Review: Two Suites At The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi

Review: Two Suites At The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi

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Upon landing in Dubai and clearing immigration we made a brief stop at the ATM, topped up my UAE SIM card, then headed over to the Emirates Chauffeur desk. Upon presenting our first class boarding passes we were promptly presented with vouchers for the car service, and escorted to a waiting vehicle.

Emirates-Chauffeur

We had the bad luck of landing at the tail end of a sandstorm, so the weather was horrid, and remained so for the next two days. The poor visibility made for some pretty unpleasant driving conditions, and cut down significantly on the amount of sightseeing we were able to do in Abu Dhabi.

Even with the longer drive, we still arrived at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi around 2:30PM, which wasn’t bad all things considered. As I mentioned in the introduction, I’d used my Diamond Suite Upgrades to confirm into a Park Suite. When we approached the registration area we were told we’d been further upgraded, but that our room wasn’t quite ready. I took advantage of the WiFi in the lobby, and in about half an hour an associate came through to go through the check-in formalities.

I wasn’t really paying attention — partly due to being pretty tired from traveling though mainly due to keeping an eye on my mom, who was exhausted at this point. So I didn’t ask what room category we were being upgraded to, assuming it was the Terrace Suite that Ben often gets at this property. Instead, we were bundled off to a golf cart (!) and driven over to the complex of villas lining the resort.

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Garden Suite — a perfect room for someone else

We pulled up outside the villas and were directed towards the end unit, which had an entrance off of a shared courtyard.

We were greeted by a box of chocolates and a bowl of fresh fruit, which was a nice touch.

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Garden-Suite-20

The Garden Suite is described by the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi as follows:

Located within the stand-alone villas of the hotel, this 120 sq m (1,291 sq ft) luxury suite features a separate bedroom, a living room and a large terrace with a private plunge pool, rain shower and sun loungers offering stunning views of the landscaped gardens of the hotel or Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

The Garden View Suite’s living room is furnished with a cosy sofa bed, armchairs, writing desk with Internet access, mp3 player docking station, 42-inch LED TV and DVD player. The rooms also feature an open-plan marble bathroom including dual vanity sinks, Hans Grohe walk-in rain shower and a deep soaking stand-alone Toto bathtub with soft bathrobes and Le Labo signature bath products complementing these relaxing retreats. Additional amenities include daily buffet breakfast and daily fruit, water and a newspaper. The room also has interconnecting options to guestrooms and suites.

And the suite really was lovely. The rooms were spacious, and the villa featured a guest bath, butler’s kitchen, outdoor shower, private patio, and small pool, in addition to a generously-sized master bath and a large bedroom. If I’d been traveling with kids, or with my husband, it would have been a great room. (You can click through the gallery to see more pics of the suite).

It just wasn’t great for mom and I for a couple of reasons.

For one, the sandstorm, combined with the…typical…construction standards in the UAE meant the room was really noisy. Like, wind whistling through the walls noisy. Not something that would be an issue most of the time, but combined with the room location being adjacent to the roadway, the noise levels were just really unpleasant (for me).

This particular suite was also really dark. This was again partially due to the weather, but the combination of the window placement, fence, surrounding trees, and generally low light levels just made it seem sorta bleh. I think you’d be okay if you didn’t have the end unit though. The butler’s kitchen also had a separate entrance to the back courtyard, which is great in theory, but the door wouldn’t latch from the inside. Apply a storm, and there was a persistent tap tap thunk tap tap thunk tap tap thunk tap tap thunk tap tap thunk.

The nail in the coffin though, was that the WiFi was horrifyingly slow. The connection had been fine in the lobby, so I knew it wasn’t just me, and not having good internet after a few days of travel just isn’t an option around here. So I did something I have never done before, and called to switch rooms.

The staff were sympathetic, and promised to send someone over with keys in just a few moments. It ultimately ended being over two hours before we were settled in our new suite, but I was thrilled with the new room, and at least mom was able to take a nap while we were waiting 😉

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Garden-Suite-24

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Park Suite — a better option for me

Our new room was on the top floor of the main building, in one of the base-level suites on the property. This is certainly my bias showing, but I think this is a much better room, which is fantastic news, given that upgrades using Hyatt Gold Passport points or Diamond Suite Upgrades should confirm to this room type.

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Park-Suite-01

The Park Suite described by the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi as follows:

Experience a serene island retreat away from the bustle of the city in this luxurious suite, combining contemporary style with the UAE’s cultural touches. This 100 sq m (1,076 sq ft) suite features a separate bedroom, living room, and two large balconies overlooking the stunning views of the Arabian Sea, Saadiyat Beach and the soothing pools of the hotel. Solid mirrored doors separate the bedroom from the living room to ensure privacy. Park Suite living rooms are furnished with a cosy sofa bed, armchairs, writing desk with Internet access, mp3 player docking station, 42-inch LED TV and DVD player.

