It’s a 10-minute boat ride to the island from the Corniche, and it offers plenty of activities for all. Once there, there is an expensive seafood restaurant, a swimming pool, private beach with shallow water for children, pony and camel rides, a cafeteria, a quad bike track, public restrooms, and even a mosque.

The ride from the city costs QR 15 for the round-trip (about $4), and the island is open from 9am until 9:30pm 7 days a week. We ate at the Seafood Market restaurant for lunch. They serve seafood dishes and grilled items. We had a pre-planned menu of steak, so I can’t comment on the seafood. The island was beautiful, and I’m sure that in the summer the water is very nice and warm (I was there in January and it was COLD). I would have loved to stay a couple hours and wander around, but we had to leave right after lunch.

There were a few families having lunch at the seafood place as well, and I saw a huge lobster being served. YUM! We had a brisk walk around, just taking in the view. At night, the city lights from the island are spectacular.

I've never seen water the color that it is at Palm Tree Island—it's almost turquoise.