Luxury Hotels in Abu Dhabi: An Honest Review of Where We Stay & How We Get Around
I have visited Abu Dhabi over fifteen times now. While Dubai tends to get the majority of the press, it has never really appealed to me. Abu Dhabi has always suited us much better, which is why we keep going back.
Over the course of these trips, we became absolute creatures of habit, staying at the exact same hotel more than ten times. Recently, however, we decided to branch out on a few visits. This is simply a log of the hotels we have actually stayed at, how we handle the logistics, and what worked out for us.
When booking, we look at flights to both Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Dubai (DXB). The pricing between the two destinations changes wildly depending on when you look. Because we adapt based entirely on cost, we don’t mind flying into Dubai if the maths makes sense. It takes about 90 minutes to drive between the two cities, and if choosing Dubai saves us €1,000 per person, it is a complete no-brainer. I usually track these price fluctuations and set up alerts using a few specific parameters in Google Flights.
Regardless of whether we fly direct to Abu Dhabi or land in Dubai, I always rent a car at the airport. Some people prefer relying entirely on taxis, but we prefer the total freedom of having our own wheels. Our routine revolves around going out for dinners and shopping hauls, and having a car simply makes that frictionless.
The Base: The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort
When we want a proper beach holiday, this is where we end up. Having stayed here more than ten times, I can say that while the property has a bit of age on it now, the rooms are still fabulous, the service remains outstanding, and the location—right on a massive, open stretch of natural white sand—just works. You can check their seasonal rates directly through Marriott Bonvoy or compare them on Booking.com.
For years, we came here as a couple and knew exactly what to expect. However, our recent transition to travelling with a little one was entirely seamless. We actually had no idea how much they catered to families until we turned up with a child; they have a proper kids’ club with structured activities, and we were even offered private swimming lessons on-site. It meant we didn’t have to compromise on the quality of the stay just because we had a toddler in tow.
Saadiyat is strictly low-rise, so it does not feel crowded, though the cultural footprint has grown significantly. The Louvre is just down the road, and the newer developments like the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum are nearby. When we go for a stroll, we usually head down to Mamsha Al Saadiyat, which is a beachfront promenade lined with cafés and restaurants right on the sand.
Our routine generally involves two specific places to eat here:
- Beirut Sur Mer: Located right on the Mamsha promenade. It does excellent, modern Lebanese food and has a great terrace on the beach. It is our favourite restaurant in the area.
- Buddha-Bar Beach: Situated right on-site at the St. Regis. We always rate the food and the evening atmosphere here when we want something a bit sharper.
The Value Alternative: Al Maryah Island
We are not fans of Abu Dhabi’s proper city centre, and we don’t stay there. On a normal visit where we just want to fly, flop, eat, and shop, we stay entirely between Saadiyat and Al Maryah Island.
During peak season, Saadiyat rates can become quite absurd, easily clearing €1,500 a night. Alternatively, if you are organising a short-notice trip, you might find the beach resorts are completely full. On those occasions, we used Al Maryah Island as our backup plan.
There are two great options here: The Rosewood and The Four Seasons. We have stayed at both at very low rates, which made last-minute trips exceptionally good value.
Let’s be entirely realistic about the catch: the pools at both hotels are small, city-style setups. You do not board an Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi to sit by the pool on Al Maryah Island. If that is what you want, stay elsewhere. But for everything else, the location works well.
Both properties connect directly into The Galleria mall via indoor walkways. It is highly convenient, as you can walk straight to the luxury wing or to proper restaurants like Zuma and Coya without having to step outside into the heat. Because it is essentially perpetual summer out here, that midday sun is no joke. When we aren’t hiding out in the air-conditioned walkways of the Galleria, I’m incredibly strict about sun protection. If you are sitting out by any of these decks, a serious UV mist or a dedicated hair SPF is an absolute must to keep your scalp and hair from getting completely fried by afternoon.
Packing Note: If you’re building your bag for the heat, you can check out my full breakdown of hot-weather skincare and Summer Essentials, including the exact Hair SPF Protection products I use to survive the Gulf sun.
However, you don’t even have to leave the hotels to find excellent food. At The Rosewood, we have two particular favourites that completely hold their own against the big-name mall restaurants outside:
- Dai Pai Dong: An exceptional Cantonese restaurant that specialises in brilliant dim sum and authentic roasted duck.
- Em Sherif Sea Café: A beautiful, bright Levantine spot right on the ground floor. It focuses heavily on fantastic Lebanese seafood, mezze, and grilled meats with an indoor/outdoor waterfront terrace.
Staying here does not mean sacrificing the sea. It takes under ten minutes to drive over to Saadiyat. While you cannot just turn up and crash the St. Regis, you can go to Soul Beach at Mamsha Al Saadiyat and rent sun loungers for the day. You can also look into day passes at the Saadiyat Beach Club.