The room also features an open-plan marble bathroom including dual vanity sinks, Hans Grohe walk-in rain shower and a deep soaking stand-alone Toto bathtub with soft bathrobes and Le Labo signature bath products complementing these relaxing retreats. Additional amenities include daily buffet breakfast and daily fruit, water and a newspaper. The room also has interconnecting options to guestrooms and suites.

So while it’s technically a smaller room, I felt the spaces were more usable (especially when sharing a room), and I’ll trade a plunge pool for a view any day of the week:

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Suite-View

The Park Suites still have a half bathroom, and then have separate balconies off the living room and bedroom. This was an unexpectedly nice feature, as both balconies had enough space for substantial furniture, and we ended up spending quite a bit of time outside when it wasn’t too windy.

The room also had fun artistic touches, which I appreciated throughout the resort. While at first glance the decor might seem spartan, I enjoyed the intricate metalwork combined with small quantities of precious woods. The final result was one of understated opulence, in a way that felt more regionally appropriate than, oh, pretty much all of Dubai.

Enjoying the grounds at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi

The weather really put a damper on many of the outings I had planned during our time in Abu Dhabi (though I’ll cover our excursions and what I had hoped to see in tomorrow’s installment). We had some breaks of sunlight, but for the most part it was overcast, and very very windy.

As a result, we spent a ton of time at the resort, which was a surprisingly nice change of pace. My mom, dedicated to her vacation, wrapped herself up in blankets to sit by the pool:

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-14

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-16

And while it was too cold and windy to swim (not like I would swim in the Gulf anyway), the beach was perfect for long solitary runs:

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-10

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-11

Or just relaxing in a hammock with a book:

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-09

Bonus points if you can spot the antelope that joined me one afternoon:

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-04

The property really is gorgeous, and very relaxing. I might have felt differently if the weather were more conducive to having a lively pool scene, but as it was there was really no one around, and most of the time it felt like we had the entire property to ourselves.

Park-Hyatt-Abu-Dhabi-Grounds-08

Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi bottom line

Despite the check-in adventures, the service level at this hotel was much better than other properties I’ve stayed at in the UAE (and I’ve been to many of them). I also appreciated the modern decor, and loved how peaceful the location was.

Saadiyat is certainly a bit off the beaten track, but nothing in Abu Dhabi is particularly far, so I had no issues with the distance. The only comparable hotel I’ve experienced in Abu Dhabi is the Shangri-La, and while the Shangri-La is probably more convenient, the beach is a huge plus for the Park Hyatt, in my opinion. If the Saadiyat museums ever open, the location will be unbeatable.

Has anyone else stayed at the Park Hyatt? What did you think?

Conversations (26)
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  1. Matthewsf Guest

    Tiffany-I’m a Hilton Diamond and Hyatt Globalist making my first trip there later in the Summer and trying to decide where to stay among the ‘nicer’ hotels in each portfolio. (I’m eliminating the Garden Inns, Doubletrees, Hyatt Place/House, Etc.) While I’ll vet where I can stay whether I’m using points, free night carts, etc., my biggest question is location and accessibility. It may not make sense to stay at hotel X if it’s out of...

    Tiffany-I’m a Hilton Diamond and Hyatt Globalist making my first trip there later in the Summer and trying to decide where to stay among the ‘nicer’ hotels in each portfolio. (I’m eliminating the Garden Inns, Doubletrees, Hyatt Place/House, Etc.) While I’ll vet where I can stay whether I’m using points, free night carts, etc., my biggest question is location and accessibility. It may not make sense to stay at hotel X if it’s out of the way and inconvenient to get to. Any thoughts on which hotels are preferable for location, amenities (e.g. pool, executive lounge, breakfast buffet) access to sites and/or transit? Thanks.

  2. Miles Down Under Guest

    'Saadiyat is certainly a bit off the beaten track' would be a massive understatement. Is there still major construction going on all over the island?

  3. Katherine Guest

    I'm headed to Dubai Sept 1st. Did you use an ATM and get the SIM inside of the airport or outside of it>? I'm new to international travel as you can tell.

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Katherine -- Yep, there are ATMs just after you leave customs, and the mobile network providers have kiosks as well.

  4. Ron Guest

    Stunning view indeed, but not of the Arabian Sea, at least not if you were in Abu Dhabi. Perhaps if you were in Goa...

  5. Ivan Y Diamond

    Looks very nice. For the record, there's also a Hyatt in Abu Dhabi and you can get some nice rates using BRG there.

    P.S. This post can serve as an example for "when is an upgrade not an upgrade" series :)

  6. Andrew B OMAAT

    I spotted the antelope, so I'd like my bonus points, please. How long until they post? ;-)

  7. Chandan Bhat Gold

    @Tiffany,
    Just to point out it's a Gazelle.

