WITH its landmark property in Abu Dhabi, Anantara succeeds where many others fail in combining the efficiency and convenience of a state of the art city centre business hotel with the comfort and style and airy, relaxed mbience of a luxury resort.
The Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa is set in an inspirational waterfront setting along a 1.2 km stretch of quiet and unspoilt mangrove reserve and yet it is just 10 minutes from the burgeoning business centre of the city and its internationally renowned exhibition complex, Adnec, 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 7 minutes from Al Bateen Executive Airport the UAE’s hub for private business aviation. As such, the luxury five-star hotel is the ideal location for business travellers and corporate guests - a tranquil haven in the bustling city that provides the perfect backdrop for meetings, conferences and events. The key offerings for the business traveller are the Kasara Balcony and Kasara Mangroves Balcony Rooms, which include complimentary access to the executive lounge, Kasara. At 57 sq m, the Kasara rooms combine excellent space with understated elegance and comfort, and are strategically placed alongside the lounge on the fifth and sixth floors of the hotel overlooking the magnificent mangroves and Abu Dhabi skyline. The rooms are fully appointed with amenities including a Lavazza coffee and tea machine, full mini-bar service, iPod docking station, wide-screen TV and complimentary WiFi service. For most business travellers the make or break features that separate the good from the great business hotel are the bed and the bathroom and the Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara wins hands-down in both categories offering one of the most comfortable king-sized beds in the market and a spectacular, spacious bathroom with a separate shower cubicle featuring a rain shower as well as full size bath tub, top quality towels, robes, soaps and lotions and even a weighing scale so that health conscious executives can at least monitor the detrimental effects of corporate entertainment while on the road. Another thoughtful touch is the iron and ironing board in each room but these are likely to prove redundant as each guest can enjoy a daily complimentary laundry and pressing service courtesy of the Kasara concierge service.The exclusive Kasara Lounge offers breakfast, beverages and light snacks throughout the day, canapés and drinks in the evening, a private boardroom, as well as a quintessential concierge service for business needs, booking flights, limousines, excursions and entertainment. In addition to a welcome pack that includes local information on activities and experiences, each Kasara guest receives an hour every day with the Concierge, who acts as your unique personal assistant helping you to make the most out of your time and stay at Anantara by booking your preferred restaurant, coordinating your travel itinerary, tailoring shopping tours and organising parties and business meetings. The luxury meeting and banqueting facilities in the main hotel have been designed with the business community in mind, taking into account the needs of local and international businesses, to enable guests to combine work and after-hours relaxation. The facilities are second to none: designed with modern flair and elegance, comfortable meeting rooms, all equipped with the latest fully built-in AV facilities.But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and so the hotel offers a wide range of leisure and lifestyle facilities featuring five world class restaurants and lounges including the signature Pachaylen, the authentic Thai signature restaurant for lunch and dinner, and Impressions, a rooftop lounge and nightlife destination overlooking the Mangroves and Abu Dhabi skyline, while ‘Dine by Design’ offers private dining by candlelight on the pier surrounded by water and overlooking the mangroves.The Anantara Spa offers a traditional Turkish Hammam - overseen by a traditional Turkish ‘tellak’, six single rooms with private changing rooms, three deluxe double suites with private changing rooms, two private VIP Hammam scrub rooms, three Vichy Shower rooms and an LPG room for lipomassage and endermologie.For more active guests the workout room offers studio classes, weights and a cardio area which is accessible 24/7 for hotel guests and during the daytime the more energetic can take out a kayak and explore the lush mangrove reserve, or walk, jog and cycle along a promenade that borders the waterway all the way to central Abu Dhabi’s renowned Corniche area.Finally there is the centrepiece of the hotel, the freeform infinity-edge swimming pool, just steps away from the mangroves. By Roderick Thomson