Stephen Bailey inspects the best six hotels in Abu Dhabi, from Emirates Palace to Saadiyat Island beach resorts and a desert retreat.
This is where to stay this winter in a destination that combines beach, city, culture and family attractions.
Jump to:
- Emirates Palace – best overall hotel experience
- Saadiyat Island hotels – best beach and location
- Rosewood Abu Dhabi – recommended city hotel
- Al Wathba – a cool desert add on
Why Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi is a great winter destination for families, with a combination of beach resorts, child-specific attractions and local culture.
Saadiyat Island is best beach in the UAE, there are great theme parks on Yas Island, plus a new cultural district with the Louvre and Guggenheim among other museums. And there are good hotels.
Dubai is a dynamic and fast-paced city. Abu Dhabi is significantly smaller, quieter and calmer, with more of a family-orientated atmosphere. It’s much easier and faster to get around.
Abu Dhabi is more traditional too but it’s not the ultra-conservative backwater some people imagine. For example, Abu Dhabi has the only brewery in the UAE and you can freely buy alcohol from shops, without a license (unlike Dubai).
The capital of the UAE has long been in Dubai’s shadow. However, it’s rapidly growing in popularity, with a 50% increase in international visitors from 2022 to 2023.
Every hotel I inspected in Abu Dhabi was at over 90% occupancy! All hoteliers told me the same story – the demand is unprecedented and sophisticated travellers are now understanding what the Emirate has to offer.
Abu Dhabi Hotel Guide
Emirates Palace
Emirates Palace is the best overall hotel in Abu Dhabi. It’s the most exclusive and spacious, has the best overall facilities, and is also the most expensive.
This is a spacious beach resort. While simultaneously offering an opulent and original Emirati palace experience. This rare combination is why it’s so special.
Emirates Palace opened in 2005 as the third most expensive hotel ever constructed, anywhere. It was operated by Kempinski, with a formal feel and dress codes. The top floor has just six suites, still reserved exclusively for heads of state and not bookable by other guests.
Mandarin Oriental took over in 2020, renovating the two wings and transforming the palace into a beach resort.
It’s paradise for kids and will also appeal to couples, as it delivers an impressive palace experience, with great dining and tranquillity.
However, the location is further from Abu Dhabi’s attractions so it’s not the best for a busy itinerary. Emirates Palace is for people who plan to spend almost all their time at the resort.
Emirates Palace Rooms and Suites
The lobby and central part of the hotel look and feel like a palace, dominated by towering domes, shiny marble, thick carpets, glistening gold and Arabic design.
The central dome is a big tourist attraction and does get crowded. It felt weird to see hundreds of tourists taking selfies, while I was getting the elevator to my Palace Suite.
Suites in this part of the hotel preserve the original design. Although this Arabian palatial style is not to my taste, I did find it an interesting experience, very different to any other hotel.
The renovated wings have a much lighter, contemporary and Western design. This neutral style will appeal to most. There’s more privacy too, as you don’t ever need to go back past the lobby and main entrance.
Rooms feel more spacious than 55 square metres suggest, thanks to the high ceilings. Entry-level Deluxe Rooms can accommodate two adults plus two children, if one child shares the parents’ bed. For families there are good interconnecting room options for more space.
A downside compared to Saadiyat Island hotels is that only a few rooms and suites have full sea views. Most accommodations have balconies facing over the gardens to another part of the hotel, with a partial sea view.
Higher category suites and royal suites are enormous. I almost got lost in mine, with its different domes, lounge areas and closets.
Suites include access to the Mandarin Club which I definitely recommend. It’s a quieter place to have breakfast, complete with free-flowing Champagne and the signature gold-flaked omelette and honey.
Lounge access includes afternoon tea and two hours of free-flowing drinks each evening, plus exclusive access to the property’s best beach club. Guests staying in rooms can pay a daily supplement (currently US$300) for Mandarin Club access.
Emirates Palace Facilities
Most restaurants are located downstairs, only accessible to hotel guests or visitors with a reservation, not selfie-snapping tourists.
I dined at Broadway, a brasserie-style pub with fantastic steak. The Moroccan Terrace was a good experience too. There are two Michelin-starred restaurants – Italian Talea and Cantonese Hakkasan – plus some casual eateries which give this part of the hotel a lively feel.
Importantly, outside guests can only access the palace grounds by paying an exorbitant day pass, which isn’t popular.
It means the private grounds and 1.4-kilometre private beach feel quiet. There are so many different places to relax and it would take most guests two or three days to see everywhere in this 70-acre property.
The beach feels as wide as it is long, with different serviced areas of sun beds. There’s an inflatable aqua park out at sea, plus complimentary use of kayaks and paddle boards. It’s a shallow, gentle sloping sea where you can swim. Still, it’s not a wow beach with open sea views and bright turquoise waters like Saadiyat Island.
