Thirty Villas on an Empty Shore: Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort
The beach at Al Yamm runs along the eastern shore of Sir Bani Yas with thirty villas spread down its length and a wildlife reserve behind it. There are loungers, umbrellas and towels, no day visitors, and no other property on the sand. Gazelle come down from the park onto the beach, which guests watch from the terrace over breakfast, and that is the single most unusual thing about staying here.
Behind the sand sits a mangrove lagoon, which is where the kayaks go. In front is the Gulf. The island lies eight kilometres off the western coast of Abu Dhabi and takes four scheduled water taxi crossings a day, which is the arithmetic that keeps the shore as empty as it is.
Getting there
The crossing from the Jebel Dhanna jetty takes about thirty minutes by water taxi, with four departures scheduled daily, and light aircraft also serve the island. From the island jetty the transfer to Al Yamm takes twenty to twenty five minutes, and the Arabian Wildlife Park is a short drive inland from the resort.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is more than two hundred kilometres away by road. Baggage is capped at one piece up to thirty kilograms plus a hand bag up to seven.
Five villa categories, and the arithmetic of space
The villa sizes here are among the largest in the emirate, and the categories are worth setting out in full.
A Pool Villa runs to 284 square metres with a lagoon outlook and sleeps two adults. A Beach Pool Villa runs to 314 square metres with an ocean view. The Deluxe Pool Villa and the Deluxe Beach Pool Villa both reach 416 square metres, the first facing the mangroves and the second the sea, each sleeping two adults and a child. The Two Bedroom Anantara Pool Villa runs to 865 square metres and sleeps five adults, with a choice of lagoon or ocean outlook.
Every villa carries a private pool, a terrace and either direct beach access or the lagoon at the door. Premium bedding, minibars and desks come as standard, and in villa dining operates around the clock. At these dimensions the villas function as private houses, which is precisely how guests use them.
The choice between mangrove and ocean is a real one rather than a matter of price. The mangrove villas sit behind the beach with the lagoon and the kayaks at the door, and the birdlife comes closer. The beach villas open onto the sand and take the sunrise. At 416 square metres the two deluxe categories are identical in everything except which way they face.
Olio, and the shuttle to Savannah Grill
Olio Restaurant and Lounge is the resort’s own room, serving Mediterranean cooking with the ocean in front of it. Breakfast opens at six, lunch runs from noon, dinner from half past six, and the bar stays open until midnight.
A complimentary shuttle links Al Yamm to the island’s other tables: Savannah Grill and Lounge at the sister resort Al Sahel, a Southern African grill set in the game park, and two further restaurants at Desert Islands Resort and Spa. Over a stay of several nights that variety earns its keep.
Spice Spoons runs Middle Eastern cooking classes on request, and Designer Dining places a private table wherever the guest wants it, weather allowing.
Olio at breakfast, with the sand a few metres away and gazelle occasionally crossing it, is a difficult meal to leave in a hurry.
Anantara Spa, the pool and the fitness studio
Anantara Spa treats in ocean view cabanas as well as indoors, running hot stone massage, body wraps, scrubs and facials. A boutique fitness studio carries Technogym equipment, and a full gym, a spa and a kids club are available at Desert Islands Resort and Spa, reached by the same complimentary shuttle.
A main pool serves the resort and a bicycle track runs from it, which is the easiest way to cover the ground between the villas and the beach. A playground sits on site and children stay free.
The cabana treatments are the ones to book. Treating within sight of the water is a common enough offer along the Corniche, but on this shore it is done without a neighbouring property in the frame, which changes the experience considerably.
Kayaks, game drives and a seventh century monastery
Kayaking through the mangrove lagoon starts at the resort and is the best way to see the coastal wildlife at first light. Beyond it, guests have full access to the Arabian Wildlife Park inland, where cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, Arabian oryx and gazelle range free, and to the island’s horse riding stables, archery range, tennis court, water sports centre and hiking routes.
The island also holds a Christian monastery site dating from the seventh century, the oldest in the Emirates, which is open to guests.
Al Yamm or Al Sahel
The two Anantara villa resorts on Sir Bani Yas hold thirty villas each, share the same wildlife park, the same crossing and the same shuttle, and separate on outlook alone.
Al Yamm is the coastal half. Its villas run from 284 to 865 square metres and face beach, lagoon or mangrove, its restaurant is Mediterranean, and the game park is a short drive inland. Al Sahel is the savannah half. Its villas run from 315 to 573 square metres, the grassland starts at the terrace, and its grill is Southern African.
Take Al Yamm if you want the sea and the sand as well as the animals, and if the villa sizes matter. Take Al Sahel if the wildlife is the entire purpose and you would rather wake up inside the park. Either way the journey asks for three nights, and anyone seeking nightlife or shopping should be looking elsewhere on the map entirely.
Contact
HOTEL: Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Yamm Villa Resort
ADDRESS: Al Ruwais, Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. P.O. Box 12452
TELEPHONE: +971 2 801 4200
EMAIL: contact@visitabudhabi.ae
WEBSITE: https://www.anantara.com/en/sir-bani-yas-island-al-yamm
AREA: Sir Bani Yas Island