Jammu, March 15 -- Seeking a luxurious escape? Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi retreat is latest entry in the region's ultracompetitive hotel scene as an homage to the Greek island.

Getting to the Anantara SantoriniAbu DhabiRetreat fromDubaiinvolves driving about 40 minutes past natural gas fields, grazing gazelles and a navy base. Once you're inside the security gates, a cluster of white buildings rises up like it was transplanted from the Cyclades to the Arabian Peninsula. Noticeably missing, of course, are the blue-domed churches.

The seafront resort, which opened at the end of February, joins a massively competitive hotel market in theEmirates. There's the ultraluxury complex where Beyonce broke the internet (Atlantis the Royal), the f...