7 Abu Dhabi Hotels on Saadiyat, Ten Minutes From the Louvre

Abu Dhabi spent two decades building a cultural district on an island that was, until recently, mostly sand and nesting turtles. Saadiyat now has the Louvre Abu Dhabi under Jean Nouvel's perforated dome, a Guggenheim by Frank Gehry, a Zayed National Museum by Norman Foster and a natural history museum, all within a few hundred metres of each other on the same district.

It also has nine kilometres of beach on its northern shore, which is protected nesting habitat for hawksbill turtles and considerably better sand than anything in Dubai. The resorts sit on that beach, ten minutes from the museums.

Why Saadiyat is the answer for most trips

The combination is unusual. Almost nowhere puts a genuine cultural district and a protected natural beach within a ten-minute drive, and Abu Dhabi's version has the advantage of being uncrowded in a way Dubai never is.

The city island, twenty minutes south, is the alternative: the corniche, the Grand Mosque, the financial district on Al Maryah and the grand hotels. It suits a shorter trip weighted toward the mosque and the city, and it has a corniche beach rather than an ocean one.

The nine below are grouped by which island.

Saadiyat Island

The beach and the museums. Low-rise by regulation, protected shoreline, and the best sand in the Emirates.

Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort sits directly on the protected beach with the largest pool complex on the island, a good kids' club and turtle nesting on the sand in season. It is the most complete family resort in Abu Dhabi.

The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi occupies a long beachfront site with a golf course behind it, several restaurants and the most polished service on Saadiyat.

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Villas sits on the beach in a low, restrained building with a large pool, mature planting and the calmest atmosphere of the island resorts. It is the grown-up choice here.

Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas occupies a beachfront position with villas, a lagoon pool and the best value of the Saadiyat group by a clear margin.

The city island and the corniche

Twenty minutes south, with the mosque, the corniche and the towers.

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi is the enormous domed palace hotel at the western end of the corniche, with its own beach, a marina and a scale that has to be seen. It is the landmark hotel of the Emirates and it is worth a night on that basis alone.

Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island sits on Al Maryah island in the financial district with the largest rooms in the city, a rooftop pool and direct access to the best shopping in Abu Dhabi.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi occupies the neighbouring tower with a strong art collection, a very good spa and rooms looking across the water to the city.

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers sits at the western end of the corniche in a tower with an observation deck, a private beach and the widest sea views in the city.

The mangroves

Anantara Eastern Mangroves Abu Dhabi Hotel occupies a site on the eastern mangroves with kayaking straight from the property into the channels, a spa and a quiet position away from both the beach and the towers. It is the most unusual stay in Abu Dhabi.

What we have left off

The Yas Island hotels are excluded, and they sit beside the Formula One circuit, the theme parks and the waterpark. If the trip is built around those, book there. It has no beach worth the name and the museums are half an hour away.

What to do

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque takes a morning and is free. Go at opening or an hour before sunset, dress correctly, and allow time for the security queue. It is the most impressive building in the Gulf.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi deserves three hours rather than one. The dome and the way the light falls through it are the point as much as the collection.

Drive into the desert. The date-palm belt at Liwa and the Empty Quarter dunes are two hours south and are the real thing rather than a resort dune bash. Jebel Hafeet, near Al Ain, has the best road in the country.

Eat on the corniche and in the Lebanese and Iranian places off it, and take an abra across from the fish market.

Practical notes

Abu Dhabi's airport is 20 minutes from Saadiyat and 30 from the corniche. Dubai is 90 minutes by road, which makes a combined trip straightforward.

November to March is the season: warm, dry and pleasant. April, May and October are hot. June to September exceeds 45 degrees and life moves indoors, with rates falling accordingly.

Abu Dhabi is more conservative than Dubai in dress and licensing. Alcohol is served in hotels rather than widely.

Questions people actually ask

Abu Dhabi or Dubai?

Abu Dhabi for the mosque, the museums, the better beaches and considerably fewer people. Dubai for shopping, nightlife and scale. They are 90 minutes apart and pair well.

Is Saadiyat too far from the city?

Twenty minutes to the corniche and ten to the museums. It is the better base for most trips.

When do the turtles nest?

Hawksbills nest on the Saadiyat beach in the spring and early summer months, and the resorts run guided programmes. The nesting areas are roped off and should be left alone.

How many nights?

Three, four with a desert night at Liwa.

If you only book one

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