St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, UAE United Arab Emirates Opened Nov,11
Jan 30, 2012, 2:02 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,021
Going to AUH for 5 days in march on hols and want a decent hotel to relax and enjoy the sun
So decent beach is essential + I like going to the gym so any info on that would be much appreciated
Prices of restaurants and bars would be great to have as well
thanks a lot RAPC^
So decent beach is essential + I like going to the gym so any info on that would be much appreciated
Prices of restaurants and bars would be great to have as well
thanks a lot RAPC^
Jan 30, 2012, 10:33 am
#17
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
55 and 5th is their signature restaurant. It is awesome. Pricey, yes. However, it really is nice. Went with a group and we all enjoyed taking our time and enjoying each course. Without wine/drinks you are probably looking at about 75 bucks or so a person. Very nice chef from South Carolina came out at the end and talked to the table about our meal and his life. As with most St. Regis properties (IME) overstaffed to a point where you are almost bothered by someone always being there, however that is minor.
Great restaurant.
Great restaurant.
Jan 30, 2012, 2:26 pm
#18
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Italy 90% - Rest of the World 10%
Programs: Marriott + Hilton. Fly BA and AZ
Posts: 2,912
55 and 5th is their signature restaurant. It is awesome. Pricey, yes. However, it really is nice. Went with a group and we all enjoyed taking our time and enjoying each course. Without wine/drinks you are probably looking at about 75 bucks or so a person. Very nice chef from South Carolina came out at the end and talked to the table about our meal and his life. As with most St. Regis properties (IME) overstaffed to a point where you are almost bothered by someone always being there, however that is minor.
Great restaurant.
Great restaurant.
Looking forward to it
If RAPC could get some photos that would be ace and our friend kennected alias cheap elite will aprove^^
Jan 31, 2012, 1:39 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,021
Feb 14, 2012, 10:51 am
#21
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,021
St. Regis Saadiyat Island trip report
First of all apologies for taking a few days to get this report up, but unfortunately work got in the way of writing this up.
We stayed at the St Regis Saadiyat Island at the weekend for two nights and overall we enjoyed it a lot, but there are still quite a lot of small things that need to be finished, scrubbed and finessed before it can be considered to be as good as it expects to be.
Pre-arrival
We booked a standard Superior room on points at 12,000 points per night as revenue rates are very high during the first few months whilst they go through a soft opening period. A couple of days before arrival I received an email from the Butler team asking if we had any requests or reservations that we wanted them to take care of prior to arrival. We booked in for afternoon tea on our last day and we had confirmation emails back shortly afterwards. It also appeared that the butler email coincided with our room reservation being upgraded in advance. Our room was showing as a St. Regis Suite and this was allocated to us at check-in.
Check-in
We had a rental car, so arrived at the reception where we were met and bags swiftly unloaded, with the car being valet parked. Valet parking is free. We were asked our name and were greeted at the door by one of the butlers and taken to be checked in at reception.
The check-in process was well staged. We were asked if we required a drink and were offered a cold towel. Personal details were checked and passport details taken as normal. A choice of amenities offered (points chosen) and some basic facts about the hotel were run through. We were informed that we had been upgraded to a suite, which he also confirmed would have a nice sea view. We were also told that as the hotel is still new, that the hotel wanted to know of any feedback or improvements that can be made. We were also asked if we would be fine to take a follow-up survey about our stay. We were also asked if we required a late check-out and a 4pm departure was organised with no fuss at all.
Once check-in was completed, one of the butlers was then on hand to show us to our room. We were asked if wanted to be taken on a brief tour of the hotel, which we did. We were shown around the main restaurants and pool areas as well as given some additional details about the property, before being taken to the room. All very helpful.
The room
We arrived at the 6th floor room and the basic features were explained to us by the butler. We were also offered a welcome tea or coffee which we accepted. There was a small welcome amenity which included some biscuits, chocolate and a glass of fruit smoothie.
The room itself was of a good size, with a small hallway leading you in to the living room. There was also a separate bedroom and a large bathroom. The bathroom is a strange long shape, with a large dressing area, twin sinks, toilet, shower and a large bath. There was access to the balcony via either the bedroom or the living room.