  8. Andrew F New Member

    @Tiffany - Can you confirm that the chauffeur service works, on award redemption for business and first, if one presents the boarding passes at the EK chauffeur service desk on arrival ?

    Thanks
    Andrew

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Andrew F -- It worked when we were there at the end of February, but I haven't had a chance to try it since. Will ask around and see if I can get an update.

  9. Joe-SC1 Guest

    I stayed there in March of this year on points. However, I was only Platinum at the time, so couldn't use an upgrade. My regular / moderately upgraded room (don't recall which) was still excellent. Also received fruit - but no chocolates.

    No sandstorm while I was there, so I didn't spend as much time on the grounds, but couple things stood out: gulf swimming was fine for me, the "not-stated-as-included-but-not-charged-for" breakfast buffet was...

    I stayed there in March of this year on points. However, I was only Platinum at the time, so couldn't use an upgrade. My regular / moderately upgraded room (don't recall which) was still excellent. Also received fruit - but no chocolates.

    No sandstorm while I was there, so I didn't spend as much time on the grounds, but couple things stood out: gulf swimming was fine for me, the "not-stated-as-included-but-not-charged-for" breakfast buffet was a full spread and very satisfying before a day of dune bashing, and, yes, the resort sits further away than most things in the area. (BTW took Uber from airport as I traveled Etihad coach.)

    The biggest thing was that the resort room access is ... unique. Shaped like a spread out "U", I was on second floor near the end of the wing. Seemed like I walked a mile to my room! And then, anything beyond the ground floor is only accessible at mid-points, not the ends, and not where the ground floor opens to the pool area/grounds. So you leave the pool, for instance, walk into the building, walk the opposite direction to get to the nearest stairs, and then back-track the other way to reach the furthest wing. Not good architecture. This is probably moot with the Diamond Suites, as they are likely centrally located. But something to keep in mind if you're in a standard room.

    Thanks for your post.

  10. RoloT Guest

    Great report. I concur with Ehch on the numerous references to you-know-who.

  11. tk Guest

    The comments in the link indicate the loop hole for the chauffeur is closed.

  12. grandgourmand Guest

    Ok, thanks for clarifying.

  13. Marc Member

    Great review Tiffany! The views from the second room are worth the tradeoff in my opinion!

  14. Francisco C Guest

    Perhaps I missed it, but what time of the year was this? And also, was this before the demise of Emirates chauffeur on awards? Thanks

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Francisco C -- Oops! Late February! And after, so follow the link to see how it can still work in some locations.

  15. grandgourmand Guest

    You should point out that chauffeur service is no longer provided on Emirate reward redemptions using Alaska miles.

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ grandgourmand -- It wasn't provided on award redemptions when I was there either ;)

  16. Thomas_888 Member

    Why wouldn't you swim in the Gulf? Is it supposed to be dirty or something?

  17. Jason Horner Diamond

    Why on earth wouldn't you swim in the Gulf? I lived in Abu Dhabi for the last year and went swimming on the Saadiyat beaches all the time. Without a doubt some of the nicest and cleanest beaches I've ever experienced.

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Jason Horner -- Hah, well. I've never swam near Saadiyat, but last time I swam in the Gulf I became very ill. It might have been a coincidence, but was a bit of a turn off.

  18. Ehch Guest

    Concur - much better report than the usual hyperboles.

    On that, can we stop needlessly plugging Ben's name into guest posts? "The suite ben normally gets..." "ben has his routine down to a science"..."ben is underselling the shower".

  19. Sean Gold

    Nice trip report, Tiffany. I know Emirates allows stopovers on awards tickets, but do they also provide car service back to the airport (on first class awards)?

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ Sean -- They don't, technically. The post I linked to described how it can still work from airports, which is what we did.

  20. Bongo Guest

    Your posts and reports are much better and useful than Mr. Schlappig ones. You should own this blog! Congrats!

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Matthewsf Guest

Tiffany-I’m a Hilton Diamond and Hyatt Globalist making my first trip there later in the Summer and trying to decide where to stay among the ‘nicer’ hotels in each portfolio. (I’m eliminating the Garden Inns, Doubletrees, Hyatt Place/House, Etc.) While I’ll vet where I can stay whether I’m using points, free night carts, etc., my biggest question is location and accessibility. It may not make sense to stay at hotel X if it’s out of the way and inconvenient to get to. Any thoughts on which hotels are preferable for location, amenities (e.g. pool, executive lounge, breakfast buffet) access to sites and/or transit? Thanks.

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Miles Down Under Guest

'Saadiyat is certainly a bit off the beaten track' would be a massive understatement. Is there still major construction going on all over the island?

0
Tiffany OMAAT

@ Katherine -- Yep, there are ATMs just after you leave customs, and the mobile network providers have kiosks as well.

0
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