Around the Oriental wing there are gardens, a large swimming pool area, different sports facilities and the Mandarin Club lounge. This is the better wing for couples to stay.
Children’s facilities stretch around the Mandarin wing, including a mini water park with lazy river, play park, vast shallow swimming pools, football pitch and three camels to ride. This is naturally the better wing for families to stay.
Then there’s the greatest kids club I’ve ever experienced with my three-year-old, their new Kids Palace. It stretches over different floors, with various age-specific rooms and structured activities. There’s even a space for parents to work and be close to their kids.
Like other hotels I inspected in Abu Dhabi, children of any age can use the kids club, but only children aged four and over can stay without their parents.
On this wing there’s also a gym and a spa, although these were a little disappointing in comparison to everything else.
Saadiyat Island
Saadiyat is the only natural island in the UAE. The beach is simply amazing, nine kilometres of turquoise waters and white sand – natural sand, not imported!
It’s a completely different feeling to the beaches of Dubai, because it really feel like you’re in nature. Dolphins are often spotted and no motorised boats are permitted in this protected area.
Hoteliers like to make comparisons between Saadiyat Island and the Maldives. The waters are comparable and the natural white-sand beach is much longer. However, the resorts are far bigger and don’t have the privacy of the Maldives.
Abu Dhabi’s new cultural district is at one end of the beach and the Louvre has already opened here. By next winter the Guggenheim, TeamLabs, and a new national museum should be open too.
Yas Island is about 20 minutes by road from Saadiyat. It’s home to Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World, and Seaworld.
Families can spend a week at a beach resort, with convenient access to theme parks, art museums and cultural attractions.
Saadiyat Island Hotels
Each of the four best Saadiyat Island resorts has similar advantages and disadvantages. They are all located on the beach and most rooms offer great sea views.
These are all large resorts with 300 – 400 rooms, which do lack some sense of intimacy and personal touch.
Don’t stay here for stunning accommodations. Rooms and suites are a similar size across these four resorts, varying instead by design style. All have excellent interconnecting room options.
Except for Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, the best option for most families will be a family suite. This is a one-bedroom suite connecting with a standard room, comfortably accommodating two adults plus two children.
All have good facilities for families but the standout attraction for them all is the same – the beautiful beach!
Jumeirah Saadiyat Island
This classic beach resort is located closest to the sea. It’s an easy beach holiday I would only recommend for families.
Stunning sea views are the main highlight, from the lobby, most rooms and suites, and almost everywhere else in the resort.
I recommend requesting a room or suite on the fifth or sixth floor, as these have the best views.
It’s a spectacular beach for swimming and walking, with sun beds stretching along the sand. The new and exclusive beach club Sal is actually located just off the beach, around a circular pool. It’s for adults only and has the best dining I experienced on Saadiyat Island.
The resort has a contemporary feel and some areas are very pretty, like the main lobby and restaurant Sal. However, the materials don’t feel super luxurious.
You have classic facilities for an easy family holiday, like a kids club, kids pool, family pool, adults-only pool, spa, gym. However, everywhere did feel busy and crowded. I wouldn’t come here if you’re seeking a tranquil holiday.
The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort
St Regis Saadiyat Island is more like a village than a resort. It’s huge, with almost 400 accommodations in a beachfront resort, large sections of private residences that extend inland, plus facilities shared by both areas.
These facilities include a fantastic two-floor gym, the best spa of all Abu Dhabi hotels I visited, a supermarket, an alcohol shop for guests, and a village square with an Italian restaurant and cafe.
Other hotel facilities are reserved for hotel guests, including different pools, restaurants and sports facilities. Buddha Beach Bar was my favourite.
Another highlight is breakfast, which is served until 1pm. This spaces people out so the breakfast area feels calmer (around midday was peak time for families!)
Definitely get a room on a higher floor, to be a little removed from the resort bustle and have better views.
Although it’s the oldest of the top Saadiyat Island hotels, the construction is high quality and the property has been very well maintained. However, it looks like a beach resort built 20 years ago and this style will feel old fashioned to some.
New villas are currently being built and I could see, but not hear, this construction. When complete they will be a great addition to the resort, although there is no indication of when this will be.
Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island
Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island really surprised me. I had low expectations, as it’s an all-inclusive concept which isn’t my style. A stay including meals, drinks and activities.
The contemporary Arabic style is really well done. You don’t feel like you’re in a resort that could be anywhere, it feels like Abu Dhabi which is an important point for me.
There are more facilities than Jumeirah and Park Hyatt for a similar number of guests, which helps the resort feel more spacious.