A few minor issues with regards to the room itself though. For example, the finish in the room wasn't up to standard. There were still paint stains in various parts of the bathroom and these needed cleaning up. Similarly, there were small areas of paint missing in places that should have been spotted. The finish of some of the tiling was also poor and needed touching up. The furniture layout didn't quite work with the plugs in the room. For example, my wife wanted to use her hair straighteners but there were no plugs in any of the areas near a mirror, so not the best planning from a practical perspective. Also they had put the work table in the living room in the wrong way around, so the main draw had to be opened on the opposite side to where you would be sat - surely an easy thing that they should have noticed.
The above are all very minor points, which hopefully will be addressed during the soft opening period. If they don't, then they will struggle to match up with expectations for the price they are wanting to charge for the property as everything needs to be up to the high standard they are aiming for.
The hotel facilities
The hotel is just one part of the larger complex which also includes the new villas and apartments that are being built as part of the projects. These are almost finished and are in the final stages of completion.
The hotel features a number of swimming pools, including an adults only pool and a pool for kids. Most of these are open, but the pool area nearest the soon to open Turquoiz restaurant is still being completed, although the loungers etc are already set-up.
As well as the pools, there is also the private beach area. They did have security checking that only guests were going down to the beach and it is actually quite a large beach area that they have at present. They have a number of sun loungers and umbrellas set-up already and they offer a drinks service. The drinks are the same prices as in the bars, so pretty reasonable prices and good service.
We didn't visit the The Iridium Spa whilst we were there, but they were doing opening discounts which took the prices down from 'expensive' to 'acceptable' in my opinion at least.
We did make use of the St Regis Athletic Club a couple of times during our stay. This is large and very well equipped, but it is a couple of minutes walk from the main building. The gymnasium has a wide range of cardio and weight machines as well as free weights. There is a 25 metre lap pool as well. When they fully open, there will also be a juice bar as well as spinning classes, gym classes etc. Overall it was an impressive facility, although very quiet indeed at the moment.
Restaurants
There are a number of restaurants and dining options at the hotel, with the signature restaurant being 55&5th, The Grill. We ate breakfast on both days at Olea, which is their main buffet style restaurant. Breakfast was a little pricey at around $40-$45, but it was extremely good and we thought it represented good value. Service was great on the first day, but very stretched on the second day as they seemed to have too many people trying to do everything, which then meant that they were falling behind on basic tasks like clearing tables, setting up new tables and greeting new guests. Hopefully this will be improved upon as the young staff gain experience.
We also had afternoon tea at The Drawing Room. This was quite busy and they have limited space, so it was good that we had made a reservation. We had the St Regis afternoon tea option and for $30, it was excellent. There was a nice array of sandwiches (fish paste, salmon, egg) and a great selection of cakes and macaroons along with pots of tea which were replenished. It was a great way to spend an hour or two at the end of our stay and we would definitely do it again.
Summary
We very much enjoyed our stay here. There are definitely a few small improvements to be made to the property as they really do need to sort out the rough edges in the rooms and some of the public spaces before it is all completely finished. Likewise service was generally exceptionally good as you would expect, but with so many new staff, many of whom seem inexperienced, there will be a few service kinks to sort out.
I would definitely stay here again as it makes for a relaxing resort with the benefit of being close to Abu Dhabi itself too. It's a bargain on points at 12k per night and I can imagine that it will go up a category this year or next year at the latest so get in there whilst you can.
Photos
I've posted some photos up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/1474549...7629316584725/ if anyone is interested to see more of the room, the beach and the hotel itself.
If anyone has any questions then do let me know.
We stayed at the St Regis Saadiyat Island at the weekend for two nights and overall we enjoyed it a lot, but there are still quite a lot of small things that need to be finished, scrubbed and finessed before it can be considered to be as good as it expects to be.
Pre-arrival
We booked a standard Superior room on points at 12,000 points per night as revenue rates are very high during the first few months whilst they go through a soft opening period. A couple of days before arrival I received an email from the Butler team asking if we had any requests or reservations that we wanted them to take care of prior to arrival. We booked in for afternoon tea on our last day and we had confirmation emails back shortly afterwards. It also appeared that the butler email coincided with our room reservation being upgraded in advance. Our room was showing as a St. Regis Suite and this was allocated to us at check-in.
