A quick weekend retreat from Dubai
After pouring over pages and pages of short breaks and trying to make flight times work we decided to go closer to home and opted for a the short drive to Abu Dhabi instead. We narrowed down the search and based on pure reputation alone we decided to try Eastern Mangroves by Anantara.
Many would be put off by this hotel not being on the beach, but as we have access to the beach all of the time we didn't think we would mind. And we didn't. It made a lovely change to sit at the pool looking at greenery and birds instead of sand and high rise buildings. And we were stunned by the quiet. On driving in we were nervous as it was straight off the main road. But once inside you wouldn't have known the road was there and it was very peaceful.
A couple of planes came overhead but we hardly noticed them although our ears did prick up at the sight of a low flying helicopter. We still don't know what it was doing! Staff appeared to glide rather than walk and everyone spoke in smooth and calming tones, rather like in a spa.
Eastern Mangroves by Anantara is a small hotel, but we never found it to seem busy or be falling over other guests. All of the staff were excellent making a real effort to know us and to ensure we had a great time. There are only 2 restaurants but the food quality was excellent and there was a great selection. We joined in Friday brunch on the terrace which was very impressive and it was nice to watch other guests going out on the boat trips or in Kayaks from here.
Our room was very comfortable. We didn't pay extra for the Mangroves view - we should have because the view of the road from our room didn't entice us outside! But the balconies on the rooms with a view had plenty of use as it was a stunning scene. The room itself was large and well decorated with neutral relaxing tones and the black out curtains ensured we had a great night's sleep.
We left after our stay feeling refreshed and relaxed, so we will definitely return next time we need a little break away.