Whenever I’ve visited Dubai I’ve made the time to have a little trip to Abu Dhabi as well. Abu Dhabi is also in the UAE and is just one hour away from Dubai meaning it’s easy to do in a day. It’s also much quieter than it’s larger sibling so is nice to visit to have a break from the often overwhelming atmosphere of Dubai.
For my first visit to Abu Dhabi back in 2016 I visited Zaya Nurai private island, and was blown away by the beauty and peacefulness of it. More recently I visited Saadiyat Beach Club, which is a very similar concept resulting in visitors comparing the two and deciding whether to visit one or the other. After visiting both I figured I may as well tell you about the day passes for each of them and the differences and similarities, and which beach club day pass I personally preferred.
How to get to Saadiyat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat Beach Club is just an hour away from Dubai by car (around 250AED taxi fare), located in the luxury resort-style Saadiyat part of Abu Dhabi. It’s actually just across from where you need to get the boat to Zaya Nurai.
How to get to Zaya Nurai Island, Abu Dhabi
Zaya Nurai is an hour away from Dubai by car, but you then have to get a boat from Zaya Nurai’s Saadiyat boat terminal to the island itself. The boat journey is a very quick 10-minutes, and the cost is included in your day pass fee.
Food & drink experience
Saadiyat Beach Club has food available poolside (burgers, sushi, salads etc), as well as an indoor bar and an upscale Mediterranean restaurant. There’s also a lounge available for members. We enjoyed the poolside food and drinks, and a drink in the indoor bar at sunset, but the food didn’t impress me as much as Zaya Nurai.
Zaya Nurai has far more dining options with five restaurants and bars spread around the tiny island. We dined at Frangipani and were blown away by the high quality of the food! We shared a selection of delicious fresh salads and then each had the Surf & Turf with the most humongous King Prawn resting atop a thick slab of beef.
Beach and pool area
Saadiyat’s beach and pool area is all located compactly in one place. The large swimming pool overlooks the beach, with a path leading down to the sun-loungers on the sand, and the beautiful clear ocean. There are plenty of sun-loungers around the swimming pool as well, and large cabanas which are available for 1000AED on-top of the day pass fee. On the Saturday we visited Saadiyat felt very busy and crowded with people (lots of expats), but I’m not sure if it’s like this every weekend or not.
Zaya Nurai felt much quieter in comparison, and I think because there are various spots to relax around the island guests are more spread out instead of all clumped together. Zaya Nurai’s pool is smaller than Saadiyat’s, but just as beautiful, and their beaches are also stunning!
You might have seen Zaya Nurai’s ocean swing on Instagram (it’s MUCH harder to get onto it than it looks, haha), and as well as the swing they also have loads of other ‘Instagrammable’ objects to photograph and pose with. The Smokin’ Pineapple beach bar was a particular highlight!
Cost of Saadiyat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat Beach Club costs 375AED per person for a weekend day pass, and 250AED on weekdays (Ladies Day on Mondays is just 90AED for women, and a well-priced 150AED on Tuesdays which includes drinks).
Cost of Zaya Nurai Island, Abu Dhabi
Zaya Nurai Island costs 480AED per person for any day (which includes the boat transfers), BUT that is redeemable against food/drink and the spa, so it actually works out much cheaper than Saadiyat. Which leads me onto…
Value for money
Saadiyat Beach Club can very quickly become quite pricey. If you visit on a weekend you’ll pay 375AED just for the day pass, and then you need to pay for food and drink on top of that. The food and drink prices aren’t cheap, so you could easily spend upwards of 1000AED on both the entry fee and all food and drink throughout the day.
Zaya Nurai on the other hand, is incredibly cost effective. Although the day pass is pricier than Saadiyat at 480AED per person, it’s redeemable against all food, drink, and spa and activities. This means the day pass is essentially free as you’ll easily spend that much on food and drink throughout the day. We enjoyed an excellent meal and plenty of drinks through the day, and didn’t have to pay anything extra over the day pass fee.
My personal thoughts on Saadiyat vs Zaya Nurai
Overall, I think if you have to choose one to visit, choose Zaya Nurai. However if you’re a woman visiting on a Monday or Tuesday, Saadiyat is probably the best value for money due to the Ladies Day special offer. Saadiyat was really cool and the beach was really beautiful, but I just much prefer Zaya Nurai and think it’s more unique, more chilled out, and a better option if you want great food. But anyway, I hope that’s all useful and helps you make the best decision for what you’re looking for!
Catherine Lux is a veteran travel blogger by night and the Head of SEO at Havas Media Group by day. Originally from Surrey, she spent four years living in Australia (2007-2009, and 2016-2018), and now lives in London. An ex-party girl sometimes prone to relapses, she loves nothing more than sharing her fine dining and luxury travel experiences with her loyal readers.
