e-Newsletter July 2011
It’s been a busy few months on the island, as we have been gearing up to launch a number of new exciting venues later this year, which include two guest lodges, a Conference Centre and a Water Sports Centre! We also participated in Earth Hour, and donated two giraffes to the Kids Park Zoo in Abu Dhabi. Read on to learn more about these exciting happenings as well as much more.
New Projects Offer Adventure & Luxury
2011 promises to offer guests a plethora of new experiences on Sir Bani Yas Island as two guest lodges a Watersports Centre, Stables and Conference Centre will be completed. The new facilities will provide a multifaceted experience for leisure and business guests, adding to the range of things to do on the island. Keep your eyes peeled for the openings of these exciting new venues!
Al Yamm Lodge by Anantara
Al Yamm Lodge, managed by Anantara, is located by the water’s edge and offers an intimate, ‘feet-in-the-sand’ design concept, inspired by the early fishermen who lived seasonally on the island. From its location, guests will enjoy the surrounding mangrove forests and intertidal lagoon with wading flamingos. Al Yamm Lodge, by Anantara, will consist of 30 luxurious villas, two restaurants, a lounge, pool, gym, business centre, library and a retail outlet.
Al Sahel Lodge by Anantara
Al Sahel Lodge, also managed by Anantara, is located on an elevated location right in the heart of the Arabian Wildlife Park. It will be one of the few places in the Middle East where guests will be able to view wildlife from their lodges, in a lush savannah-like environment. Guests will be accommodated in 30 luxurious villas, and enjoy two restaurants, a library, two lounges, pool and a retail outlet.
Desert Islands Conference Centre
The Desert Islands Conference Centre is located next to the Desert Islands Resort & Spa, and features stunning waterfront views of the Arabian Gulf. The conference centre will accommodate up to 340 guests in banquet style seating or 560 in auditorium style seating. It will feature six breakaway rooms and a boardroom, making it the ideal venue for corporate events, team building exercises and small weddings.
Sir Bani Yas Stables
Visitors to Sir Bani Yas Island will soon have access to local horse riding activities. The stables will accommodate a mix of horse breeds to suit all levels of riders, and will feature riding and training rings, grass and sand paddocks, and 30 large, expandable stables. Horse riding lessons and trail rides will also be on offer.
Desert Islands Watersports centre
The Desert Islands Watersports Centre is being developed next to the Desert Islands Resort & Spa. The centre will offer diving, sailing, snorkelling and other water sports. There will also be a restaurant, decking area, lecture room, offices, shop, kit issue centre, changing rooms and a clinic.
Summer Offer at Desert Islands Resort & Spa!
This summer, add value to your stay at Desert Islands Resort & Spa with complimentary credit of up to AED 500 for every night you book. You can use this credit in one of the hotel’s varied restaurants, or to book yourself a soothing treatment at the Anantara Spa. The adventurous among you can try one of the resort’s many exciting activities!
Offer details:
*Receive AED 300++ per deluxe room per night
*Receive AED 400++ per suite per night
*Receive AED 500++ per villa per night
*Terms and conditions apply
For further details and bookings please contact: +971 2 801 5400 or e-mail dirs@anantara.com
Triathlon Triumph!
Three of our Desert Islands Adventure Tourism Guides continued to put their expert sporting skills to good use by participating in the Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March.
Making the most of the rugged, natural surroundings of Sir Bani Yas Island, Amer, Theo and Ted trained hard for the sprint distance bracket, which consisted of a 750m swim, 50km bike ride, and 5km run. The sporty trio achieved a superb finishing time on the day, promoting the healthy lifestyle and spirit of Desert Islands in the process.
During the training season, Amer Braik could be seen swimming with the Desert Island marine life on the southern beach. In the evenings, Ted could be spotted racing gazelles next to the beautiful mangrove lagoons, while Theo chose the rugged salt dome hilltops of the island’s Arabian Wildlife Park to train for the cycling leg.
Team Captain Amer said “Taking part in the triathlon was a fantastic experience for the team. The unspoilt environment of Sir Bani Yas is the perfect place to train away from the restrictions of traffic, and the hustle and bustle of the city.”
Sir Bani Yas Island is the ideal holiday destination for sporting enthusiasts, such as our triathlon team members. The wide variety of activities that are on offer, which include kayaking, snorkelling, mountain biking and wadi walking, all offer different perspectives of the island’s natural assets.
Earth Hour
In 2007, the first Earth Hour took place in Sydney, Australia, where 2.2 million individuals and more than 2000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Earth Hour is now the world’s largest global climate change initiative, and one that the Desert Islands Resort & Spa and island staff were keen to take part in for the third time earlier this year.
Therefore, at 8.30pm on March 26th, the hotel lights were switched off and candles lit the way in the public areas. Several guests chose to enjoy a romantic candle lit dinner, whilst others simply stargazed on the moonlit beach.
Over at the staff accommodation a fire was lit, and an impromptu gathering with music and song commenced, with everyone enjoying the ambience of the evening.
Desert Islands is devoted to promoting sustainability; Earth Hour is just one way that guests and staff can participate each year to help raise awareness of sustainability issues. For more information please log on to www.earthhour.org.
Interns Become Full-Time Guides!
In April, an enthusiastic young lady joined the team on Sir Bani Yas Island to become a full-time Adventure Tourism Guide. Yasmeen Al Hammadi, a UAE national, recently graduated from the City and Guild Travel and Tourism course at the Desert Islands Education Centre (DIEC). As part of the course, she spent a few months interning on Sir Bani Yas, where she learnt how to do all the exciting activities on offer, including kayaking, mountain biking and hiking!
Yasmeen, who has spent her whole life living on neighbouring Dalma Island, loves her new full-time role, as she enjoys meeting new people every day and educating them on the rich history of Sir Bani Yas Island and the UAE. The Adventure Tourism Guides on Sir Bani Yas Island play a crucial role in promoting the destination, and in passing on vital information regarding the many precious animals that live there. Yasmeen said: “Coming to the island to work every day is so enjoyable for me. I love talking to guests about the island and all the animals that live here, and to see how they smile as they take in the surroundings. The Travel and Tourism course has prepared me well for my new role, as I can now put everything I learnt into practice.”
Giraffes Donated to Family and Kids Park Zoo in Abu Dhabi
We donated two young female giraffes from Sir Bani Yas Island to the Family and Kids Park Zoo in Abu Dhabi at the end of May! As you can imagine, transporting such huge animals to their new home was no easy feat. Certain procedures had to be undertaken to accomplish the move, which included moving them one at a time.
For starters, the giraffes were separated from the main herd in order to give them time to adjust to the separation. Once they adjusted, the next move was to transport them by ferry and road to the zoo. Custom-made trailers therefore had to be made to manage their girth.
Getting them into and out of the trailers was a mission within itself. In order to get the animals in, the veterinarian immobilised them with a special anaesthetic drug. This ensured they lay down long enough for the game capture team to place a blindfold over their eyes and cotton wool in their ears. This was also done to ensure the giraffes were relaxed and easier to handle.
As soon as the drugs took effect, a halter was placed on the giraffes so that they could be guided onto the trailer. Once inside, the anaesthetic drug was reversed with an antidote, which enabled the giraffes to stand on their own.
Finally, the giraffes were taken from Sir Bani Yas to the mainland by ferry and driven to Abu Dhabi. They were accompanied all the way by members of the conservation team, who were there to ensure the animals’ welfare and to help unload them at the zoo.
We are happy to announce that since the move both giraffes have settled into their new home and are doing very well!