While staying on this side of town, it is also well worth making the short drive over to the Mina Date Market (located right by the main port area, just minutes from Al Maryah and Saadiyat). It is an excellent, traditional spot to sample and buy high-quality dates, nuts, and local treats to pack away before heading home.
Moving Into the Desert: Anantara Qasr Al Sarab vs. Al Wathba
We have stayed at two desert properties. All the proper luxury options out here are managed by either Anantara or Marriott, which makes direct bookings straightforward.
Anantara Qasr Al Sarab
If you can actually manage to secure a slot, Qasr Al Sarab is legendary. It is located deep within the Liwa Desert—essentially the Empty Quarter—and the setting is completely epic with massive dunes. The property is beautiful. The main issue is that it is booked out most of the year. On a previous stay, we only managed to get two nights due to tight availability, though three nights is really the ideal sweet spot if you want to tuck into a book and properly switch off. You can check availability directly with Anantara or look for remaining room allocations on Booking.com.
Al Wathba Desert Resort
On our latest trip, we couldn’t get into Qasr Al Sarab at all, which is how we ended up discovering Al Wathba (A Luxury Collection Desert Resort). It is located only an hour outside the city centre, making it a much shorter journey. Rates can be found on Marriott Bonvoy or Booking.com.
Due to our status with Marriott Bonvoy, we were recently upgraded to a suite with a private plunge pool, which was phenomenal. The rooms are outstanding, the main pool is excellent, and the food options are both good quality and fair value. They also handle the small details well, like passing around complimentary pool treats. For families, the kids’ club here allowed our little one some respite from the heat, offering an hour or two a day of painting and water games while we had some quiet time. We will certainly return here.
One thing to be aware of: touristy “desert camps” are much better on paper than they are in reality. We went to one and found it wasn’t great at all—very commercial and crowded. Thankfully, we had a private driver with us, so we were able to simply leave early. If you want to see camels or do some dune bashing (which we only bother with about once every eight trips), just let the hotel organise it. They handle it in a much more civilised manner.
The Wildcard: Sir Bani Yas Island
Our most recent discovery was Sir Bani Yas Island, which sits quite far away from Abu Dhabi on the way down towards the Saudi Arabian border. It requires a drive and a short boat trip, and it was a complete surprise. We had half-expected a small, self-contained resort setup like the Maldives, but the island is a massive, proper nature reserve.
There are three distinct experiences here, all managed and bookable via Anantara or via Booking.com:
- Desert Islands Resort & Spa: This is the main hotel. It is a solid 4-star property and is absolutely fine, but it functions more as the central hub.
- Anantara Al Sahel: This is the safari precinct located in the interior grasslands.
- Anantara Al Yamm: This is the beachfront villa precinct located right on the sand and mangroves.
Yes, an actual safari. It is obviously not Africa, but we didn’t quite know what to expect and really enjoyed it. We did both a private drive and a walking version. The wildlife roams completely free through the interior. We stayed for two nights in an Al Sahel villa with its own private pool, and the experience was excellent.
We spent the other two nights at an Al Yamm beachfront villa, which was stunning. We were originally meant to spend all four nights at the beach, but there was an issue with the reservation system, so we accepted the split alternative instead. As it turned out, we loved moving between the two environments.
If you book this, there are two things we found essential:
- Book the Villas: If you stay at the Al Sahel or Al Yamm villas, you can use the facilities, pools, and restaurants of all three properties on the island. Guests staying at the standard Desert Islands hotel are not permitted to use the villa facilities.
- Pre-book Half-Board: Pre-booking half-board turned out to be excellent value. Furthermore, this was the first time a hotel really made an effort to get everything organised weeks before we arrived. Their app is excellent—we used it to book our spa slots, safaris, and activities well in advance, meaning we arrived with zero stress.
Anantara has an excellent selection of hotels in Abu Dhabi – you can have a good look on its website.
We will certainly be going back.
Car Hire for Abu Dhabi
If, as part of your amazing trip, you need to hire car. Look no further than Booking.com
Flight to Abu Dhabi
Now you’re excited to plan your journey. Here is a nother easy link for you to find the perfect flight with Expedia.com or Booking.com
Final Thoughts
That is essentially our entire playbook for Abu Dhabi. We have our routines, we know what works for us, and we have learned exactly how to navigate the flight and hotel availability shifts without wasting money. It is a destination that consistently delivers exactly what we want out of a holiday, and frankly, we can’t wait to head back for visit number sixteen.
Until the next time.
Mrs. O
PS. Don’t forget to pre book some excursions or tickets to the Mosque or The Louvre in Abu Dhabi in advance.
