A capital built from islands, where the right hotel is chosen by what you have come to do, not by the name on the door
Abu Dhabi is a city of islands, each developed for a different purpose, and the luxury hotels Abu Dhabi offers follow the same logic. One island is for culture, another for business, another for the race. The same hotel category on two of them gives you two entirely different weeks.
This guide is a concierge’s view of how to choose. It is organised by island and by purpose rather than by star rating, because the address matters more than the category. For a comparable format elsewhere, see our luxury hotels in London guide.
The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental opened in February 2005 and has been operated by Mandarin Oriental since 1 January 2020. It stands at Ras Al Akhdar with a 1.3 km private beach, 114 smaller domes beside the central dome, and a penthouse floor of six Rulers’ Suites originally intended for visiting dignitaries. It is the most formal address in the city and the natural choice for state occasions, weddings, and any stay where scale is part of the point.
The top hotels in Abu Dhabi cluster around three islands.
Saadiyat Island. A five-minute drive from downtown and twenty minutes from the airport, Saadiyat holds the Cultural District, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, opened in 2017 and designed by Jean Nouvel. It is the right base for a stay built around museums and the coast. We choose the resort for the stay once the dates and the party are known.
Al Maryah Island. The island is described as Abu Dhabi’s Central Business District, home to the Abu Dhabi Global Market and a Four Seasons and a Rosewood hotel, alongside one of the city’s largest luxury shopping centres. It is the base for a week of meetings, not for a week on the beach.
Yas Island. The island hosts the Yas Marina Circuit and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held there since 2009. Yas has nine hotels, among them the W Abu Dhabi, the first hotel in the world to be built over an F1 circuit. For race week it is the only address that makes sense.
The best hotels in Abu Dhabi depend on the purpose. A state or business visit points to Al Maryah or the Corniche. A cultural weekend points to Saadiyat. A race weekend points to Yas.
Searches for 5 star hotels Abu Dhabi will return a long list of properties at this level, and most of them are excellent. The decisions that matter are the island, the suite, and the timing, not the number of stars.
Tell us the purpose of the visit, and we will find the hotel
We match the hotel to the purpose, secure the suite and arrange what surrounds it: transfers from the airport, a table at one of the city’s leading restaurants through our fine dining and nightlife service, and the private access that makes a short stay productive. For those travelling on business, our business concierge team handles meetings, transport and itineraries.
It depends on the visit. The Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental is the most formal address, the Four Seasons and Rosewood suit business on Al Maryah Island, and the hotels on Yas Island suit race weekend.
Choose by purpose. The Corniche for ceremony and scale, Saadiyat for culture and the coast, Al Maryah for business, and Yas for the Grand Prix.
For major events such as the Grand Prix, as soon as the dates are known. For quieter periods there is more flexibility, though the best suites still go first.
Yes. Saadiyat offers the coast and the museums, and Yas Island has Ferrari World, which opened in 2010.
Yes. Saadiyat is roughly an hour from Dubai, so a split stay between the two cities is straightforward.
