As part of aweekend in the Middle East, I spent a night at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island. The property, located 15 minutes from the center of the UAE capital, is one of two hotels on the island. So it was a pleasure to book a room for one night in this very elegant resort.

Booking

I made the reservation on the SPG website as usual. I have changed my reservation several times to acheaper rate over time.

In the end, the price with taxes is quite high, around AED700 per night including taxes.

A few days before my arrival, I used a Suite Night Award to make sure I had a nice suite with aclear view of the sea. After a few hours of waiting, this request was approved.

Arrival

I arrived at the hotel using Emirates Chauffeur Service. Very efficient, it can take you all over the country for free from Dubai airport, when you travel inBusiness or First class.

As soon as I enter, a baggage handler takes care of my luggage and I am directed to the reception.

As in any luxury hotel, check-in is done seated at the reception.

Although very pretty, the receptionist fumbles and, above all,speaks very loudly. I see the desire to recruit Western Expats to give a more luxurious image, but the sense of service is much moredeveloped in Asia.

True luxury is discretion. And there, the whole hotel knew my name and my room number… I may look old but I still hear well!

After so little delicacy and much slowness, the formalities were finished. A receptionist, much more discreet, came to accompany me to the room to show me around.

Room

TheOcean Suite is located on the 3rd floor of the hotel, where the reception is located.

From the entrance, the luminosity is very important and the view on the ocean is amazing.

The entrance leads toa small toilet for guests, then into the living room with a dining table, a desk and a very comfortable lounge area.

It has abay window that opens onto the large balcony facing the ocean.

This balcony is composed of a large deckchair as well as a table and two chairs that allow you to work outside and enjoy the sun.

The bedroom is smaller and the bed is extremely comfortable. A dressing table and two large closets are also available.

The bathroom is very large. A bathtub is in the center of the room, and two basins are on the right side.

On the left, the shower and toilet, separated from the main space by a glass door.

Finally, here is a virtual visit of the place:

Hotel facilities

Beach facilities

Since the hotel is a resort, the outdoor facilities are very important. The hotel has two completely separate pool areas: one for families, the other totally reserved for adults.

The latter is located near the main building, on the left.

A guard blocks access to families and single children.

Around the main pool there are about 40 comfortable deckchairs and umbrellas. Attentive service is provided, and call buttons are available at each table to call the server. Fresh water bottles and oshiboris are available free of charge.

A lunch service is also provided by the pool.

The beach service is much less good: I had to ask for my towel and my oshiboris.

Fitness room and spa

A gym and a spa are available at the hotel, not having had the time to test them, I was nevertheless able to see the fitness roomavailable in the hotel, already of good quality.

Restaurants

The catering in the hotel is very diverse.

Breakfast

For breakfast, the service is done in the main restaurant. Although it is elegant, the height of the ceiling is such that all the voices resonate, and the large presence of families accentuates the noise generated.

So I preferred to have breakfast outside in the quiet, despite the heat.

The buffet is very qualitative, but the zoo generated by the important affluence devoured the buffets which are slowly restocked. The service is not very attentive.

Dinner

For dinner, I opted for the Indian restaurant, Sontaya. Having initially made a reservation inside and near the fountains, I finally changed my mind to dine outsideand this, almost for the same reasons as for breakfast: the room was too noisy and frankly not adapted to the high standing that the establishment wishes to achieve.

On the other hand, the food and service were top notch. 20% discount on food for SPG members.

Departure

The departure formalities were a bit complicated. I got the same receptionist as when I arrived, you know, the one who was talking loudly.

So when it came time to describe what I had taken from the mini-bar, she made me repeat it several times and she repeated it several times as well, just so everyone could hear. I was hallucinating. And she, I don’t think she understood why I had suddenly closed up. Pathetic.

Conclusion

A very beautiful hotel, with a magnificent location and service. But the real luxury is discretion. And there, with this receptionist, it is really not won, it spoils the experience and remains the last image that we have of the hotel. Zero points.