6 Top Experiences on Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi

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It’s delightfully warm. You don’t know what it is at first, but you reluctantly open your eyes to realise it’s the warmth of the sun on your face that roused you from your slumber. A big stretch, a quick wash, and you’re off to the beach club — swimsuit, sunscreen and hat in a bag — for a stroll, a swim and brunch.

 

If this is your type of vacation, pack your bags and fly to Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi. It’s the luxurious, leisurely island getaway that’ll let you laze around your days on the best beach in Abu Dhabi.

 

Here are five experiences to look forward to on your Saadiyat Island vacation.

 

  1. Kai Beach

 

You’ve seen them — postcards showing a sapphire blue ocean. The waves, with frothy delicate crowns, seem to glide with rhythmic, celestial grace towards the white shore.

 

That dream-like setting is exactly what Kai Beach looks like: a 500-metre stretch of powdery white sand set amidst the entrancing turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf.

 

It’s an unspoiled stretch of beach, inviting you to walk barefoot and sink your toes into the comforting sun-soaked warmth of the sugar-fine sand. Wait around, and you may even see a bottlenose dolphin or two cavorting freely in the bay.

 

Unspoiled doesn’t mean primitive, however. Kai Beach has well-appointed changing rooms and restrooms, comfy beach loungers, and the MLT food truck that serves all-day breakfast, mac n’ cheese, burgers, tacos, desserts, and refreshments.

 

After a whole day lounging at the beach, drink in the spectacular sunset. Can it get any better than this?

 

  1. Saadiyat Beach Club

 

Well, actually, it can. Move a little northeast on the same stretch of beach, and you’ll reach Saadiyat Beach Club. It’s the unsullied beauty of Kai Beach, just with more amenities. You can say it’s a piece of paradise, but refined.

 

A day at Saadiyat Beach Club is the very definition of a leisurely beach escape. The exclusive beach club (you can get access with a day pass) has a nine-kilometre unblemished coast. Walk barefoot on the shore, take in the wondrous blue of the Arabian Gulf, wait for bottlenose dolphins to break the surf, and maybe even spy baby hawksbill turtles making their way to the water.

 

Trivia: The Saadiyat Beach Club is a certified Blue Flag beach, which means its operation meets the highest safety and environmental sustainability standards. In fact, hawksbill turtle mamas come to the expansive Saadiyat Beach to lay eggs. To ensure you don’t disturb or damage their nests, you must access the beach through an elevated pedestrian boardwalk.

 

After a swim in the sea, head back in and lounge by the 650-square-metre infinity pool. You can retire in your private cabana for some welcome shade and enjoy drinks and refreshments from the pool bar.

 

Get the ultimate pampering with a massage and a scrub from the in-house spa. When you’ve worked up an appetite, head to your choice of restaurant. Safina is perfect if you’re in the mood for Mediterranean cuisine, or you can dine at La Salle for some Provençal fare. If you don’t want to choose, come in on a Friday and go for brunch instead.

 

  1. Louvre Abu Dhabi

 

Think Musée du Louvre in France transplanted and tailored to the UAE: That’s Louvre Abu Dhabi.

 

Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal museum resulting from the collaboration between the governments of France and the UAE. Like du Musée du Louvre, it showcases art from all over the world in its permanent art collections, masterpieces on loan and temporary exhibitions.

 

It’s also a museum city. Aside from the art galleries and notable works of art it houses, it has visitor amenities like boutiques, bars, restaurants, and cafés.

 

The museum itself is a work of art, a stunning architectural marvel that marries French design with Arabic culture and sensibilities. The roof, which seems to float weightlessly over the museum city, is the highlight. A pioneering work by Jean Nouvel, the visionary roof design is composed of 7,850 ‘stars’ of different sizes and angles, assembled in a geometric pattern eight layers deep.

 

The unique roof allows sunlight in but in a dappled pattern reminiscent of how light falls on the ground after passing through palm fronds. The play on light and shadow makes a marvellous backdrop for the art pieces inside the museum walls and makes it seem like the roof is raining light on the museumgoers.

 

  1. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

 

If golf is essential to your vacation, you’re in luck. 

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is a par-72 course with 60 bunkers and tees and a yardage that can be extended from 5,290 to 7,784. Designed by Gary Player, the gently undulating green landscape, dotted with saltwater lakes and sandy dunes, has the glittering sapphire of the Arabian Gulf as a backdrop.

 

You can also take this chance to improve your putting with lessons from pro golfers in the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club Academy. When it’s break time, visit the clubhouse and Hawksbill Restaurant.

 

  1. Manarat Al Saadiyat

 

Manarat Al Saadiyat is an art lover’s haven, a canvas where you can appreciate other people’s work or even leave your mark. The arts and cultural district of Saadiyat Island lies behind the UAE Pavilion, a smooth and golden steel shell designed by Foster + Partners to mimic the shape of the desert sand dunes.

 

At any given time, you can enjoy multi-disciplinary art exhibitions or participate in art classes, workshops and art sessions in its photography studio, art gallery and art studio.

 

  1. Abrahamic Family House

 

There’s a place in Saadiyat Island that provides a safe space for inter-faith interaction and dialogue for three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

 

At the Abrahamic Family House, a mosque (Ahmed El Tayeb Mosque), a church (St. Francis Church Abu Dhabi) and a synagogue (Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue) share a single pavilion. 

Each structure is unique, but all three share obvious similarities, and each is open for tours and worship.

 

Saadiyat Island for Refined Experiences

If you want a luxurious retreat and refined experiences, Saadiyat Island is one place in Abu Dhabi you must visit. 

It’s a place for those seeking solace, cultural experiences and relaxation. Even if you’re in Abu Dhabi for the theme parks, a day trip to Saadiyat Island should be a welcome break.