The Best Resorts in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Dubai may have hogged the limelight in the region for years – but there’s competition on the spectacular-hotel front. Look no further than neighbouring Emirate Abu Dhabi, where bigger is definitely better, and glitz is good. Swimming pools are more like lakes, lobbies are futuristic “aquariums” of sea creatures made of hand-blown glass, and there are wonderful reinterpretations of classic Venice – one of the world’s original commercial hubs, back when Abu Dhabi was a desert. Where are the best places to stay? Read on to find out, and make that reservation.
1. Zaya Nurai Island
Villa
Abu Dhabi is all about pushing the luxury envelope, with bigger and shinier new hotels sprouting up perennially. But few resorts – old or new – come close to the pull of a private island. A 15-minute boat ride from the city centre, this sandy speck is an Eden of lush greenery in a mirror-like watery desert of blue. Split into little hamlets of the different accommodation options – from the boutique one-bedroom beach villas to the mansion-like five-bedroom Estate Villas (all immaculately stylish) – it truly feels like your own little world of tranquillity away from the city.
2. Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi
Suite Hotel, Hotel
If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for mistaking this hotel for an actual palace. After all, it’s got the sprawling landscaped grounds, kept glisteningly green by hundreds of sprinklers; the grandiose entrance, with a courtyard of fountains spurting 10 feet (3m) into the air; the domed main building and interiors liberally gilded in gold. You’ll certainly feel like royalty when you drop your bags in your room, with its wood-panelled, arch-shaped headboard, velvet-upholstered chaise longue and private balcony overlooking the sea, pool, or landscaped gardens. This place put Abu Dhabi on the luxury hotel map, and it’s easy to see why.
3. Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island
Hotel, Resort
Appearing out of the heat haze like a terracotta-roofed, Arabic-Roman mega villa, there’s certainly no risk of missing the turn-off for this hotel. It’s on Saadiyat Island, 20 minutes beyond the city centre – home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi (that’s right, the Emirates’ offshoot of the Paris original). It’s also bang in the middle of what is, arguably, the nicest stretch of beach in the area, with talc-white sands and playful turquoise waves. Inside, rooms riff on the Mediterranean-meets-Middle-East theme, with tiled, emerald-green feature walls, marble floors and glimmers of brushed gold.
5. Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas
Hotel
6. The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal
Hotel
7. Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort
Resort, Hotel
This award-winning place delivers on the wow-factor front: look no further than the lobby’s monumental installation of dangling “jellyfish” made of hand-blown glass. Then, there’s the White restaurant, a dazzling collage of snow-white tones, made brighter by natural light flooding in from the atrium space above. Unsurprisingly, rooms don’t disappoint on the design front either, with wall-mounted hand-woven baskets adding a warm, artisanal accent to the monochromatic palette of whites and taupes.
Stuck on what to do? Discover our guide on the must-visit attractions in Abu Dhabi.
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