The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi
· private beach
1 / 8
10 minto the Louvre
25 minfrom the airport
15:00 / 12:00check-in and check-out
Private beachon site
In short
The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort is a full-service beach resort with 376 rooms and suites in Mediterranean-style buildings, and every room comes with 24-hour St. Regis butler service. It has five pools, a spa, seven restaurants and bars, and its own stretch of beach. The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is next door.
It stands at the western end of Saadiyat's resort beach, the closest of the five resorts to Mamsha Al Saadiyat and the Louvre. It is not all-inclusive: you pay for meals as you go or book half board. This is the St. Regis on Saadiyat Island, not The St. Regis Abu Dhabi on the Corniche in the city center.
Pros
- 24-hour St. Regis butler service for every room and suite
- Five pools: adults-only, family, an outdoor lap pool, a 25 m indoor lap pool and a children's pool with waterfalls
- Its own stretch of Saadiyat Beach, where hawksbill turtles nest in spring and summer
- Seven restaurants and bars, including Buddha-Bar Beach and The Manhattan Lounge
- Free kids' club for ages 1–12
- Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, an 18-hole course by Gary Player, next door
Cons
- Meals and drinks are charged at resort prices, and there is no all-inclusive option
- No evening entertainment beyond the bars
- Nothing within walking distance outside the resort, so you need a taxi for Mamsha, other hotels and shops
- The kids' club is for ages 1–12, and children under 4 must stay with an adult
Rooms
- 45 m²Roomview: garden, pool or golf course; sea view at extra cost
- 80 m²Sea-view suiteview: sea
There are 376 rooms and suites with views of the garden, the pools, the golf course or the sea. Every room has a balcony or terrace, and butler service comes with each one.
- Room: the entry category. The view sets the price, and a sea view costs more.
- Sea-view suite: a suite with a separate living room, facing the Arabian Gulf.
- Royal Suite: the largest suite, a duplex on the top two floors of the hotel.
Beach & pools
The resort has its own private stretch of Saadiyat Beach, a long white-sand shoreline backed by low dunes. Hawksbill turtles nest in the dunes from March to July, and dolphins are sometimes seen offshore. The water gets deep gradually.
There are five pools:
- an adults-only pool with cabanas and Jacuzzis
- a family pool
- an outdoor lap pool
- a 25 m indoor lap pool
- a children's pool with waterfalls at the Sandcastle Club
Non-guests can buy the resort's St. Regis Pool and Beach Pass, which covers the outdoor pools and the beach. The resort doesn't publish its price, so ask the resort directly.
Dining
There are seven restaurants and bars:
- Oléa: Mediterranean; the breakfast buffet is served here
- Sontaya: Southeast Asian, in pavilions over the water
- Buddha-Bar Beach: Asian fusion, on the sand
- Café Ginori Saadiyat Island: Italian, with afternoon tea
- Sophia Abu Dhabi: Mediterranean, with dishes from across the region
- The Manhattan Lounge: the cocktail bar, open from the afternoon until late
- Pool & Beach Bar: casual food and drinks by day
Half board and full board, sold through tour operators, cover meals at the Oléa buffet, and drinks are charged separately. At the other restaurants you order from the menu and pay as you go. The resort's dining page lists no weekly brunch; Café Ginori serves afternoon tea.
The resort's spa, The Spa at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, appears in older guides as Iridium Spa.
For kids
The Sandcastle Club is free for guests aged 1–12, and children under 4 must be accompanied by an adult. Outdoors it has a splash pool, and the indoor play area has toys, puzzles, table tennis and game consoles. Staff run a daily schedule of games and crafts.
The children's pool with waterfalls is part of the club. On the beach, the sea gets deep gradually, which suits small children.
Amenities
Private beach
Pool
Spa
Kids' club
Gym
Restaurants
Wi-Fi
Parking
Concierge
Getting there
From Abu Dhabi airport (AUH)
About 25 min by taxi, at roughly AED 80 (≈ $22). Uber and Careem also work in Abu Dhabi.
From Dubai
About 130 km, or 1 hr 15 min by car, and a taxi costs about AED 350 (≈ $95). On a budget, take bus E100 or E101 to Abu Dhabi for AED 25 (≈ $7) or Etihad Rail from AED 39 (≈ $11), then a taxi to the island.
Around the island
The resort is at the western end of the beach strip, the nearest of the five to the Cultural District. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is 10 min by taxi, and Mamsha Al Saadiyat is a short taxi ride.
