Ramin Kouchekzadeh

Review of The St Regis Saadiyat Island R...

Really blown away by this hotel! Fits the bill if ...

Really blown away by this hotel! Fits the bill if you are a family with young children looking for some quality time at the beach.
Pool/ beach:
Excellent location on the beach. The surf can be rough at times, so not always suitable for swimming, but the excellent pool area with ample space and number of loungers/ cabanas was the perfect complement. Cabanas aren't readily available and need to be pre-booked, sometimes days in advance, but definitely worth the small effort! Poolside food top quality with prices to match. Be prepared to spend a small fortune on your snacks.
General areas:
Very well-kept grounds. Hotel surrounded by apartment complex that seems to be part of the resort. Lobby is true to the very high standards set by the top 5-star hotels in the UAE: classy, spacious, modern and relaxing.
Room:
We stayed in a premium sea view room with 2 queen beds. Phenomenal ocean view! And balcony also great. What was unique about this room compared to similar rooms at other resorts, was the sheer size of the bathroom, which stretched parallel to the length of the room. This meant his and hers sinks either side of the vast walk-in shower and also separate bathtub and toilet.
Food:
WOW! Chapter on it's own. The buffet restaurant is so good, there's no need to explore other places really. Breakfast is an exercise in opulent gluttony. Too much choice. At peak times though, it was rather busy and staff had to work very hard to keep up with all the guests. Also smoking in the outdoor seating area is not appreciated and very 1980's. Just ban it!
Kids club:
Slightly offbeat access: you need to walk all the way around the kids' club building to get in. Once inside there's plenty of fun activities. Also lots to do out on the beach with beach football. Since we were there over Halloween, there was some pretty advanced face painting going on and a helluva lot of candy on offer!