Check-in
We had a rental car, so arrived at the reception where we were met and bags swiftly unloaded, with the car being valet parked. Valet parking is free. We were asked our name and were greeted at the door by one of the butlers and taken to be checked in at reception.
The check-in process was well staged. We were asked if we required a drink and were offered a cold towel. Personal details were checked and passport details taken as normal. A choice of amenities offered (points chosen) and some basic facts about the hotel were run through. We were informed that we had been upgraded to a suite, which he also confirmed would have a nice sea view. We were also told that as the hotel is still new, that the hotel wanted to know of any feedback or improvements that can be made. We were also asked if we would be fine to take a follow-up survey about our stay. We were also asked if we required a late check-out and a 4pm departure was organised with no fuss at all.
Once check-in was completed, one of the butlers was then on hand to show us to our room. We were asked if wanted to be taken on a brief tour of the hotel, which we did. We were shown around the main restaurants and pool areas as well as given some additional details about the property, before being taken to the room. All very helpful.
The room
We arrived at the 6th floor room and the basic features were explained to us by the butler. We were also offered a welcome tea or coffee which we accepted. There was a small welcome amenity which included some biscuits, chocolate and a glass of fruit smoothie.
The room itself was of a good size, with a small hallway leading you in to the living room. There was also a separate bedroom and a large bathroom. The bathroom is a strange long shape, with a large dressing area, twin sinks, toilet, shower and a large bath. There was access to the balcony via either the bedroom or the living room.
A few minor issues with regards to the room itself though. For example, the finish in the room wasn't up to standard. There were still paint stains in various parts of the bathroom and these needed cleaning up. Similarly, there were small areas of paint missing in places that should have been spotted. The finish of some of the tiling was also poor and needed touching up. The furniture layout didn't quite work with the plugs in the room. For example, my wife wanted to use her hair straighteners but there were no plugs in any of the areas near a mirror, so not the best planning from a practical perspective. Also they had put the work table in the living room in the wrong way around, so the main draw had to be opened on the opposite side to where you would be sat - surely an easy thing that they should have noticed.
The above are all very minor points, which hopefully will be addressed during the soft opening period. If they don't, then they will struggle to match up with expectations for the price they are wanting to charge for the property as everything needs to be up to the high standard they are aiming for.
The hotel facilities
The hotel is just one part of the larger complex which also includes the new villas and apartments that are being built as part of the projects. These are almost finished and are in the final stages of completion.
The hotel features a number of swimming pools, including an adults only pool and a pool for kids. Most of these are open, but the pool area nearest the soon to open Turquoiz restaurant is still being completed, although the loungers etc are already set-up.
As well as the pools, there is also the private beach area. They did have security checking that only guests were going down to the beach and it is actually quite a large beach area that they have at present. They have a number of sun loungers and umbrellas set-up already and they offer a drinks service. The drinks are the same prices as in the bars, so pretty reasonable prices and good service.
We didn't visit the The Iridium Spa whilst we were there, but they were doing opening discounts which took the prices down from 'expensive' to 'acceptable' in my opinion at least.
We did make use of the St Regis Athletic Club a couple of times during our stay. This is large and very well equipped, but it is a couple of minutes walk from the main building. The gymnasium has a wide range of cardio and weight machines as well as free weights. There is a 25 metre lap pool as well. When they fully open, there will also be a juice bar as well as spinning classes, gym classes etc. Overall it was an impressive facility, although very quiet indeed at the moment.
Restaurants
There are a number of restaurants and dining options at the hotel, with the signature restaurant being 55&5th, The Grill. We ate breakfast on both days at Olea, which is their main buffet style restaurant. Breakfast was a little pricey at around $40-$45, but it was extremely good and we thought it represented good value. Service was great on the first day, but very stretched on the second day as they seemed to have too many people trying to do everything, which then meant that they were falling behind on basic tasks like clearing tables, setting up new tables and greeting new guests. Hopefully this will be improved upon as the young staff gain experience.
