Anantara World Islands Dubai Resort

I loved Patricia who helped ensure we got a room with sunset view!

1. It felt impossible to get through to someone to book a boat in the lead up to my trip. 2. Island felt unfinished and for 3.5k AED I’d expect it to be more put together. 3. Lack of restaurant choices and also the quality of food being below Anantara expected standards ruined our stay… we went to Anantara palm Monday evening and already felt like service and food was night and day! Same for Anantara Rak - breakfast was amazing and on the island it felt budget!

They upgraded our villa and allowed us to check out at 2pm since we had a little baby and he needed to sleep. In general staycation was good, we enjoyed our private pool and beach access. They helped when we needed any help.

Garden doors didn’t have a lock so we didn’t feel safe because we could not be locked in both sides of Villa. Cook from egg station in the restaurant made me a wrong omelette 2 times in a row. They brought us desserts and drinks always very slowly, and even didn’t say “sorry” for the delay. While check-out they wanted to charge us for the snacks from mini-bar which we didn’t eat, big shame! These all options are unacceptable for 5 stars hotel in my opinion.

Location, comfort, staff, view.

Noise of a generator on the island 24 hours long.

It was my birthday celebration and they upgraded me to a Villa, disabled access Villa. We had a lovely greeting when the boat arrived. It’s just a 10 minute boat ride from Kite Beach. The car valet and reception before you get the boat was very pleasant and efficient. Karim at reception at the Anantara was very also efficient and we got an early check in too. The team couldn’t have done more really- I had lots of birthday gifts in our room and the bed was decorated with leaves and towels to celebrate my birthday. Ronixa kindly gave us a tour in a golf buggy. Both restaurants Helios and Qamar were excellent, service was great. The BBQ at Helios was plentiful and tasty and it was lovely weather to sit on the beach. The resort is beautiful with wildlife- birds particularly ducks and peacocks. We loved the rabbits! There are gazelles but we didn’t see any. The pool was lovely, more like a pond, very Thai. The sea was amazing and we felt like we were far from Dubai, in the Maldives perhaps. Very relaxing.

Aircraft flying over but this is beyond the control of the Anantara. The cost of the drinks and the burger for lunch was a bit dear but then it’s a 5 star resort after all.

Everything

Nothing

The allure of staying on the World Islands and the access to the water from our suite was great!

Feedback on Anniversary Stay – 23 October We selected 23 October (mid-week) for a quiet 5th anniversary stay, but the experience fell far short of 5-star standards. Transfers: Arrival lounge was overcrowded, noisy and very communication was given by the team on what was happening next. We didn’t experience any leadership. No life jackets were provided on either transfer despite heavy sea traffic. On the return, 4 adults and 1 child were allowed to stand unsecured at high speeds at the front of the speed boat for better pictures. Again, no leadership taken to management passengers. Check-in & Suite: Swe, receptionist, was personable but rushed. No proper suite orientation given. We struggled with AC/fan controls, missing espresso cups, poor carpet condition, weak TV sound, and long delays in reaching Helios through a reservation call. Room service gift was thoughtful, but only one set of cutlery and plate provided. These issues could have been prevented with a three-minute walkthrough by Swe on check-in. Dinner at Helios: Service was disjointed with multiple servers with language barriers. Portions were excessive, fish filleting was charged extra without prior notice, and “house” wines were mis-billed as premium. Staff forced an anniversary cake on us after desserts were ordered and became slightly argumentative when we declined. Late Checkout Request: Swe initially promised to confirm but never called back. At 11:45pm, when we followed up, she was abrupt and unhelpful until pressed and reminded of her oversight. Only then did she extend checkout to 2pm. Checkout: Adil listened empathetically and waived the Helios charges. While appreciated, this did not compensate for the overall service gaps that led to our disappointing anniversary celebration night stay. Overall: Staff repeatedly demonstrated poor training and weak communication. Instead of celebrating, our anniversary was marred by frustration and sub-standard service.

The breakfast food and staff perfect Great variety and the staff actually remembered what we liked

Not applicable

The concept

Staff Transport boat time My wife was in spa then one man enter the room to talk with the other staff !!!

Everything is amazing, it was like a peaceful escape from the busy city. It was like Maldives and even better

It has a good view of the Dubai skyline.

Poor construction and attention to detail.

The place is a paradise. The place was beautiful and relaxing. The staff was exceptionally accommodating. At the start of the trip, before boarding the boat, my daughter had an accident and fell, which caused a lot of stress and panic with my family and I. The staff was brilliant - the manager and his team not only ensured we got a taxi to the nearest hospital, they continually checked in on us throughout our stay and reassured us at all points. The night manager, whose name escapes me, even paid us a visit in the evening and reassured us that should we require ambulance services in the event of an emergency, one would be provided. No one thinks about these things when they book a holiday - it was very reassuring and comforting to know that the staff at Anantara worked so efficiently and had everything under control. My hat off to you guys! Brilliant service!

