Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island

An all inclusive hotel Went for my special birthday 4 adults and 2 children 6 & 9 and was not disappointed, the Hotel is beautiful offering everything that was promised and more, all the staff we’re so attentive, bedroom was clean, had fridge with free soft drink, water and nibbles Food was excellent throughout, you need to book into the bootable restaurants as soon as you arrive, as well worth a visit also worth paying extra for the Teppanyaki experience around £60 pp The main pool did get busy but always managed to get a sunbed with umbrella, there was also a children’s pool, wave pool and a beach with beautiful relaxing bar, great in the evening watching the sunset. All the staff were fantastic , a special mention to Husanboy in the restaurant always smiling and so attentive 😊 The hotel in a great location as loads to see and do in Abu Dhabi, we definitely be visiting this hotel again soon Read less

We recently stayed at Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island and, unfortunately, came away disappointed with the overall experience. This was our third Rixos holiday, having previously stayed at Rixos Premium Tekirova and Rixos Sungate, so we booked Saadiyat Island with very high expectations based on our previous experiences with the brand. Firstly, the positives. The hotel itself is beautiful, the beach and surroundings are stunning, and there are some fantastic members of staff who work extremely hard. However, for the price we paid and for a hotel carrying the Rixos Premium name, there were too many issues that affected our stay. Construction Work One of our biggest frustrations was the amount of construction work taking place around the hotel during our stay. We were not made aware of this before arriving, which was extremely disappointing. When booking a luxury five-star resort, particularly at this price point, I believe guests should be informed beforehand if significant building or construction work is taking place. Had we known the extent of it before travelling, it may have influenced our decision to book. Food & Restaurants The main buffet generally offered good-quality food, although during a longer stay it became quite repetitive. The à la carte restaurant system was another disappointment. Reservations could be difficult to get, and when we did manage to visit the restaurants, we felt the menus were surprisingly restricted for a premium all-inclusive resort. We also expected much better availability of food throughout the day. One particular incident really disappointed us. Our daughter became very hot and dizzy and wanted to go back to the room to rest. We asked if we could simply take a burger and chips from the Aqua Bar back to the room for her and were told that we couldn’t. For a five-star, family-focused all-inclusive resort, we found this unnecessarily inflexible. We weren’t asking for room service or anything special — simply to take some food we were already entitled to back to our unwell child. Housekeeping & Minibar Housekeeping was inconsistent during our stay. We had to make repeated requests regarding the minibar and cleanliness, including bird mess around our patio area. These might sound like relatively small things individually, but at a premium five-star resort you shouldn’t have to repeatedly chase basic housekeeping standards. Pool & Family Facilities There were also issues around getting pool loungers, and we were surprised that children weren’t permitted in the swim-up pool, which limited the areas we could enjoy together as a family. We were also disappointed with the Rixy Kids Club. Compared with what we expected from a Rixos Premium family resort, it felt surprisingly small and basic. Conversations With Returning Guests What was particularly interesting was speaking to other guests during our stay who had visited Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island previously. Several returning guests told us that, in their opinion, the hotel had gone downhill compared with their previous visits. Obviously everyone has their own experience and expectations, but hearing similar comments from people who had stayed there before reinforced some of the concerns we already had ourselves. Overall There is still a lot to like about Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island. It’s in a beautiful location, the beach is fantastic and many of the staff deserve recognition for how hard they work. However, our disappointment comes from knowing how good Rixos can be. After our previous experiences at Rixos Premium Tekirova and Rixos Sungate, we expected Saadiyat Island to be another level again. Instead, it was unfortunately the weakest Rixos experience we’ve had. Between the construction work we weren’t informed about, difficulty with restaurants, inconsistent housekeeping, restricted family facilities and the overall level of service compared with our previous Rixos holidays, we simply didn’t feel that the experience matched the Rixos Premium name or the premium price. Sadly, based on this stay, we wouldn’t rush back to Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island unless there were significant improvements Read less

I had an absolutely wonderful experience at Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island. From the beautiful surroundings and luxurious atmosphere to the warm hospitality and excellent service, every detail made my stay truly memorable. A special mention to Chef Babita, whose pastry creations were simply outstanding. The desserts were not only beautifully presented but also incredibly delicious, with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. You can truly taste the passion and creativity in every bite. I seriously never had such delicious french pastries the one I had here , so the desserts were definitely one of the highlights of my experience! Thank you to the entire team for making my stay so enjoyable and special. Exceptional hospitality, beautiful ambience, and amazing desserts — I highly recommend Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island and can’t wait to return! ❤️✨ Read less

