Did you know that there is an Anantara in the World Islands? Did you know you could spend a day there, without having to stay a night? We had the opportunity to do a daycation at the Anantara World Islands Dubai with the family early February, when the weather was just bliss.
Here’s what to expect if you were to spend a day at the Anantara World Islands with kids in tow.
Let’s start from the beginning.
How do we get to the Anantara World Islands?
Drive to the Anantara the Palm Residences Entrance – this is the entrance you normally pass by before you get to the main hotel entrance.
Yes, there is complimentary valet.
You ‘check-in’ at the World Islands reception, and the whole group will be escorted to the pier at the end of the Over-water villas. There, you’ll find a (very fancy) speedboat waiting. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and they provide bottled water (glass bottles, good on the Anantara for shifting to sustainable materials!).
When we went, there were a few families with babies, and toddlers. We all could bring our prams with us.
The trip was about 20 minutes or so for us. See Anantara’s website here, for more details on the resort’s factsheet and boat schedule.
How much is a day pass at the Anantara World Islands?
As of February 2023, these are the day pass rates :
- Mon-Thurs : 750 AED ( 350 AED redeemable in F&B) ; 325 AED for kids (5-11 years old)
- Fri-Sun : 950 AED (350 AED redeemable in F&B) ; 400 AED for kids (5-11 years old)
Please check Anantara’s daycation page here for current details.
Definitely on the higher end when it comes to Pool & Beach Day Pass rates. Personally felt they were keeping it a premium to encourage guests to simply book a room, instead of popping over for ‘just a day use’.
Where to eat with kids in Anantara World Islands?
We had taken the 12:30pm boat and got to the Anantara just in time for lunch. The kids were hungry (so were we 😉 ). The team escorted us to Helios, their all-day dining. It was lunchtime!
Other than in-room dining, Helios is the only place open for lunch in the Anantara World Islands. It serves greek mediterranean, and they do have a kid’s menu as well. Note that if you were there on their daycation package, kids can order unlimited from this kids menu.
Fairly casual beachside spot. You can pick a table on their outdoor terrace and the kids can run around and play on the sand. Note that the tables are literally on the sand 😉
We also dined in Qamar – their Arabic and Indian restaurant at the end of the day, for dinner.
Stunning views from their outdoor terrace. Very quiet and romantic there – so we picked a spot at the corner of the terrace so our noisy kids wouldn’t bother everyone else. I would say Helios is a bit more suitable if your kids are unable to use their ‘quiet voice’ to communicate 🙂
How is the pool and beach like?
We spent sometime in their main pool, which is situated right next to Helios. Happy to report that their water is temperature-controlled, making it so comfortable for us and the kids to be in the water early February when it was so cool outside.
There are shallow steps at the front part of the pool, and the rest is around 1.5m in depth.
Much like the Palm, water is very calm at the World Islands. I did feel it was bluer – possibly because it’s a distance from Dubai itself. The beach itself is also similar to the Palm – it’s a man-made island so unfortunately no fluffy sand here but hey – it’s good enough that you can make a sandcastle so can’t complain too much 😉 I mean c’mon, look at the view.
Is there a Kid’s Club? Do we have access to it if we are just there for the day?
Surprisingly, yes – even if you are there for the day you can use Tuk Tuk Kid’s club which is a plus. Drop off is 4 and you can stay in there with the younger ones.
It’s mostly ‘outdoor space’ with a shallow kids pool, and a playground sets. Staff were super friendly – our girls spent sometime there after lunch making bracelets, playing and also had their faces painted.
Wonder how it’ll work over the summer months though? Would highly recommend they look into expanding the indoor area for kids when Dubai hits 40 degrees.
What other amenities are available?
We found their games room – foosball table, table tennis and pool for the big kids and adults. They do allow kids in here.
There was also a padel tennis court which the husband quite happily joined in with other guests and staff.
There are three very instagrammable swings installed at the shallow ends of the beach. One day I’ll get the chance to actually be in a photo with those swings, haha!
Also a plant nursery right next to the padel tennis court, which the team did say they could take us in for a little tour but we unfortunately ran out of time.
Here’s a little overall capture of the place :
Overall Thoughts
It’s lovely that we can go to somewhere so quiet, just 20 minutes away from the Palm. It’s a spot you escape to, for peace and quiet. So serene.
For those who would like to check price options – I would say a lunch or dinner there is a most affordable way to see the place, with a 200aed minimum spend (plus 150aed boat transfer). Of course – no pool and beach access with that.
Next up, would be a daycation at the Anantara World Islands.
If you have multiple kids – have a look at their off season rates for a staycation 😉
Definitely add it to your Dubai bucket list. A little ‘Maldives’ at our door step.
- Daycation at Anantara World Islands
- Anantara’s Website
Disclaimer : We were guests of the Anantara to review the resort over a daycation.