The facility was nice, you felt remote yet you could see the city skyline.

When we arrived, we ate lunch and sat for 20 mintutes waiting for water and menu's. I dont fault the staff, but I believe maybe they are understaffed? Also we had 1/2 board, but the dinner did not include water? So we paid separately to have their bottled filtered water.

All

Nothing

From arrival at the welcome centre everything went perfect

We thought we were getting direct beach access villa but we didn’t

Amazing friendly staff, especially Aziz.

Non luxurious and somewhat badly maintained accomodation, facilities, and F&B outlets (only two).

Amazing facilities and staff were so polite and always serve with a smile on their face , one bed sunset pool villa had one of the best room and view with all the required facilities. Must visit , food was amazing , service was amazing , view is amazing would definitely recommend , maldives in dubai

Nothing to dislike about

Highly recommend place to have a perfect and relaxed staycation from the room, service, food and staff. Everything was perfect as we wanted to be.

Resort was very quite and clean full of privacy on our villa The staff was very helpful and very kind with us specially Abdullaziz and Swe lady on reception and rendi he tied our villa and make a heart on the bed I like his way thnx anatara we enjoy every moment

Nothing

Every thing

-

Best from anantara at world island

Nothing

It’s very nice

The furniture could be revamped

that the villa is spacious and clean, the staff.

1.The shower area inside the bathroom is poorly designed—after every use, water spreads across the entire bathroom floor. 2.There’s no nearby grocery store, which is inconvenient considering we’re 10–15 minutes away from the city, and the boats charge 150 AED for transport. 3.Boat schedules should be more flexible to better accommodate residents’ needs. 4.All boats should be equipped with air conditioning—Dubai’s weather makes it extremely uncomfortable without it.

Very friendly staff, very well maintained resort, very informal in all aspects

A little too quiet at the main pool area meant no real atmosphere. Music inside the restaurants but nothing outside. If you are looking for that then a pool villa is your best option

Absolutely loved my stay at this hotel! The staff were welcoming, the room was clean and cozy, and the view was breathtaking—waking up to that scenery was a highlight of the trip. Whether it was sunrise over the city or sunset by the water, the views alone made the stay unforgettable. Highly recommend and would gladly return!

Felt like a tropical island in

2 check ins

This has by far been the best property we’ve stayed at in the UAE. We loved the way the property has been designed to give a feel if being outside of the Emirates but yet with the luxury that UAE provides (and only UAE can provide) Half board was truly a great deal. I have to give a special shout out to the Chef at the Open Grill in Helios who made some amazing Steaks for me.. A bro knows how another bro likes his steaks :-)

The boat service from mainland to Island was not the most attractive and could be upgraded to better Boats/Yachts which reflect the quality of the property

Loved the restaurant, ‘Qamar’ such good food and great breakfast too. Loved how the manager at qamar treated us also. The view was amazing.

They did not have a fridge, and the minibar didn’t even make anything cool enough, especially with a baby. Also the buggy service is pretty slow but it was okayy

Service and care

Friendly staff

The hotel is relatively new, but looks like no one really takes care of it and it does not look like a fancy hotel, rather a 3 star hotel The rooms are weird, despite we booked an ocean view room we stayed in the villa with a pool, and even this villa is still bad (the room that we booked was very small with a view on a roof and it smelled very bad in it). If you take a shower the water spreads all over the bathroom. Both restaurants have a very weird design, dinner was nice though - we selected a bbq buffet. But the breakfast was like in a 3 star hotel. We stayed in anantara hotels before - there is nothing in common The beach is also bad with stones and it very hard to find places to swim in the whole island

Unfortunately, the service did not meet our expectations. We had several observations during our stay: 1. Slow Response to Requests: We requested ice for our drinks and had to ask three times. It took over an hour for it to arrive. 2. Delayed Buggy Service: The golf cart service was consistently delayed every time we requested it, which was frustrating. 3. Check-Out Experience: Check-out time was at 12 PM. We asked for a one-hour extension, which was understandably declined. However, when we called at exactly 12 PM to request a buggy to carry our luggage and complete check-out, it didn’t arrive until 40 minutes later. Waiting this long at check-out time is completely unacceptable. 4. Animals in the Hotel: We were not informed that animals, particularly birds, were part of the hotel environment. While it’s nice to see birds during the day, they should have a designated place to sleep at night. Having them perched on the villa rooftop making noise throughout the night made it difficult to rest. 5. Cleanliness Concerns: Towels and bathroom amenities were transported without proper covering and arrived dusty. Bedding was replaced, but the new covers had visible stains. This shows a lack of attention to hygiene and cleanliness, which should be a priority in any hotel. On a positive note: The staff at the restaurants and pool area were kind, helpful, and professional. Their service was the highlight of our stay.

Flexibility on use of hotel facilities, even after check out