We stayed at this hotel four years ago at the back end of covid and despite at the time having to wear masks in parts of the hotel our stay was incredible, hence we returned this year. Unfortunately our stay this year didn't live up to our previous experience. The hotel is immaculate, the decor is beautiful and the staff on the whole are amazing. Really kind and attentive. Our room was brilliant, but I think we genuinely had the best room there is because it had the best view (5205), it was a one bedroom suite which was really spacious with two bathrooms. Our children, aged 10 and 7, stayed on a sofa bed and a fold out bed and they were happy and comfortable. Our bed wasn't very comfortable however and I really struggled to sleep. The air con was very good though and adjusted quickly. Body wash, shampoo and conditioner is provided (it's posh it's Choppard). Also provided in the room is; a hairdryer, slippers, dressing gowns, toothbrushes, razors, cotton face pads, cotton buds, bobbles, a mini fridge fully stocked and included in the all inclusive. The last time we stayed here the food at the buffet was the highlight for us and the savoury selection is very good (the sushi was amazing) although if you are a vegetarian, like we are, then please be aware that the tongs for food are cross contaminated constantly with meat and the vegetarian options. The deserts however were absolutely rubbish. Every single night they had the exact same semolina puddings with various toppings - they were horrible. The rest of the deserts were, in the majority, coffee and constantly the same....They also constantly had the wrong labels on the deserts so you never knew what you were actually getting, a biscoff cake turned out to be peanut cake which I absolutely hate and made me feel so ill - good luck if you have a nut allergy. I would like to mention a few members of staff though who went above and beyond for us at the buffet, Miggy and Angelyn, they were both super attentive, always smiling and genuinely couldn't do enough for us. Thank you so much. Unfortunately the sunbed situation around the pool is poor. We found out people were paying the staff to reserve them the best beds so unless you went out at 7am you weren't getting a decent spot. It shouldn't be like this and people shouldn't be allowed to reserve beds for hours without using them. There were huge arguments over sunbeds to the point people intimidated other guests to the point of tears. The behaviour of some guests and their children around the pool was really bad too; screaming abuse to other people across the pool, pouring coke over their heads into the pool, spitting into the pool and throwing balls that ended up smashing glass bottles behind the pool bar. I think because of the war situation the hotel have given reduced rates to UAE residents so the hotel was full to the brim and it wasn't a nice environment. The kids club was good, our children did enjoy it in the majority and the staff are really nice. They did painting, smoothie making, play dough making, magic workshops, games etc however on our last visit they did much more, like cooking with the kids and splash sessions which is one of the reasons we actually rebooked so the kids were actually a little disappointed. Outside of kids club there is a really great alcohol free bar and the staff at that bar were incredibly good with our children, with special mention to Steven and KB - thank you. The food here is also really good, but not available until 13:00. It also does smoothies but when I tried to order one on a few occasions they had no fruit to make them.... The gym is well equipped and clean but there is no music and they can't put music on apparently so it had a weird silent atmosphere with only the sound of me gasping for breath during my workout. Philip the gym instructor was very good and did great CrossFit and Tabata classes - but there are only a few a day. Philip also instructed the pool classes on a Saturday (aqua spin) and Sunday (aqua box), but again on our last visit there were pool classes every single day which included aqua jump with trampolines (my absolute favourite) and aqua pole - given the fact the hotel was clearly full there should have been pool classes daily, they were really, really popular. Outside of the gym is a juice bar it is open 12pm-9pm but was open much, much earlier on our last visit for the early gym goers which makes more sense. We love a ginger shot in the morning so the gentlemen who work on this bar (they were all fantastic) made us a cup of ginger juice to store in our room fridge for the following morning which was very appreciated. The fresh orange is also divine. The little coffee / cocktail bar off the foyer is lovely. The coffee in the hotel is great in general though, especially the cappuccinos. There are a couple of cats around the hotel (they don't bother you, you might not even see them), only four or five, but the hotel have biscuits out for them. This is amazing to me, a small act of kindness which means the world and I'm very happy that the hotel is animal friendly. On the whole we had a nice holiday, bar the stress of the sunbed situation and the lack of puds when I have a sweet tooth but I think because we have been before when it was so much better it left us feeling a bit deflated and we wouldn't return again, despite being a fan of the Rixos brand. Read less