While on location in Abu Dhabi last week, Luxury Travel Advisor got the scoop on a brand new hotel from Anantara. We checked into Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara—an oasis of mythic proportions in the vast Liwa Desert near the border with Saudi Arabia—and learned from Sharon Garrett-Otter, Area Director of Marketing and Communications, about the third property in Anantara’s Abu Dhabi portfolio. (Beyond Abu Dhabi city, the emirate itself is quite vast, encompassing the bulk of the U.A.E.’s land mass.)
On June 1, 2012, Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa will open its doors next to Abu Dhabi’s protected Eastern Mangroves District, just 15 minutes from the international airport. When the property debuts, Anantara will be the only brand in the emirate that’s able to offer "sand, sea, and city." (In addition to Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Anantara manages Desert Islands Resort, located on Sir Bani Yas Island where the Royal Nature Reserve was established by the late founder of the U.A.E.)
Eastern Mangroves is an urban resort offering a convenient city location, while at the same time surrounded by the natural beauty of the mangroves. The design incorporates an Arabic aesthetic (archways and mosaics) with opulent touches (like 18-carat gold). There will be a 222 guest rooms, a ballroom and conference facilities, a spa with one of the largest hammams in the region, and three restaurants including a rooftop lounge overlooking the mangroves and the city skyline. For more information, visit http://abu-dhabi.anantara.com.
Pictured: A spa treatment room.