Facilities for families are superb, the best of the Saadiyat Island properties. They include a wave pool for kids, mini water park, kids club and teens club that stay open long into the evening. There’s an excellent gym with five classes per day and an outdoor area. Plus a fresh juice spa next to the gym.
Dining is mostly done in one large buffet restaurant which serves many different cuisines. It is crowded and the quality can be hit and miss.
There are four a la carte restaurants as well. For a one week stay you are guaranteed one reservation in each, potentially more depending on availability (a la carte meals are also included as part of the all inclusive concept). Lunch can be taken at the pool bar as well.
Service around the pool is done by waiters on roller skates, which helps summarise the fun and youthful atmosphere around the resort.
One disadvantage is that the hotel is set further back from the beach and only a few rooms and suites have a sea view. Most face across interior courtyards.
It does mean the beach is wider, wilder and even more impressive. Grass spurts from the sand and it really feels like a nature reserve.
I liked the ground floor rooms which share a pool with another five or six rooms.Rixos Premium has 12 villas too, four of which are located on the beach with others sharing a pool.
These 12 villas also have their own club bar and restaurant, but they are positioned very close to each other and do not afford complete privacy.
Rosewood Abu Dhabi
Rosewood Abu Dhabi is primarily a business hotel. However, the central location plus the art and stylish design make it a decent option for couples.
It’s not located on the beach. Instead, the hotel tower is next to Galleria Mall and Abu Dhabi’s main business centre. From here there’s easy access to Saadiyat Island, Yas Island or anywhere in downtown.
If you’re visiting Abu Dhabi to check out the cultural attractions and city, then this is prime. Obviously, it’s not number one if you want a beach holiday and it’s not a hotel designed with families in mind.
I loved the art around the hotel, hundreds of unique pieces adorning corridors, lobbies, elevators and almost any wall space. It’s like a gallery of contemporary Arabic art and this is the key component of Rosewood’s sense of place.
There are fantastic places to hang out on ground level or below the ground. Like a hidden bar, a cool speakeasy bar, a brilliant wine cellar and an impressive Chinese restaurant.
Other lounge areas are spread across the hotel and provide nice views over the water and Abu Dhabi. As with any Rosewood hotel I’ve visited, the spa is very cool, calm and inviting. There’s an outdoor pool to spend a morning or afternoon, but it’s not a pool to spend your holiday around.
Views are a highlight of the rooms. It’s a tower in the heart of Abu Dhabi, overlooking the water and the cityscape. However, rooms and suites feel very business orientated, with a proper desk and chair for working.
I could feel this is a Rosewood and it’s all very stylishly done, notably the bathrooms. I just can’t imagine using this hotel if you want a very relaxing holiday and lots of time lounging around your room. You’d stay here if you have a busy itinerary, exploring the city and beyond.
Al Wathba, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa
Al Wathba is a charming desert retreat located one hour by road from Abu Dhabi, or 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi airport. Don’t compare it to going to the desert in Namibia.
Al Wathba is a mini desert, a desert experience for beginners
You don’t have massive sand dunes nor a sense of wilderness or remote feeling, but it’s so easy to get here and do activities. Such as horseback rides in the desert, camel riding, or taking desert buggies into the dunes.
Falconry demonstrations are a must and you can dine privately in the dunes. I loved drinking tea in a traditional bedouin tent while watching the sunset. The sprawling desert pool is really nice too, even with a flow rider for kids.
Al Wathba is made in a classical Arabian style, pretty much what you’d expect a desert retreat to look like in the UAE, with muted colours and understated furnishings.
The restaurant doesn’t look like anything spectacular but the food was really good during my visit and there’s enough variety for a two or three day stay.
Entry-level accommodations are small and don’t have views. Going to the desert is all about the feeling of space so I wouldn’t recommend these rooms.
For couples I recommend a one-bedroom suite with pool. Families can go for a two-bedroom suite, either with or without the pool.
Overall Al Wathba can be great for families, especially those with young kids, who can enjoy a desert experience without getting covered in sand or going too far from civilisation.
It’s also for couples who have never been to a desert and don’t want to spend all their holiday at the beach. This will be a better change of scenery than combining two Abu Dhabi beach resorts.
I wouldn’t recommend only staying here for your holidays though. Al Wathba is a nice add on to a stay at any of the other Abu Dhabi. Two nights is a minimum, I wouldn’t recommend more than three.
Your Abu Dhabi Holiday
Direct flights between Prague and Abu Dhabi will commence in June 2025. It’s certain to become a much more popular destination by next winter. Attractions like the Guggenheim on Saadiyat Island should have opened by then too.
Before that, remember that Abu Dhabi is less than two hours from Dubai International Airport.
Will you try Abu Dhabi this winter?
