St Regis Abu Dhabi vs. St Regis Saadiyat are some of the best Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the UAE. Saadiyat Beach is one of our favorite places in Abu Dhabi, and the St Regis is a beautiful hotel, but which is best?
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At the beach St Regis Saadiyat Hotel, you can enjoy an excellent pool and afternoons on the beach. The new St Regis on the Corniche is a city hotel and is more suitable for business but less ideal for a family holiday. The St Regis Saadiyat is a beautiful hotel and much more resort-style than the new St Regis on the Corniche in the Centre of Abu Dhabi.
St Regis Saadiyat Island is situated just up the same beach from the Park Hyatt. It is probably Starwood’s (and Marriott Bonvoy’s) most luxury property in Abu Dhabi, but is not far from Dubai and is worth considering if you are heading to Dubai with your family.
The advantage of the St Regis is its better pools and beach. It is far better for families than the city center hotel. There is both an adults-only pool for peace and quiet and a kids pool for fun and splashing, perfect for families. There is even a great pool for toddlers, with large parts of it ankle-to-knee deep. The decor is in creams with vast expanses of marble.
The rooms at St Regis Saadiyat Island are of a good size with a balcony. The building stares out across the pools and past the palm trees to the extensive white sand beach beyond. The long white private beach is an absolute highlight, with padded cabanas and loungers under umbrellas set up and a drinks service. It is as good a beach as any in the UAE and feels miles from the rest of the world.
This resort is relaxing and definitely very child-friendly and attracts lots of families. They have a kids club and a kids’ area set up for the Friday brunch in the restaurant. The Sandcastle club is great for kids up to about 10, with a fun pool area and excellent kids’ entertainers.
The St Regis Saadiyat is one of the best Marriott Bonvoy properties in UAE, with the exception of Al Maha, so if you are earning or redeeming these points, this is a great choice.
One thing to note is that this luxury St Regis Saadiyat Island costs 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night if you are redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points, which is 15,000 more than the St Regis Abu Dhabi, which comes in at 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. In our opinion, the cheaper St Regis Abu Dhabi offers sufficient levels of luxury and also has a very good pool area and beach, so for point redemption value, the more urban St Regis Abu Dhabi is the one to choose.
What about the St Regis Abu Dhabi?
St Regis Abu Dhabi is very tall and very grand with white pillars everywhere and incredible views. It is a great choice as long as you don’t mind being high up!
Located at the heart of the Abu Dhabi Corniche, the hotel is directly connected to Nation Galleria Mall. It is just minutes from Marina Mall and the sophisticated World Trade Center. It is also in the close vicinity of many of the embassies, oil and gas companies, and other business institutions in the city.
The grand lobby has two enormous marble staircases leading upwards, decked in gold carpet, and winding around towards each other underneath a collection of chandeliers. Whether this hotel is your style or not, I would describe it as a classic style. You will be impressed by the sheer indulgence of this hotel (pictured above). One thing to note is that the view from guest rooms can be quite urban, overlooking the city of Abu Dhabi. Bathrooms are a mass of white marble and mirrors, as you would expect, and are impressive.
Both of these St Regis hotels are located on a beautiful beach and have an impressive pool area, but the Saadiyat hotel has the better pool complex of the two. Your preference between the two may be based on the pools or style or simply might be decided by your feelings about heights and whether you like your hotel room to be high up or not.
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