PHOTOS: Banana Island – Deserted Beach to Island Resort

Anyone who’s taken an afternoon dhow cruise here has likely stopped by Banana Island, some 11km off Doha’s eastern coast, for a swim.

But the 120,000 square meter strip of land has been under construction since the middle of last year, being transformed from a simple umbrella-speckled beach to a “5 star island resort property.”

Banana Island Resort Village, as the project is called by developer UrbaCon General Contracting (UCC), will be filled with 11 luxury waterfront villas, 34 chalets, and a 72-room hotel, according to Hotelier Middle East.

UCC’s Glyn Thomas recently told Construction Week Qatar that they expect the resort to be completed this summer, and that “there will probably be some sort of soft opening between now and the end of the year,” although project completion dates are rarely reached on time in Qatar.

The project falls in line with Qatar’s recent efforts to boost tourism in the country.

What do you think – would you visit when it’s done?

Credit: Images via UrbaCon General Contracting UCC