Getting back to nature need not involve a trip to another continent for UAE residents this summer: the new resort Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna is a secluded beach retreat, complete with access to a Sir Bani Yas, the private island nature reserve.
Far from the madding crowds, it is the first destination resort in the area, and offers convenient access to both deep sands and deep seas.
“However, communing with nature does not mean we have to forego the comforts of modern-day life,” said general manager Manoj Kanwal. “We have all those modern day necessities such as air-conditioning, satellite TV, cooling pools, sandy golf facilities, and massage facilities indoor and outdoor.”
Key to the attractions of the resort is Sir Bani Yas, a haven for wildlife off the coast of the Abu Dhabi emirate.
The initiative of the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sir Bani Yas Island nature reserve is the result of years of careful conservation and the reintroduction of indigenous plants and animals, transforming the 230sq km island in to an offshore oasis, fuelled by a daily dose of nine million gallons of desalinated water.
The result is a landscape of orchards, lakes, olive groves and forests where oryx and gazelles run free, and where giraffes and ostriches can also be seen along with 170 species of birds and butterflies.
According to Kanwal, the nature reserve is expected to be a major draw for visitors in the coming months.
“Sir Bani Yas island is accessible to the public on tours that are only pre-bookable through the resort here,” he said. “Numbers are limited each day to ensure the environment on the island remains pristine, and visitors are treated to something a little different in terms of the Middle East.”
Combining the best of essential pampering and luxury with soft adventure, Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna is located 220km to the west of Abu Dhabi city.
The 109-room resort, which opened early this year, also offers facilities such as a private 800-metre sand beach, par-36 nine-hole sand golf course, two floodlit tennis courts and two squash courts, the Body and Soul Health Club, plus non-motorised watersports and beach activities, and five restaurants and lounges.
Owned and operated by Danat Hotels & Resorts, a division of the National Corporation of Tourism & Hotels based in Abu Dhabi, it is the first five-star deluxe resort on the west coast of the UAE and the flagship for tourism development in that region.
