A truly wild adventure, now with up to 30 per cent off…

As the guests of our last Lock In will attest, Sir Bani Yas Island makes for the sort of staycations that dreams are made of.

That’s no exaggeration, whilst it shares the same golden sands and cornflower blue coastlines as many other UAE desert islands, this particular member of the Abu Dhabi archipelago also has some very special guest inhabitants.

A really wild holiday

The Sir Bani Yas Royal Nature Reserve is a mesmeric menagerie of more than 14,000 Jurassic Park-tier exotic animals, including 30 different endangered species such as blackbuck antelope and Arabian oryx as well as giraffe, ostrich and cheetah. Guests can navigate the island’s wilds with safari experiences, nature walks, horse riding adventures and bike trails.

Making history

It also happens to be the origin lands of the Bani Yas tribe with 36 archeological sites (including the remains of a monastery constructed in 600 AD) on the island some of which date back to the Neolithic period. Another fun fact — those making their way to these shores are in good company, Sir Bani Yas was the favoured retreat of the late visionary and UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

And then there is the clutch of luxurious Anantara resorts, a trinity of modern facility-packed hotels with stunning views over this castaway idyll.

Setting sale

Which, finally, brings us to the point of this story, two of those properties — Desert Island Resort & Spa by Anantara and Anantara Al Sahel Villa Resorts, have just launched a massive flash sale, with the opportunity to save up to, an appropriately wild, 30 per cent on normal rates. The last 10 per cent is reserved for Discovery members, but pro tip: it’s free to sign up.

Those booking links are: anantara.com/al-sahel-sir-bani-yas and anantara.com/desert-islands-sir-bani-yas.

The sale is live now and will only be available until February 18. So get booking. Oh and all inclusive options are available.

Sir Bani Yas is located 8 km off the coast of Jebel Dhanna (two hours’ drive from downtown Abu Dhabi), accessible by complimentary water taxi. 

Images: Provided