Jean-Claude Etter

Review of The St Regis Saadiyat Island R...

First the good: the St Regis Saadiyat is a very ni...

First the good: the St Regis Saadiyat is a very nice SPG property located on a huge beach, in yet not too developped Saadiyat Island. Staff at checkin was courteous and efficient. Our suite was spatious, in perfect condition, with a large living area, large terrasse, dining table, desk, guest bathroom, nice bedroom and large bathroom. The property itself has several restaurants which are reviewed separately. The beach is HUGE, deep and long, and we really enjoyed long walks. Property is about a 50 AED taxi ride from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and a bit less from the Corniche, so you are not missing out on "downtown" Abu Dhabi.

Now the not so good.
First, Saadiyat can be prone to fog in the winter. And when it is foggy, it is immensely foggy. Can't see anything out of your window foggy. Hotel can't do anything about it, but it's worth keeping in mind.

Then, there is construction on both sides of the St Regis complex. On the west side Construction of 2 complexes between the St Regis and the Park Hyatt is almost complete, but not particularily nice to look at. Construction of a "palace" with reclaimed land on the eastern side is much more problematic. It is very, very noisy. Spoil your fun at the beach and in your room noisy. It is not pleasant to look at, and it looks like it is going to continue for a while.

Another low light is breakfast. There is no exec lounge, so you are in for a breakfast experience with the broader crowd in the main buffet restaurant. While there is an adult only pool area (smallish and mostly in the shade unfortunately) and at the beach, there is no such thing at breakfast. If you cherish a mellow, relaxing breakfast, you will be disappointed, if not annoyed by your standard fare of raucous kids and careless parents. This is something actionable that the St Regis ought to do something about. There is already a huge kid's club, does everything have to be spoiled by kids ?

So kudos for several aspects, but room for improvement on a couple and a cautionary note for the coming year about nearby construction.