3 month old son and myself... I guess the crankiest of the lot was me as i am not an early morning bird. After 4.5 hours of travel which included my extreme hunger crankiness, babies hungry cries, hubby's impatience to reach the jetty and my moms constant question 'are we there yet?' we finally arrived at the jetty area. At 7 our jetty started and there began one of the most beautiful journeys for me where even my extreme sea sickness did not seem to affect me. Of course when the boat stopped i was glad i dint mess up the water!!!We were welcomed by a staff and then escorted to our mini bus.. From there our 20 minute ride started to the hotel. Sir Bani Yas is a natural island located 170 km away from Abu Dhabi. With the circumference being around 18km, this is the largest natural island in the United Arab Emirates. By now
Response from Sonja on 2 Jan 2015
Dear Guest Thank you so much for this truly wonderful review. Team is thrilled to know that you and your family had such a memorable experience, that we touched your heart on such a special occasion. We hope to welcome you back very soon. Best Regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Resorts - Sir Bani Yas Island

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
New experience in the middle of the desert wild li
Perfect destination for whom like exploring the desert life, very friendly staff. Still I believe that the hotel need to think of more activities for children and evening entertainment.
Response from Sonja on 3 Jan 2015
Dear Guest Thank you very much the team is thrilled to learn that you had such a wonderful time. We hope that you will visit again, as I think there are many experiences and activities on this island that you might have missed. And if there is something that you have in mind please let us know in advance and will do everything we can to deliver. Best Regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Resorts - Sir Bani Yas Island

8/10 Good

Wael, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyable and interesting trip
Staff were very friendly, helpful and service is really amazing. The only downside is that the food and activities are very expensive and there is limited number of restaurants available and sometimes only one option available aw we had to eat in the same restaurant twice. Breakfast was very yummy and excellent but Lebanese restaurant was below average and pretty expensive.
Response from sonja on 24 Dec 2014
Dear Wael Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. We certainly take your comments constructively and are working hard to ensure the fullest of satisfaction of our guests, we very much look forward to welcoming you back and providing an even more wonderful stay next time. Thanks again and best regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island

10/10 Excellent

Fuzz, Abu Dhabi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Hotel on Desert Island
My husband and l went for a relaxing break and it was everything we expected! Beautiful location. Excellent services including Speedboat transfer to the island. Definitely recommend it.
Response from Sonja on 1 Oct 2014
This is a truly wonderful review and we thank you for taking the time to provide this very valuable feedback. We very much hope to welcome you back soon. Best regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Sir Bani Yas

10/10 Excellent

kevin, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Family Break.
Extremely relaxing environment with the added advantage of adventure experiences for those who want more activity. Great choice of food an beverage from in room to various restaurant facilities. We had a 1 year old with and she really enjoyed the wildlife safari as did all the adults..
Response from Sonja on 1 Oct 2014
Thank you so much for this wonderful review, we hope that we can welcome you back again very soon. Best regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Sir Bani Yas

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Response from sonja on 2 Jan 2015
Dear Guest Thank you for the rating, we really hope to welcome you back soon. Best Regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Resorts - Sir Bani Yas Island

10/10 Excellent

Witold, AUH

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A great long-weekend family escape.
Wonderful, motivated staff. Uncrowded, relaxed atmosphere. Will definitely return!
Response from sonja on 30 Jul 2014
Dear Witold Thank you for sharing this great review and for giving us 5 starts. we look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Best Regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Sir Bani Yas

8/10 Good

Mark, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great family vacation
It is something of a trek to get to the resort (long drive followed by boat ride) but once there, we had a lovely and relaxing time. Plenty to do and see including exploring the beach area and going on the wild-life tours. It is not cheap but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would recommend for a short break if you are looking for someting a little different in the UAE.
Response from sonja on 5 Jul 2014
Dear Mark Thank you for sharing this great review, the team is really thrilled to learn he had such a fantastic time. We want to share with readers that you can also fly directly to us from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai with regular daily flights that are very affordable and less than one hour door-to-door. These can be booked with the Resort for any stay. We do hope to welcome you back for your next short stay and another wonderful experience with Anantara. Best regards Mark Eletr Cluster General Manager Anantara Sir Bani Yas

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Lower quality Anantara resort
Having visited other Anantara resorts I was surprisingly disappointed with the standard and maintenance of the hotel and the facilities. Further the description of the villa with a swimming pool was rather misleading as in fact it was no more than a jacuzzi. The jacuzzi itself was poorly maintained with loose tiles and exposed electric cables. The breakfast buffet was acceptable, however we found the menu in general to be expensive, and the meals we had were at best average. The staff was friendly and helpful however this could not compensate for the low overall standard of this Anantara resort.

8/10 Good

Harsh, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxed place! Away from the bling.
It is a very calm & relaxed place unlike Dubai which has so much bling. Also the safari is a must. Price is on the higher side for what you get.

