Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, developed by Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), has been voted one of the world’s greatest hotels by Conde Nast Traveller, as published in the magazine’s Gold List 2010 in the January issue.

As one of the world’s premier consumer travel magazines, Conde Nast Traveller compiles a Gold List of the world’s greatest hotels as voted for by the magazine’s editors and travel experts using six criteria: service, location, food, rooms, leisure facilities and ambience and design.

This year, 108 hotels from around the world made the list and Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara was the only one from the UAE to be chosen for the best location category and one of only three hotels in Africa, the Middle East and Indian Ocean.

This is the second accolade that Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara has received from the leading travel magazine. In April 2009, only six months after its opening, the five-star luxury resort was named one of the world’s hottest hotels in Conde Nast Traveller’s 2009 Hot List.

Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, located on Sir Bani Yas Island, just 250 km southwest of Abu Dhabi in the emirate’s Al Gharbia (Western Region), attracted more than 25,000 guests from around the world in its first year of operation. The island, originally the private retreat and royal nature reserve of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late founder and President of the UAE, reopened to the public in October 2008.

As the largest natural island in the UAE, spanning more than 87 sq km, Sir Bani Yas Island is a nature-based destination like no other. Home to several million trees and plants and a vast range of birds and marine life, the island also includes the Arabian Wildlife Park where there are around 23 species of free-roaming animals.

The Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara is the perfect hideaway for those seeking nature-based adventure combined with the ultimate in luxury and pampering. The island’s natural surroundings offer a beautiful backdrop for outdoor activities such as wildlife and nature drives, biking, hiking, kayaking, archery and snorkelling while the spa provides the ultimate in relaxation and luxury treatment options.