You’ve seen those lagoon pools. You’ve always wanted to swim in them. But you don’t want to break the bank and stay overnight. Alternative? Do a daycation at Anantara the Palm. Also called their Swim, Eat and Relax deal – you pay 299 AED for a 3-course gourmet meal at The Beach House (indoors – if you don’t want to sweat, outdoors – if you’re one of those adventurous ones), and you get a whole day access to pools and beach. And yes, lagoon pools too!
Honestly we thought that we only had access to the main pool. There we were chilling in the main pool, discussing if we should try and sneak into the lagoon pools. We walked over, or should I say ran over as the footpaths were scorching hot (it was already 4pm!) and slipped straight into the lagoon waters. It was so peaceful to swim within the many villas – the lagoon felt neverending. There were families with kids, lots of couples, floats of all colours and shapes – it was a mixed crew. Overall, quiet. We wanted to stay in the water until it got dark and the lights came on. But our fingers and toes were pruning up and the little girl was getting a bit agitated so we called it a day. So sad.
So, what do you get for lunch?
A set menu with three choices each. It was perfect that there were 3 of us (and the little girl was asleep, woohoo!) – so we told the team that we were going to try one of each.
The quinoa and baby spinach salad came in an overly generous portion – combination of fresh greens and tomatoes tossed with pomegranate as usual and mixed well with raspberry vinagrette. I would suggest to cut down the portion a little though – honestly with that amount of superfood I won’t be surprised if you felt like you could whip out a cape and start jumping off those beautiful oriental pagoda roofs. It was however, nice to have something big and healthy alongside the other option : Shrimps cooked with garlic and guajillo chilli. I always love shrimps, and it’s the same in this case. Suggest to tone down the salt in the future though. The salad and the burrata cheese (which was perfect, by the way), helped balance out the shrimps.
With mains, I was quite happy they had one of my favourite dishes – wild forest mushroom risotto. Again, the chef seemed to like his sodium content a lot so it was tad too salty for my liking. Didn’t stop me from polishing off the plate though (and saving a small portion for my girl for when she woke up 😉 ). It was good to see some fish in the menu – you gotta have one option since you’re at the beach house! The salmon steak I thought was alright, the oven roasted corn fed chicken I liked – well-seasoned but not too much, and tender.
We finished the afternoon with a large plate of fruits, a tiramisu (more please! 🙂 ) and a light blueberry cheesecake. No complaints at all. It was then when the little girl woke up – she knew the best bit was happening 🙂 We asked for the team to heat up a little portion of mains that we had kept for her, and they very nicely moved it onto a kids plate and set it out. Cute ay 🙂
How’s the place and ambience in general? Is it a family-friendly spot?
Everyone was at in newly raised deck area (indoors, of course) – and it was half-full. Mixed groups – families, couples – generally quite quiet, and nice. Definitely not a ‘party brunch atmosphere’, more so a nice chilled out afternoon sipping cocktails by the beach 🙂 Or a beer, if you prefer.
And of course, how were the pools??
Honestly it’s still so hot. We thought 3pm would be okay but it is frikin hot. Hot hot hot. Just get into your togs as fast as you can after lunch, jump in and everything will be okay. That moment when you submerge yourself into those cool waters – bliss. There’s a guy who comes around with a platter of freshly cut pineapples and oranges as well. Best thing ever. I was hoping for some smoothies or ice lollies though – they must have missed me!
There is a kid pool to the side – with a bouncy castle, ping pong table and a giant scrabble – but it was completely empty when we were there. So we kinda just chilled in the main pool (they have a lot of shallow areas there anyways if you have kids), taking turns to watch the girl while the other go off for a swim. And of course, the best bit were the lagoon pools. Go and swim there. Spend the whole afternoon and evening there. They’re the best. Is there another place in Dubai that have pools like this? Someone tell me! 🙂 Note : Unlike JBH, they don’t supply baby nappies for free if you forgot to bring some, but you can buy it from a kiosk for 50 AED a pack. So, don’t… forget! 🙂
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To get full access to Anantara’s amazing pools, this is a great deal. I would have much preferred if water was at least included in the deal though, so do expect to pay a bit more on the day (to be noted, there is a 25% off these ‘extras’ for summer). I’ll keep an eye on the staycation prices – those lagoon villas look a-ma-zing 🙂 A night swim would be perfect this summer!
- Swim, Eat and Relax
- Website : http://dubai-palm.anantara.com/Swim–Eat-Relax/
- Deal : 299 AED for 3-course lunch at The Beach House and access to Anantara’s pool and beach (Saturday to Thursdays)
Disclaimer : We were guests of Anantara The Palm to review the Swim, Eat and Relax deal. Thoughts are our own, though it is entirely up to you to judge.
Nice review, always fancied popping in over there – especially the pools, which always look stupendous! Glad you had a lovely time, lucky you!