10/10 Excellent

M Lin, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Service!
The quality of service has to be the best part of our stay in this resort. We have been members of the Shangri-La loyalty programme for some time, and stayed at quite a few Shangri-La properties, but the service staff at the Desert Islands resort make Shangri-La feel ordinary. Here, you really understand what it means when they say you are a "valued guest", and they all go out of their ways to make sure your stay is comfortable and enjoyable.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Disappointing. Not a 5 star experience
Unfortunately our stay in the hotel was not the 5 star experience we had paid for although I have to say that all the staff we met were unfailingly helpful and did their best to overcome our difficulties. It was doubly unfortunate that we stayed at this hotel after their sister hotel, the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, which did give us the 5 star experience. We changed rooms twice because of issues with air conditioning. We also had issues with the showers and tv's not working correctly. The beds and pillows were uncomfortable unlike the Qasr Al Sarab. The main restaurant was closed for lunch and dinner but no reason was given. The beach was not good and had very ugly protection bags in place. On checkout we were charged the pre-authorisation from check-in as well as the cost of all our charges and are still waiting for this to be refunded.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Hotel is beautiful
My experience was not as much as fun as i expected. I had 1 day stay and most of the activities close early especially water sports.They should extend d timing of the water sports. They should also include some activities along with hotel stay.

6/10 Okay

Philipp, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Something different
This is a 5 star resort on an island, expect a 2hours drive south of Abu Dhabi. Important: call them to know the schedule of the boat transfer. ...Strengths: good service, large rooms, nice garden, pool bar and the tapas restaurant by the beach has a great location and view, very well equipped gym, tennis and nice kids club (without supervision) ...Not so good: the beach right in front of the hotel can't be used due to fortifications against the waves, lack of sunshade at the kids pool, breakfast is limited in choice. To see the animals you will have to pay and overpriced drive for 225aed p.p.+tax - i would recommend there should be family discounts such as 2for1. Overall a good place for a quiet relaxation holiday.

10/10 Excellent

Pam, Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyable break
The set up whilst waiting for the water taxi to take you to the island, lets you know this is going to be a special place. Staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is situated away from anything else on the island and makes you feel you are the only ones there. There are a number of activities you can pay to do and the wildlife ride in the morning is a must. Generally it was wonderful to use the different spaces of the hotel and be out of air conditioning. Many families were there at the time of our visit and it seems to cater well for children. A great experience and place to relax.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Too Far and too Expansive
it's all about the location of the island and the wild life safari!! Amazing, but you can do it simply by organizing your adventure through TDIC, the hotel is over rated and not what we expected from ANANTARA..Way too expansive for what they are offering

10/10 Excellent

Ahmed, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyable Stay
Hotel was amazing with very cheerful & pleasent staff. Room was great as it was one of the largest rooms Ive ever sit in a five starts hotels. Food was delicious but expensive. Open zoo was a nice activity but the types of animals were not that much. I enjoyed archery it was great. Finally, I would recommend this hotel for all as it was really nice exposure to sit on an island where the hotel was the only thing there (reaching to the hotel you nearly use all kinds of transport, from your own car, taxi boat & bus).

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great for a relaxing weekend break
The whole experience was on the excellent from the ferry terminal to the resort and return. We were able to stay on in our room until 6pm and take the late ferry back which enabled us to make the most of our 1 night stay. The only downside was the food which was disspointing from a resort of this quality. Only one restaurant and the pool bar were open. The dinner and breakfast buffets was lukewarm and the breakfast buffet was cleared away on the dot of 10.30 - with diners rushing to finish their meal. The lunchtime poolbar menu was uninspiring and food quality and presentation very average. Apart from this the hotel is wonderful and we had a very relaxing stay.

8/10 Good

Akif SHaikh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Good outing than staying in town
Good experience overall however a bit expensive specially dinning.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Not a hotel you want to depend on during crisis!
We stayed 2 nights at this hotel. The checkin service was great. The room was lovely with a great view. However by mid afternoon we were rudely disturbed by guests who had moved next door. The hotel changed our room to another one without any view unfortunately. Since there was no other option we were Ok with that. The island is beautiful, however i would say the hotel is pretty average as there are more beautiful hotels in Dubai. I had expected it to be breath taking but it did not meet expectations. The SPA treatment we had was absolutely SUPERB. However the Spa didn’t have a relaxation room and after the treatment we felt rushed out to the reception which was not a good way to end. The part that made the stay absolutely awful – the day we were checking out the weather was bad and the hotel couldn’t give us a time when the boat would depart. Finally we got a call in the afternoon and were asked to be ready at 330. The Bus left the hotel at 4 and we were at the port by 415. From 415 until 6PM – there was no news. All hotel guests were left stranded without any information. Not one hotel official was there to tell us what was going on. When we started calling the hotel all they said was you have checked out and you can come back and wait in the lobby!!! There is only ONE hotel on the island so you don’t have a choice. There were kids and infants with their parents and we weren’t even offered water!! So much for CLASS and 5 STAR service!! It was a bad end to the holiday. The weather is not the hotel’s fault but the way the managed the whole crises was upsetting and very very unprofessional. Not only that – after they knew there were 50 people stuck there they sent another bus load of people from the hotel without giving them any information either. When we finally got the boat there was nearly a stampede because everyone wanted to get on and there were only 50 seats avl. Hotel really managed this badly (understatement) WHAT WOULD THEY DO IN A REAL CRISIS wonder!!! Never going back there – much better service and hotels in Dubai.