Finally the weather has changed into outdoor-perfection season!

While our friends in the Northern Hemisphere hunker down indoors for winter, here on the Tropic of Capricorn it’s poolside party time!

And the fabulous Anantara Eastern Mangroves Spa & Resort embraces the outdoor weather by launching their famous Thursday Poolside BBQ at their Pool Deck!

Starting a little after dusk, and going well into the night, the atmosphere is chill to the max.

Your seating arrangement on the terrace overlooks the canal and the natural mangroves, and in the distance you see the UAE capital city’s skyline – you’re close by the city, but a million miles away!

But it is after dark that the BBQ comes alive!

One expects the very best from Anantara Eastern Mangroves, and instantly you realize this is an exceptional evening!

The grilling stations are fantastic, but the Poolside BBQ offers a lot more, thanks to the five-star organization backing up the event.

All buffet stations are chilled and enclosed, with a no-touch policy – simply indicate your preference to the attendant and they will serve you.

Also, the open air is such a relief in these days of covid precautions!

Allow me to share a little glimpse of the food – after all, as enchanting as the ambiance is, we came to eat!

There is a lot more on offer than fire-grilled meats!

The good folk at Anantara Eastern Mangroves have really thought of everything – fresh seafood is a delight at an outdoor grill!

And at the the other end of the meal, the desserts are amazing, both in the variety of selection and the sheer yumminess on offer!

But the main event are the grilled delicacies!

Nothing beats the excitement of selecting your choice of meats and then seeing them charred to perfection over live heat.

Platters of different kinds of cuts…

…more seafood, even!

And I will add one last insight as to the marvels available to you at the poolside – see the quality of the cheese section!

And the sushi section…

And all of this crowns a truly delightful evening – every Thursday – at the Poolside Grill at Anantara Eastern Mangroves, Abu Dhabi, where you might as well spend the night and turn the evening into a staycation – just as we did.