Anantara Palm Jumeirah, Dubai (Day 1)

My birthday is February 19th. Today is May...something. It's taken me this long to edit and upload this video!!

Amani surprised me with a trip to the 5-star Anantara The Palm resort in Dubai. Anantara are known for their high-end hotel experiences and I've wanted to stay at one for a long time. The hotel itself is really beautiful with Thai themed buildings and walkways, and massive over water villas which is where we stayed.

Ever since Jug had his accident I support him with things like cleaning himself and using the toilet - for this reason Amani chose a hotel that was close enough to home for me to nip back in the evening... and it's a good job I did! Unfortunately, a night away turned into a night in the vet emergency room (details in video).

Hotel review:
Positives:
The service was good, the hotel staff were all really helpful and friendly, the place was clean etc.
Going to and from the room through the Thai paths and greenery was like we were outside of Dubai, and that’s nice sometimes!
The over-water villas are beautiful with a glass floor panel so you could see the fish in the ocean).
Nice white sand beach with a really good view of some of the other buildings on the palm.

Negatives: It was SO busy - The beach was heaving. We got a sunbed every time but there’s a lot of families with children, so if you want quiet time this may not be for you.

We had to queue for both lunch and breakfast the next day...and apparently the hotel wasn't at full capacity! I hate writing things like this because I always feel like such a snob and I cringe reading it back... but hopefully if you watch this may help you decide before you book! Waiting for 40 minutes in the sun to get some breakfast (non-vegan friendly I might add… unless hummus is enough to keep you going until lunchtime!). When we stayed at Zaya Nurai (Abu Dhabi) it was at full capacity and we didn't see any other people all weekend!

The other negative was the price. It’s a 5-star hotel so obviously it was never going to be cheap, and of course this all depends on your budget. A lot of people (like us) go to these super expensive hotels for one night or weekend as a treat to celebrate a birthday etc. If you’re looking for a really amazing experience I recommend looking at other hotels. It’s a nice hotel but it’s not $$$$$ nice!

We stayed in the over water villas which were twice the price of the 'lagoon rooms' (apartments overlooking the pool). If you are planning on going here I’d recommend the apartments as we spent most of our time on the beach anyway!

In conclusion we had a great time. We don’t go away as much as we use to so it was nice to get away and not have to travel far to get home. The things I’ve listed as negatives won’t be an issue for everyone and they in no way ruined our stay – I’m just hoping that if you read this before you book it’ll help your decision.

If you made it this far through the description – thank you! I’d really appreciate it if you’d press the like button and leave a comment letting me know what you thought of the video.

From the Anantara website:
"Located on the world-famous Palm Jumeirah just off the coast of Dubai, Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort boasts 400 metres of private shoreline & surround views of the Arabian Gulf. Indulge in an exclusive beach escape, while still enjoying the excitements of the city. Float on water, with lagoon access rooms and the UAE's only over water villas. Unwind with hammam rituals at our Palm Jumeirah hotel’s spa and enjoy the Thai-style luxury for which Anantara is known.
- The only over water villas in the UAE
- Three swimming lagoons with direct access
- Water sports and longtail boating
- Wellness programmes at Anantara Spa"
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Видео Anantara Palm Jumeirah, Dubai (Day 1) канала Jack Belcher