Review: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
Loading article…
After an excellent flight on Etihad Airways in First Class from Paris to Abu Dhabi, here we are at our first hotel of our dream trip to the United Arab Emirates: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi.
Booking at The St Regis Abu Dhabi
St. Regis is probably the most luxurious hotel brand of the Marriott Group. About sixty hotels are spread around the world, strategically positioned in the most sought-after areas of major cities, or in paradisiacal places such as the Maldives or French Polynesia.
These hotels are therefore often classified in the highest price categories of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, which has 8 of them:
| CATEGORY | LOW SEASON | STANDARD | HIGH SEASON |
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
However, the hotel The St. Regis Abu Dhabi is reasonably categorized: although it is one of the finest hotels in Abu Dhabi, it falls into category 5. The rate is therefore 30,000 to 40,000 points per night.
Thanks to the Marriott BonvoyMC American ExpressMD Card which offers 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as a welcome bonus, it is possible to treat yourself to a night at this hotel. However, for this reservation, I used a one-night certificate worth 35,000 points offered upon renewal of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card!
Thus, the cost of the renewal of the annual membership ($120) was completely justified in this particular case since during the holiday season the night cost 310 CA$ (excluding taxes) in this hotel!
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600$100 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Location of The St. John's Regis Abu Dhabi
This hotel is ideally located for exploring Abu Dhabi.
The recording at The St. John's Regis Abu Dhabi
After having left our rental car at the hotel valet (free of charge), we are in the hotel reception desk The St. Regis Abu Dhabiwith a huge Christmas tree to welcome us!
Close to the reception are pleasant lounges (at The St. Regis Bar):
We will be directed to the lounges adjacent to the reception to make the registration. We are then given an envelope containing all the details of the benefits associated with my Platinum Premier Elite status:
- 75% bonus points (but having used a certificate for a free night, I don’t need it)
- Upgrade (here in continuation)
- Welcome gift: 1,000 points or a continental breakfast… you choose breakfast!
- Late departure at 4:00 pm
- Improved Wi-Fi connection
And the hotel has added a drink whenever we want through room service!
Take the elevators to the 42nd floor in the suite we have been assigned.
Our suite at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
The lounge
Upon entering the suite, we discover a beautiful living room with a sofa, armchair, and desk.
The corner window deserves a little exterior cleaning! A coffee machine is also present. And in the other part of the room is a dining table and a toilet.
The room
Then, direction the room, very bright and well decorated:
Everything is there to ensure your comfort: bench at the foot of the bed, “chaise longue” near the window, bluetooth sound system…
Before entering the bathroom, there is a very large dressing room with a make-up area for ladies.
The bathroom
The bathroom is exceptional! Composed of a very nice bathtub in sound center, with a large shower on the left and toilet / bidet on the right. And each guest has a sink on either side of the room.
Toiletries are made… in Canada!
The services of The St. John's Hotel Regis Abu Dhabi
Breakfast
Thanks to our Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Premier Elite status, we were able to enjoy a complimentary breakfast at The Terrace restaurant located on the ground floor, near the reception.
Breakfast consists of a very large buffet with quality products.
But it is also possible to order to the card these elements:
Here is a photo gallery with all the available dishes:
We might as well tell you that when we got out of there, we were full for the day!
The bar
In all The St. John’s Hotels Regis around the world, each evening a bottle of champagne is broken and glasses are offered to guests. To take part in this “ceremony”, it is necessary to make a request to your regular butler, which we have done from the pool, through Whatsapp!
A nice attention from The St. Regis Abu Dhabi to the hotel guests!
The pool
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi offers a variety of outdoor spaces: in the immediate vicinity of the tower, or across the street, on the beach side.
The first pool
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi has an outdoor swimming pool, immediately accessible from the lifts, heated to 30 degrees.
As you can see, few people were present, so the place was particularly quiet!
Close to the swimming pool there is a bar and restaurant with terrace.
Below, we can see two terraces: on the ground floor, the one of the restaurant offering breakfast; on the first one, the one of the excellent Italian restaurant Villa Toscana where we will have dinner.
Beach side – Riviera Nation
As a guest of the hotel, you also have access to the various activities across the street in the complex “Nation Riviera”: beach, swimming pool, gym, water activities and restaurants.
To reach “Nation Riviera”, an impressive tunnel has been created by The St. Regis Abu Dhabi.
We decided to settle down on the beach for a few hours of rest and sunbathing…
Then to the pool, just before sunset. A “feet in the water” bar is available:
The gym
We might as well be honest with you: we only went there for the pictures!
However, this gym is particularly pleasant because it is bathed in natural light and has good equipment!
Our general impression of the hotel
An excellent stay at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi: using 35,000 points (or a free night certificate obtained upon renewal of the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card) is a real bargain considering the services offered by the hotel.
We therefore highly recommend it if you are visiting Abu Dhabi!
- Annual fee
- $120
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$600Total$600$100 deferred bonus, excluded from the first-year estimate and not counted in this total.Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $600
- Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months
- Up to 70,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).
Go further with Marriott Bonvoy
To maximize your stays and points earning, check our complete Marriott Bonvoy program guide and our best Marriott Bonvoy credit cards ranking. For personal use, see the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card. For business expenses, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card earns points on every business purchase. And if a points purchase promotion is running, take advantage via our Marriott Bonvoy points purchase guide.