As the very first hotel to open on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island 12 years ago, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas has had plenty of time to get things right.
With 306 rooms, suites and villas, the family-friendly escape offers a private beach, an array of swimming pools and a varied selection of places to dine and drink.
The National checked in to find out what it’s like to spend the night at this island getaway.
The welcome
One of the UAE’s most picturesque neighbourhoods makes for an effortlessly impressive arrival — swaying palm trees lead to a marble-clad entranceway that opens directly to views over a pristine shoreline backed by turquoise waters.
The decor is at once welcoming and understated, with an art exhibition featuring work by local artists adding a pop of colour to a predominantly gold, sand and brown palette. Check-in is warm and efficient, we’re given some handy information about the resort and a quick orientation before heading to our room where the luggage has already been delivered.
The neighbourhood
Saadiyat Island is known for its beautiful beaches, pristine waters and luxury resorts and Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi has prime location for making the most of it all.
It’s also within a 10-minute drive to Louvre Abu Dhabi if you want to enjoy some culture during your visit, and about the same to Jubail Island’s Mangrove Walk for anyone craving more immersion in nature.
The room
We’re staying in a huge Park Suite — 100 square metres to be precise. There’s a sweeping lounge with armchairs and a sofa, a dining area and a separate bedroom with a mammoth bed, mirrored walk-in wardrobe and a double bathroom with his-and-hers vanity sinks, a walk-in rain shower and a deep soaking stand-alone bathtub. The room has two large balconies — one overlooking the swimming pool and the other with a sea view — which are perfect for unwinding on or catching the sunset over the Arabian Gulf.
Contemporary decor is peppered with Arabian influences and despite the hotel having been open since 2011, nothing feels tired and it’s clear that a great deal of care goes into the property’s upkeep.
The service
Like most five-star hotels in the UAE, service is largely first-class. Butler staff are happy to make dinner reservations and even offer to collect us from our room to show us the way to the pool, spa or restaurants.
The breakfast service is the only place where things falter — we arrive when it's fairly busy and have to sit in the seating set up outside the restaurant, which makes it a long trek to the buffet, and staff also seem to get waylaid with our drinks orders.
The scene
With its shoreline views and pristine waters, the hotel is popular with both holidaymakers and locals, and is entirely family-friendly. There are four swimming pools, including one of the largest in Abu Dhabi overlooking the Arabian Sea where overwater-shaded loungers make it easy to go from sunbathing to soaking. There's also a generous-sized family pool, and on the 9km private beach, there's a host of water sports available, plus umbrellas and sunloungers serviced by helpful staff who bring cold towels and water to sunbathers.
A host of towering palm trees surround the pools, making it easy to feel as if you've escaped to somewhere tropical. And yet, as stunning as the hotel grounds are, there's a distinctly laid-back vibe and not a sniff of the pretentious posers that are often found around Instagrammable pools at hotels in the UAE.
The hotel also puts a strong focus on wellness, with daily activities such as yoga and meditation open to guests and the soothing Atarmia Spa offering an array of treatments and massages, which we can attest are worth experiencing. The spa also has its own lap pool.
Children are well looked after at Camp Hyatt, where there's an indoor playroom and outdoor playground, plus a daily schedule of supervised activities including sand art, face painting, yoga and more.
The food
Breakfast is served buffet style in The Cafe where there’s a good variety on offer including healthy options, plus a la carte dishes that can be ordered to the table. The Library is the place to go for afternoon coffee and delicious pastries and The Beach House offers Mediterranean eats. Boho-chic Shala Lounge was not quite open for the season during our visit. Instead, the highlight of our foodie experience is Mate — the hotel’s Argentinian-Lebanese restaurant which we’d go so far as to rank among one of the best in the UAE.
Rows of gaucho hats lined up outside the entrance hint that this place doesn’t take itself too seriously, an atmosphere that continues inside first in the vibrant upstairs bar, and downstairs in the main restaurant where funky wall prints, live music and a bustling open kitchen surrounding an open flame grill await.
While Argentinian food can often lean heavily towards meat, there is plenty to satisfy my pescatarian dietary requirements. We start with ember-cooked scallops (Dh135) served with seaweed chimichurri and burnt avocado accompanied by some of the best empanadas (Dh70) we’ve ever tasted — according to the chef they're derived from his grandmother’s recipe. Mains include meaty grilled king prawns with chives (Dh165) and a delicious hammour fish dish with chilli and cumin (Dh130) influenced by recipes in the gulf region. We're far too full for dessert, but do enjoy some after-dinner delights when we get our first taste of mate — the restaurant’s namesake. Our waiter explains that it’s a staple in Argentinian households, with families gathering together to share a cup of the grassy earthy liquid. As a first-timer, I’d say it’s a bit of an acquired taste, but wholly appreciate the opportunity to try something new.
Highs and lows
The size of the suites is impressive, and we love that there are two balconies to choose from depending on the time of day and what you want to see. As mentioned, dining at Mate is an absolute highlight.
The only low is that there’s a lack of sunloungers by the main pool when we first arrive. Several people seem to be holding two loungers — one of the overwater ones inside the pool, and another poolside spot which doesn’t seem fair when space is a premium.
The insider tip
Soul & Skin Wellness studio at the hotel offers a host of wellness activities including yoga on the beach, muay Thai, Pilates, barre, sound healing and more. Definitely worth visiting if you want to try something a bit different on your next getaway.
The verdict
With its 9km of powder-white shoreline and four palm-fringed swimming pools, this stalwart on Saadiyat continues to get things just right for couples, families or friends seeking a sun-soaked getaway in the UAE capital.
The bottom line
Stays from Dh1,050, including taxes; www.hyatt.com. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by noon.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel and reflects hotel standards during this time, services may change in the future.
