The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi

As part of the St Regis luxury hotel chain, the Saadiyat Island Resort attracts a crowd with high standards. The hotel makes every effort to meet them, though, with thoughtful touches like ensuring every guest has iced water on arrival at the beach. The butler service is attentive and impressive: shoe shining, ironing, and packing are some of the services offered in an effort to make guests feel totally pampered. In general, though, this property does have a more relaxed and less stuffy feel than some of the other St. Regis hotels, and it’s family-friendly -- there are a kids' club, kiddy pool, and children’s menus in all of the restaurants. The architecture of the property has a Mediterranean look -- it’s an attractive cream stone building with a terra cotta roof, pillars, and large archways. Beautiful, bright blue pools are seen throughout the grounds; shaded by palm trees and lined with natural-colored cabanas and sun loungers, the stone pool decks are popular places for guests to gather. Other common spaces include the Drawing Room, with high ceilings, wood floors, and loads of natural light. Throughout the interiors, decor is modern and opulent; the lobby, in particular, with its dangling crystal chandelier and shimmering marble floors, turns heads. 

Located on the stunning Saadiyat Beach, the hotel has some great cultural attractions within a 10-minute drive, including the Guggenheim museum, Zayed National Museum, and Manarat Al Saadiyat Art and Exhibition center. It’s a 20-minute drive into the center of downtown Abu Dhabi, as well as to Yas Marina and Ferrari World. Abu Dhabi Airport is a 25-minute drive, and Dubai Airport is 90 minutes away. 

The large, modern guest rooms are decorated in light, neutral tones and accented with elegant yet beach-appropriate touches, such as nature-inspired textile prints, wood ceiling fans, serene abstract art, and woven baskets for storage. Rooms either overlook the greens of the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, or have a beach and sea view. Each room has a private balcony, flat-screen TV, iPod docking station, safe, minibar, and butler service. The bathrooms are huge, stylish, and extravagant -- each has an enormous walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead, freestanding bath, designer toiletries, and robes and slippers. 

Food at the hotel’s three restaurants is fairly expensive, but the quality is excellent. The options include a steakhouse, an Asian restaurant, and Mediterranean cuisine. The Olea restaurant breakfast buffet is not included in room rates, though is a good value, offering a delicious selection of hot and cold items. 24-hour room service is available, and the hotel also has a patisserie, and a lounge serving afternoon tea. If guests should ever tire of watching dolphins and turtles from the private beach, there are four outdoor swimming pools and one indoors. The pools are immaculate, and there are plenty of sun loungers, parasols, and cabanas available. The kids' club caters to those aged 12 and under, and there are a children's pool with cave and waterslide, a sand-pit, and organized indoor and outdoor activities. There are also tennis courts and an extensive spa, where guests can soak in mosaic tile hot tubs, or get treatments in Spa Suites with private pools and terraces. There are 13 meeting rooms and conference space for up to 3,000 people. Parking and Wi-Fi are free.