Hotel Review: St Regis Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.

I’ve been very fortunate this year to enjoy two trips to Abu Dhabi and Dubai! I was invited to Abu Dhabi in January with the Visit Abu Dhabi tourism board, and then in May I was very kindly invited by Etihad to fly on their new A350 business class to Abu Dhabi and spend two nights in the city, where I stayed at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

Seeing as I spent five days there in January enjoying a very full and fun-packed itinerary, I decided to spend my two nights there this time just relaxing. The airline offered to put me up in a hotel close to the airport, but I had a lot of Marriott points to use up, so I decided to make the most of the trip and stay at the St Regis Saadiyat Island, which is a hotel I’ve been wanting to stay at for a long long time.

Ready for my bumper review of St Regis Saadiyat Island? Let’s go!

Early check-in and a room upgrade

I arrived at the luxurious resort early in the morning and was worried I wouldn’t be able to check-in to the hotel until the afternoon, but I needn’t have panicked. They were lovely and not only gave me instant access to my room, but they gave me a very nice upgrade!

I had booked the most basic room, and they upgraded me to a Premium Sea View room which, to be honest, felt more like a suite.

As soon as I stepped into the plush space I was in awe. I’ve stayed in so many luxury hotels over the years, but this one was really very special. The design of the room was my ideal design really – a combination of contemporary and traditional, practical but beautiful.

Premium Sea View Room at St Regis Saadiyat Island

I was very fortunate to have been given the largest of the Premium Sea View rooms, as it was 65m² (some are 55m²) and had a full seafront terrace instead of a balcony, giving me uninterrupted sea views from a terrace so large I could have comfortably fitted 10-15 friends on it!

I entered the room into a large hallway which had a stool and window that looked out onto the resort’s swimming pools. Turning to my left was the room itself, which included a desk and chair, a king size bed, a chaise longue and table, and then the usual things like wardrobe space (a lot of wardrobe and drawer space!) and a large TV.

There was also a generously proportioned bathroom with double vanity, humungous shower, and a large bath tub positioned infront of a picture window overlooking the Arabian Gulf.

Opening the sheer curtains in the bedroom, I discovered the terrace. It was breathtaking. The photo below really doesn’t do it justice, so make sure to watch my room tour at the end of this post to get a better idea of the size.

The terrace gave complete, uninterrupted views of the Arabian Gulf, and to the right-hand side I was able to see all across the St Regis Saadiyat Island resort and up towards the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi where I stayed in January.

After checking-in, I got showered and changed and went out to the mall for a mooch around and some lunch, and when I returned to the room I discovered the staff had very kindly left me a selection of treats and chocolates and dates from their chocolatier in the lobby!

They were absolutely delicious, and it was such a treat to enjoy them all to myself. I’m a Gold Marriott Bonvoy member and Marriott are very good at doing things like that whenever I stay at one of their hotels.

Enjoying Breakfast & Lunch at St Regis Saadiyat Island

My first evening in Abu Dhabi I actually got a taxi up to Dubai to spend the evening with my friend Nigel (who you have seen in all of my Dubai posts) where we enjoyed dinner at Tamoka at the Ritz-Carlton JBR, so the first time I actually dined at the St Regis Saadiyat Island, was the next morning at breakfast. I’d arrived back to my room at the St Regis around 11pm the night before, put on a face mask and ate more chocolate, and then had a lovely restful night of sleep and woke up in the morning to the sun peeking through the curtains!

Breakfast at Oléa Mediterranean

I strolled down to breakfast the next morning, and was honestly so impressed. The breakfast offering was unbelievable! I was thoroughly spoilt when I worked at Google in London and had a choice of 13 different types of bread each morning, and ever since then hotel breakfast buffets has been a little underwhelming. However, the breakfast at the St Regis surpassed all expectations!

I chose a seat right by the water fountain and went to check out the food offering.

They had everything you could ever think of for the ultimate breakfast! I had yoghurt and fruit, a slice of french toast and a pastry to fill my tummy and see me through until lunch.

Lunch at Buddha Bar St Regis

Talking of lunch, after spending the morning at the beach I got a liiiittle bit peckish. I really fancied sushi, so made my way up to Buddha Bar which is on the way back to the hotel’s swimming pools from the beach. It’s directly on the beach and you can choose whether to sit in the glamorous indoor seating area, or the more relaxed outdoor terrace.

I sat outside, and ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail (I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it, but it was delicious), and the Ceviche and California sushi rolls.

To be honest, although it was tasty, it was a very expensive lunch and I just didn’t think it was worth the price at all, but the non-alcoholic cocktail was 100% worth it.

The Beach & Pools at St Regis Saadiyat Island

I absolutely adored the pools at the St Regis Saadiyat Island! The beach was the same as every other beach on Saadiyat Island as all of the hotels (and Saadiyat Beach Club, too) share the same strip of sand, but the pools were really something else.

There are a total of four scattered within the grounds and gardens of the resort – one indoor and three outdoor.

There’s a family pool and an adults-only pool at the St Regis. The picturesque adults-only pool area unites cabanas and jacuzzis with a spectacular view of the Arabian Gulf. There’s a bar next to the pool where you can order cocktails and food, and plenty of shade should you want to keep out of the sun.

There’s also a lap pool should you wish to practice your swimming strokes rather than lazing around in the shallows and cooling down after sunbathing.

Then finally there’s a family pool which also has a separate children’s pool (so technically, there are actually five pools). Frankly, I think it’s a travesty that adults-only pools don’t have slides, waterfalls and a whole cave to explore, but there we go.

The family pool is large and overlooks the gulf, and I enjoyed an afternoon reading my book and swimming there when the adults-only pool was a bit too busy.

Final Thoughts on the St Regis Saadiyat Island

I really, really loved the St Regis Saadiyat Island. It’s a spectacular resort and one of the best I have stayed at. The service was absolute perfection, the food was sublime, and the hotel itself and the room was just beautiful. If you’re travelling to Abu Dhabi and are looking for a resort-style hotel, you absolutely have to book the St Regis Saadiyat Island!

Watch my room tour of the St Regis Saadiyat Island below!