Abu Dhabi

This was my first ever vacation back to the Middle East after I had moved from U.A.E to Toronto. I was born in Abu Dhabi and have had some of my most amazing childhood memories there. So when we planned our vacation to Dubai for seven days, I was certain that I wanted to spend a couple nights in Abu Dhabi to re-visit some of my favourite places as a child. We booked our stay at the famous St. Regis Hotel located in the heart of Abu Dhabi overlook the beautiful corniche area.

The corniche area was always special to me as a child as we would go on long evening walks post dinner during the cool summer nights and have amazing beach days during the hot summer days. So the location was absolutely perfect for us as it was close to all the major tourist attractions like the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Presidential Palace and markets.

 

On our arrival, we were greeted by hotel staff and escorted to a very cozy reception area which looked almost like a living space with comfy couches and a fireplace… first of many reception areas I had seen. The lobby area on arrival is very impressive with grand ceilings, two curved staircases leading to an upstairs seating area, Moroccan style chandeliers and of course, a pianist. We were offered fresh dates and Arabic coffee on our arrival, which were absolutely delicious. The check – in process was smooth and in no time we were taken to our room.

We were booked for a grand deluxe suite. This suite was approx. 700sq ft, i.e. extremely spacious for two adults. The room also came with butler service, who you could call at any time of the day. The entrance was a long hallway lined with closets and that lead into the main area of the suite. The suite was split into two semi-private rooms; a large bedroom with a comfy king size bed, large screen TV and the other room was a living space with two comfy couches, a office desk and another large screen TV. The room was encircled with large floor to ceiling window which allowed for us to admire the most of the view of the ocean and city beyond. Along with the basic necessities, the room was also equipped with curtains that opened up electronically with the touch of a button.

We thought the room was gorgeous, until we walked into the ensuite. It is by the most beautiful hotel bathroom with the bathtub being the centre piece overlook stunning views of the Persian Gulf. I’ll leave it to the pictures below talk for them self.

Apart from the hotel poot, St. Regis also offers gusts access to the The Nation Riviera Beach Club which was located on the beach  accessible via a marble tunnel directly from the hotel. It offered the guests a variety of recreational activities from the temperature controlled swimming pool with a separate Jacuzzi area. We even had access to a private beach area fully equipped with comfy beach beds, covered cabanas along with beach boys offering complimentary waters and popsicles. There was even a Treasure Island Children’s Club for the little guests with organized activities to keep them entertained.

We had breakfast included with our stay. The hotel also has three on-site restaurants that offer a la carte lunch and dinner options. For breakfast, there was extensive and impressive spread of cold cuts, baked good, live station for eggs, waffles and pancakes. At night, we had dinner at the outdoor restaurant, The Terrace Restaurant by the pool while enjoying some shisha. The food was absolutely delicious and the ambience was even better. We were both fully satisfied with all our meals.

Our experience at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Hotel was nothing short of glorious! The gorgeous views from our hotel room, easy access to the beach, private butler service are few of the many reasons we would absolutely go back for in a hear beat.