Getting more than 1,500 visits a day comprising both residential and non-residential tourists, the ultra-luxury beach hideaway in Qatar is continuously widening the possibilities of tourist-engagement at the island resort.
Banana Island by Anantara, the sanctuary island setting in the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Doha, is all geared up to welcome guests from all over the region and Qatar with its exclusive fresh entertainment and wellness offers.
Offering natural exclusivity and extensive facilities for everyone with unlimited opportunities for relaxation and adventure, wellness and pure indulgence, the beach resort is considering bringing back the earlier banned jet-skiing besides the 3,000-metre high free diving helicopter trips for the upcoming winter season.     
Having its strongest clientele and business from Qatar, the island resort gets on average 200 non-residential guests coming for the outlets, culinary experiences, wellness and spa on weekdays.
Having an occupancy average of 80-85 percent, they get another 400-450 residential guests which add up to about more than 700 guests. On the boats that carry guests from Corniche to the island in a 25-minute ride, it gets about 1,500 guests and 700 employees every day, says Thomas Fehlbier, Cluster General Manager, Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara.
“We have a business mix of about 40 percent tourists coming from Qatar, 30 percent from Saudi Arabia and then, the rest of the GCC countries,” Fehlbier tells Community in an interview, about season preparations and upcoming activities.
“In line with our wellness experiences, people are actually seeking weeks of detoxing, anti-stressing burn-out programmes. Even in my circle of friends back in Germany there are people who after a busy year at work take a break and go up the mountains to refresh and then return to work,” says the Cluster General Manager.
At Banana Island, he claims, they can offer the same with much higher food quality at an ultra-luxury resort where people can have treatments in the morning and enjoy the white sand beach in the afternoon.
The children can go play in the extensive playgrounds and pool areas, and you can go for may be another treatment in the afternoon and then a good dinner and a healthy sleep in the extremely quiet and luxurious environment.
“It comes at pretty much the same price as going to a luxurious wellness farm somewhere in Europe,” says Fehlbier.
About their weight loss regime, he says they have programmes where many doctors are currently consulting local Qataris on several programmes at the Wellness Ballance Centre.
Recently, the resort launched the Thai Fish food or Dr. Fish therapies that are extremely popular. Among the latest launches were Zest chocolate café.
“We have one of the best pastry chefs in the resort and we can deliver very nice birthday cakes into the town,” says Fehlbier.
However, in the biggest news for the jet-skiing enthusiasts, the Cluster General Manager says they are considering a few jet skis back. The demand is great but the operators did not initially want to bring it back because people were just not respecting the limits and the rules and regulations.
“It was stopped for the time being but we will bring it back in a concept where we define the area that people can cruise in with the permission of the coast guard,” he explains.
They recently also launched sky diving. People would leave from the island on helicopter, going 3,000 metres high and then coming back to the island sky diving, taking some great pictures on their way.
Fehlbier says the resort is always offering a host of activities on water and sand. There is a recreation team that has a full schedule of sport activities starting from morning to afternoon from volleyball to football.
Having a surf pool, you can do sand castle building before attending the exclusive beach-closing ceremony with fires and torches and the lifeguard team singing and clapping and inviting the children to join in.
“There is tendency among the local people to get out there very early in the morning. So when I get up at 5:30am, the beach is already busy. We recognise that our guests have a different pattern so our outlets open early in the morning when the guests start arriving and our staff right at work,” says the General Manager.
The guests arrive early in the morning, he says, have their early breakfast and go to the over-water villas in the hot midday times and then the beach gets busy when the sun goes down and that is where most activities are focused.  
The 141 luxury guest rooms, suites and villas are designed in splendid Arabian style with signature Anantara touches including 54 Premier Sea View Rooms, 16 Deluxe Sea View Rooms, eight Sea View Suites, 18 Anantara Suites and 34 spacious Sea View Pool Villas featuring the tropical indulgence of a personal pool and poolside cabana.
Elegantly poised above turquoise waters, the eight two-bedroom Over Water Villas and trio of prestigious three-bedroom Anantara Over Water Villas offer 360 square metres of luxurious space and a 62 square metre personal pool.
It is ideal for families and groups of friends, revealing views of azure sea and unforgettable sunsets from a spacious private deck, says the manager.
Making the most of its stunning location and island features, the resort boasts its own marina with 30 berths and a fully equipped dive centre, ideal for beginners keen to gain their certification.
Endless water sport fun ranges from the relaxing pace of kayaking, pedalos and stand up paddle boarding, the thrills of wakeboarding, banana boat, triple tube and donut rides, water skiing and jet skiing, to fishing trips.
In the resort’s two-lane surf-pool, the waves can be controlled to suit different skill levels, making it easier to master surfing techniques more easily than out at sea.
“Those who prefer to refresh and relax can enjoy the resort’s private 800 metre long beach, energise with laps in the 100 metre long lagoon pool or watch their little ones play in the children’s pool which features its own water slides,” he adds.
The resort is only a 20-minute journey by luxury ferry from Al Shyoukh Terminal located in the city’s downtown area or a 10-minute copter ride directly from the airport with a bird’s eye view of the spectacular coastline.


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