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Mangrove magic

After the first one on the lips of Arabian Gulf on Sir Bani Yas Island and the second curving among the red dunes of Liwa, the third Anantara resort in the Abu Dhabi emirate has just been announced.

This time, it is moulded in the muddy mangrove forests on the edge of the capital. There will be, though, nothing muddy about the Eastern Mangroves Hotel and Spa, developed by Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

Just 20 minutes from the airport, along Cornish Al Qurum near Maqta Bridge, the new resort seem a lot better suited to business travellers rather than holidaymakers, but as TDIC explained, this is not going to be just another pretty hotel with a fancy swimming pool, it is going to be a much bigger project, with lagoons, marina, shops, cafes, promenades and even residential areas built around it.

“The delivery of the Eastern Mangroves resort in 2012 will add further value to the outstanding tourism offerings of Abu Dhabi,” said James Pringle, acting CEO of TDIC.

“We have chosen Anantara to operate this highly important project, as their brand is expanding very fast, and they are known in the industry for going that extra mile and beyond.”

A member of Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, Anantara is quite young in the family of luxurious hotels, only established in 2001 in Thailand. In Sanskrit the word means “endless” and it also evokes harmony, and harmony is what Anantara is about. All its 19 properties in Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives and the UAE have designs inspired by the local heritage and the nature surrounding each location. For the 20^th Anantara resort in the beautiful swamp of Abu Dhabi, the architectural style features Arabesque decorations, arches, mushrabiyas and timber trellises. The five-star Eastern Mangroves hotel and spa will have 224 rooms and suites, three themed restaurants, a rooftop lounge with views of the mangroves, a large infinity swimming pool with two smaller pools aside, a ballroom with capacity to accommodate up to 350 guests, state-of-the-art conference facilities and a luxury traditional spa also offering Arabic hamam bathing.

It may all sound pretty, but the entire Eastern Mangroves development has taken over 1.2 kilometres in the mangrove forests of Abu Dhabi. TDIC reassures, though, that it is all done in accordance with the local environmental law and for every mangrove cut there will be at least another one planted.

The Eastern Mangroves are the densest of the mangrove forests in Abu Dhabi, covering 8.5 square kilometres, and are home to more than 200 fish species and 50 bird species. Their protection is closely and regularly monitored by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, and TDIC has already planted 60,000 mangrove seedlings along the channel section, in front of the hotel development, in order to enhance and expand the natural mangrove stands.

Spreading over 18,242 square metres, the resort will be the first in the capital without beach access. Instead, as TDIC representatives explained, there will be watersports in the lagoon, especially canoeing through the mangroves and sailing. The spa, hamams and swimming pools may also keep guests “indoors” but the idea of this “resort” is to make it easier for visitors to explore Abu Dhabi and its surroundings.

“We had some feedback from guests who said Qasr Al Sarab and Desert Islands resorts are wonderful but a bit too far from the city, so with this resort people could easily go in and out of the city,” said Nancy Nusrally, area public relations manager for Anantara.

The hotel, set to open in January 2012, is also nearby Saadiyat Island where TDIC is building the capital’s Cultural District and Yas Island with its fun Ferrari Park.

The Eastern Mangroves project will also include 220 premium apartments, which will benefit from views over the mangroves, and will be equipped with private pools, gyms, Corniche facing terraces and car parking for residents. They are set for completion in the second quarter of 2012, the same as the Marina, which will host shops, restaurants and 30 berths for boats and yachts.

With sea, sand and swamp won over, all that remains for Anantara to conquer in Abu Dhabi emirate is the mountains, and many believe that a beautiful, small resort in the Jebel Hafeet of Al Ain may not be such a bad idea.

—silvia@khaleejtimes.com