Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island

I would like to stay more and more

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.