The Gateway of the Sea: Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi
The drive from Zayed International Airport takes about fifteen minutes and ends at the foot of the Maqta bridge, the historic entrance to Abu Dhabi island. Fairmont Bab Al Bahr means gateway of the sea, and the address is literal. The hotel stands in Rabdan on the Khor Al Maqta at the point where the mainland road crosses onto the island, and the water it faces is the water the name refers to.
What the arrival delivers is a sightline. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque sits directly across the creek, and the hotel’s private sand faces it. Yas Island, with Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World, lies a short drive in the other direction. The national exhibition centre at ADNEC and Khalifa Park are both close.
Three hotels, one view
Three five star properties occupy this stretch of creek and each took a different route. The Ritz-Carlton went for scale. Shangri-La built an estate of 213 rooms with a souq and a canal system attached. Fairmont did the plainest thing available, which was to put 366 rooms and a private beach directly opposite the mosque and let the view do the work.
The result is the least complicated of the three to use. Guests walk from the lobby to the sand, and the mosque is in front of them the whole way. A water taxi runs along the creek, which turns the crossing into part of the day rather than a detour, and Khalifa Park sits a few minutes inland for anyone who wants a walk away from the water.
Fifteen minutes from the terminal also makes this a workable first or last night in the emirate, which is not something the resorts out on the islands can claim.
Rooms, suites and Fairmont Gold
The hotel holds 366 guest rooms and suites. Categories run through Fairmont king and Fairmont two queen rooms, creek view and deluxe rooms, junior suites and one bedroom suites, to a presidential suite, a royal suite and a Fairmont villa.
Most categories carry balconies, and the creek facing rooms are the reason to be here. Interiors are contemporary and generously proportioned, with marble bathrooms and premium bedding.
At the top of the building, the presidential and royal suites take the largest floor plates, and a Fairmont villa sits apart from the main house for a family or a party travelling together over a longer stay.
Fairmont Gold operates as a hotel within the hotel. It has its own accommodation categories, a private lounge, dedicated check in and food presentations through the day, and for a guest who wants a quiet base inside a property of this size it is the sharpest upgrade on the rate card.
Steakhouse, mezze and a sushi counter
The hotel counts eight dining destinations. Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill is the best known room, working prime cuts by traditional method, and it draws Abu Dhabi residents rather than only guests, which remains the fairest test of a hotel restaurant. Marco’s Italian handles coastal Italian cooking.
Mazaj Bab Al Bahr sits on the water with Lebanese and Turkish menus built around mezze and grills. CuiScene is the all day dining room by the creek, with spreads drawn from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and it is where breakfast happens. Cafe Sushi prepares sushi and sashimi live at the counter. Bridges Bar is the sports lounge, with screens, high seating and pub cooking.
The creek side terraces come into their own between October and April, when dinner outdoors with the mosque lit across the water is one of the fixed pleasures of the capital.
> Fairmont’s terrace is a rung quieter than its neighbours’ and looks at exactly the same mosque. For two people rather than a conference, that is the better trade.
Sand, the lap pool and the gym
The private beach is the property’s strongest asset, with loungers, umbrellas and full service, and it faces the mosque rather than the open Gulf, so the water is calm and the outlook is the one people came for. An Olympic lap pool serves swimmers who want distance rather than a float, and non motorised water sports run from the sand, included with some rates.
Wellness here is a gym rather than a spa. The hotel is direct about it in its own guest information, stating that a spa retreat is not available on site and pointing guests towards a nearby health club, and its own fitness facilities are well equipped. Anyone booking on the strength of a treatment menu should plan around that. Anyone booking on the strength of the beach will not notice.
The ballroom and the family side
A children’s club, a children’s pool and connecting rooms serve families comfortably, and the beach does most of the work in any case.
On events, the hotel’s meeting and wedding spaces are among the reasons it stays busy outside the holiday season. The position between the airport, ADNEC and the mosque suits corporate and wedding trade, and a ballroom with the creek as a backdrop handles weddings at scale.
The value question
All three creek hotels look at the same mosque. Fairmont typically prices below the other two while offering that sightline, a private beach, 366 rooms and a steakhouse residents book on their own account. The trade is the absence of an on site spa, which for a beach stay is a smaller sacrifice than it reads.
Take a creek facing room with a balcony, eat on the terrace between October and April, and swim early, before the light turns hard.
Contact
HOTEL: Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi
ADDRESS: Khor Al Maqta, Rabdan RB2, Abu Dhabi
TELEPHONE: +971 2 654 3333
EMAIL: babalbahr@fairmont.com
WEBSITE: https://www.fairmont.com/abu-dhabi/
AREA: Khor Al Maqta / Rabdan