We also had afternoon tea at The Drawing Room. This was quite busy and they have limited space, so it was good that we had made a reservation. We had the St Regis afternoon tea option and for $30, it was excellent. There was a nice array of sandwiches (fish paste, salmon, egg) and a great selection of cakes and macaroons along with pots of tea which were replenished. It was a great way to spend an hour or two at the end of our stay and we would definitely do it again.
Summary
We very much enjoyed our stay here. There are definitely a few small improvements to be made to the property as they really do need to sort out the rough edges in the rooms and some of the public spaces before it is all completely finished. Likewise service was generally exceptionally good as you would expect, but with so many new staff, many of whom seem inexperienced, there will be a few service kinks to sort out.
I would definitely stay here again as it makes for a relaxing resort with the benefit of being close to Abu Dhabi itself too. It's a bargain on points at 12k per night and I can imagine that it will go up a category this year or next year at the latest so get in there whilst you can.
Photos
I've posted some photos up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/1474549...7629316584725/ if anyone is interested to see more of the room, the beach and the hotel itself.
If anyone has any questions then do let me know.
Feb 14, 2012, 11:44 am
#22
Join Date: May 1999
Location: YEG
Posts: 1,578
Great report. Thanks.
I will be visiting Dubai next month. I'll try to spend the last night in Abu dhabi just to try this hotel.
I will be visiting Dubai next month. I'll try to spend the last night in Abu dhabi just to try this hotel.
Feb 14, 2012, 2:54 pm
#23
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: Euro Bonus Gold, BA Executive Club Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Gold
Posts: 12
Thanks a lot for the great report and the pictures! I'll be going there with the family on Sunday for a couple of days and it looks like a good place also for the kids.
Feb 14, 2012, 3:23 pm
#24
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,021
Definitely very child friendly. They have a kids club there as well, although I'm not 100% sure it is open yet. (May be worth contacting them in advance if you do want to make use of it) They even had a kids area set-up for the Friday brunch in the restaurant, which was rather discretely placed at the far side of the dining area, so barely noticeable.
Hopefully Green and KSA_USA, you'll both have good experiences there if you get to stay.
Hopefully Green and KSA_USA, you'll both have good experiences there if you get to stay.
Mar 17, 2012, 11:11 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Honolulu
Programs: UA 1K, SPG plat ambassador
Posts: 161
We stayed there last week and the breakfast is fantastic! Upgraded to what they called a St. Regis Suite, which was more like a Junior Suite with the Bedroom and Living Room in one large room with a nice ocean view. Bathroom and shower are huge. I also liked how seemingly all of the public areas in the hotel had great sight lines of the beach.
The Thai restaurant was very good as well, adjacent to the beach with nice views. My only gripe was Butler service only does complimentary coffee/tea at wake up and there is no self serve coffee/tea in the room. Thus, must pay for room service any other time of day.
Now as a new property they are still going through some growing pains, internet problems and the like. But they worked hard to solve any problems immediately and even took the time to network a router in my room to improve the wireless reception.
The spa is expensive of course, but very luxurious with a great staff and fantastic locker rooms with jacuzzi, steam, sauna, etc.
The Thai restaurant was very good as well, adjacent to the beach with nice views. My only gripe was Butler service only does complimentary coffee/tea at wake up and there is no self serve coffee/tea in the room. Thus, must pay for room service any other time of day.
Now as a new property they are still going through some growing pains, internet problems and the like. But they worked hard to solve any problems immediately and even took the time to network a router in my room to improve the wireless reception.
The spa is expensive of course, but very luxurious with a great staff and fantastic locker rooms with jacuzzi, steam, sauna, etc.
Mar 26, 2012, 10:47 am
#26
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Dubai
Programs: SPG Platinum, Skywards Gold
Posts: 123
Stopped in for the first time at the weekend, definitely not disappointed. Easily the best beach hotel in Abu Dhabi these days (not hard I know, especially now Emirates Palace has towers behind it) and a real jump in quality for Starwood in the UAE with the exception of Al Maha.
Will start with the positives.
Like dodger 1k I was in a St Regis Suite, more like an oversized room but very spacious and the bathroom is huge and luxurious. We were booked on the champagne brunch package (see their offers page, runs til September) and it's as good a spread as you'll get anywhere in the UAE, one to rival Dubai's best. Huge array of food types and live cooking stations and an excellent standard.
Surprised how kid friendly this was and just how many families were there. Aside from the kids entertainment at brunch, the Sandcastle club is great for kids up to about 10 (not much for teens) with fun pool area and excellent kids entertainers.
Extensive pool areas and again the family pools will be great for toddlers with huge parts of it ankle-to-knee deep.
There's a long white beach with cabanas and loungers, the adventurous could walk for miles along past the Park Hyatt. As good a beach as I've been on in the UAE, really feels miles from anything. Only slight downside is it gets a bit rocky as you get to the sea.
Outside of the positives, there are a few negatives:
- Check in/ out is 3 desks and took an age when we arrived and left, lots of people milling around but no coordination
- You get the odd whiff of sewage now and again. UAE veterans will recognise it as a common theme in local buildings where the often cut corners, would hope they get it sorted soon
- Despite 2 adults staying we only got one set of toileteries (not even a separate set for the bath and shower) and one dressing gown, quite basic stuff
Overall, a lovely property and will definitely be back. Reception said Tourqoiz will be open in May, looking forward to that as it will be an amazing place to chill with a cold one on the beach.
Will start with the positives.
Like dodger 1k I was in a St Regis Suite, more like an oversized room but very spacious and the bathroom is huge and luxurious. We were booked on the champagne brunch package (see their offers page, runs til September) and it's as good a spread as you'll get anywhere in the UAE, one to rival Dubai's best. Huge array of food types and live cooking stations and an excellent standard.
Surprised how kid friendly this was and just how many families were there. Aside from the kids entertainment at brunch, the Sandcastle club is great for kids up to about 10 (not much for teens) with fun pool area and excellent kids entertainers.
Extensive pool areas and again the family pools will be great for toddlers with huge parts of it ankle-to-knee deep.
There's a long white beach with cabanas and loungers, the adventurous could walk for miles along past the Park Hyatt. As good a beach as I've been on in the UAE, really feels miles from anything. Only slight downside is it gets a bit rocky as you get to the sea.
Outside of the positives, there are a few negatives:
- Check in/ out is 3 desks and took an age when we arrived and left, lots of people milling around but no coordination
- You get the odd whiff of sewage now and again. UAE veterans will recognise it as a common theme in local buildings where the often cut corners, would hope they get it sorted soon
- Despite 2 adults staying we only got one set of toileteries (not even a separate set for the bath and shower) and one dressing gown, quite basic stuff
Overall, a lovely property and will definitely be back. Reception said Tourqoiz will be open in May, looking forward to that as it will be an amazing place to chill with a cold one on the beach.
Mar 26, 2012, 1:07 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Here there everywhere
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, BA Silver, Aegean Gold, Aeroplan 25k, AA EXP
Posts: 2,827
I will post a full review later on, but having done a back-to-back stay here and at Grosvenor, we found the St Regis a step above service wise.
This property has it all: nice surroundings, great beach and pools, fantastic full breakfast and good platinum treatment.
Easily the best SPG property I have been to. This property will be an SPG favorite for the coming years to come.
This property has it all: nice surroundings, great beach and pools, fantastic full breakfast and good platinum treatment.
Easily the best SPG property I have been to. This property will be an SPG favorite for the coming years to come.
Mar 28, 2012, 2:57 am
#28
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Honolulu
Programs: UA 1K, SPG plat ambassador
Posts: 161
Stopped in for the first time at the weekend, definitely not disappointed. Easily the best beach hotel in Abu Dhabi these days (not hard I know, especially now Emirates Palace has towers behind it) and a real jump in quality for Starwood in the UAE with the exception of Al Maha.
Mar 28, 2012, 3:35 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
Wow these are very strong recommendations. I have a 2 night stay there this weekend and will report back. Looking forward to it.
Mar 28, 2012, 12:05 pm
#30
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,737