Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental: Abu Dhabi’s Palace by the Sea

There are luxury hotels, and then there are buildings that become part of a city’s identity. Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental belongs firmly in the latter category. Rising at the western end of Abu Dhabi’s Corniche, moments from Qasr Al Watan and facing the Arabian Gulf, the palace is not simply somewhere to stay. It is one of the capital’s most recognisable architectural statements: ceremonial in scale, intensely landscaped and conceived from the beginning as a showcase for Arabian hospitality.

A landmark born from ambition

Emirates Palace opened in 2005 after construction began in 2001. A 2025 retrospective by Gulf News places the reported construction cost at approximately US$3 billion, a figure that instantly put the property among the most ambitious hotel projects of its era. Commissioned by the Abu Dhabi government, the palace was designed to project permanence and prestige rather than fashion — a distinction that helps explain why, twenty years later, it still feels less like a conventional resort than a civic landmark with guestrooms inside it.

Its architecture draws on classical Arabian and Islamic forms: rhythmic arches, monumental domes, intricate geometric detailing, expanses of stone and a palette that shifts between sand, rose and gold as the light changes. The scale is equally striking. Mandarin Oriental’s current information describes 85 hectares of gardens and grounds, while the palace’s beachfront extends for 1.3 kilometres along the Gulf.

A palace reimagined for contemporary Abu Dhabi

Mandarin Oriental now operates the property as Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, bringing the group’s service culture and contemporary luxury language to a building that was already an Abu Dhabi icon. The result is a careful balance: the grand public spaces still deliver the theatre expected of the address, while the accommodation has moved toward a calmer, more residential expression of luxury.

The hotel currently lists 390 rooms and suites. Accommodation ranges from Deluxe City View, Garden View and Sea View rooms to Beachfront, Panoramic Sea View, Palace and Royal Suites. Private balconies and terraces are a recurring feature, as are marble bathrooms, custom-designed furniture and contemporary Arabian details. At the upper end, Palace and Royal Suites introduce separate living and dining areas, hot tubs, extensive Gulf views and dedicated 24-hour butler service.

The Panoramic Sea View Suite, for example, is designed around 180-degree Gulf views, while the Beachfront and Deluxe Beachfront Suites place guests directly against the shoreline. Palace Suites move into a different register altogether: generous reception spaces, majlis-style living areas and a level of service designed for privacy, long stays and high-profile guests.

Dining has become one of the palace’s strongest reasons to visit

If the original Emirates Palace was defined by architecture, the Mandarin Oriental era has made gastronomy a second centre of gravity. The hotel’s current dining collection spans 12 venues, with two restaurants holding Michelin stars and several more recognised by the Michelin Guide.

Talea by Antonio Guida

Talea brings chef Antonio Guida’s refined interpretation of Italian “cucina di famiglia” to Abu Dhabi and currently holds one Michelin star. It is polished without being stiff, built around the idea that sophisticated cooking can still feel generous, familiar and deeply rooted in family-style Italian tradition.

Hakkasan

Hakkasan remains one of the city’s signature Cantonese dining rooms and also holds one Michelin star. The restaurant includes a bar, lounge, four private dining rooms and an expansive terrace overlooking the palace grounds, giving it as much evening atmosphere as culinary pedigree.

Strawfire by Ross Shonhan

Strawfire is one of the palace’s most contemporary additions, centred on Japanese warayaki — the dramatic technique of cooking over intensely hot straw flames. The restaurant turns live fire into theatre, with smoke, heat and precise Japanese technique shaping the experience.

Martabaan by Hemant Oberoi

Martabaan offers contemporary Indian fine dining under the direction of chef Hemant Oberoi, combining classical references with a more modern presentation and a setting worthy of the palace.

Lebanese Terrace

Lebanese Terrace draws inspiration from Lebanon’s coastal cuisine and makes the most of the resort’s outdoor setting. It is one of the palace’s most natural choices for a long, unhurried lunch or dinner when the weather turns gentle.

Broadway

Broadway is the palace’s brasserie and bar: a more relaxed, energetic room serving elevated comfort food alongside a curated cocktail programme, and one of the clearest signs that Emirates Palace today is not trying to be formal at every turn.

Episodes

At the heart of the grand lobby, Episodes functions as a sequence of experiences rather than a single café. It includes a Tea Apothecary, a Gourmet Deli and The Mandarin Cake Shop, making it the natural address for afternoon tea, pastry, coffee and the ritual of simply sitting beneath the palace’s immense public spaces.

Vendôme, ALMA and Cascades

Vendôme is the breakfast restaurant, serving a broad international selection in a spacious indoor-outdoor setting. ALMA brings soulful Mexican cooking and cocktails to the Oriental Wing beside the pool, while Cascades serves relaxed poolside favourites and lighter dishes in the Mandarin Wing.

Sand & Koal and Café Fountain

Sand & Koal is conceived as a beachside live-fire restaurant and bar, while Café Fountain is a sunset-focused outdoor café. Both are currently shown by Mandarin Oriental as temporarily closed, so guests should check operating status before making plans. Twenty-four-hour in-room dining remains available throughout the hotel.

Beach, pools and the scale of resort life

The palace has long been associated with its 1.3-kilometre private beach, two resort pools, watersports facilities and vast gardens. At the time of writing in August 2026, however, Mandarin Oriental is advising that the beach is temporarily closed, with guests directed instead to the Mandarin and Oriental Pools. That operational detail matters: the coastline remains one of the resort’s defining physical assets, but visitors travelling specifically for beach access should confirm the latest status before arrival.

Beyond the shoreline, the leisure programme is unusually extensive for a city hotel. Facilities include tennis and padel courts, more than six kilometres of jogging routes through the grounds, complimentary bicycles, football fields, luxury cabanas, two 24-hour fitness centres and a children’s club. The scale means it is entirely possible to spend several days within the estate without the experience feeling repetitive.

A 1,500-square-metre wellness sanctuary

The Spa at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental spans approximately 1,500 square metres and blends Moroccan-inspired rituals, Oriental wellness traditions and modern recovery treatments. Current facilities include private treatment rooms, a traditional Moroccan hammam, steam rooms, Jacuzzis, heated marble and cold-therapy experiences. The wider wellness programme also includes a Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez, Acqua di Parma Barbiere, spa cabanas and personalised programmes focused on movement, recovery and restorative treatments.

Fitness is treated with similar seriousness. Two gyms operate 24 hours a day with Technogym equipment, while the hotel’s current programme also references yoga, Lagree fitness, padel, tennis, cycling and jogging routes through the grounds.

Built for state occasions, weddings and global events

The palace’s original purpose is still visible in the scale of its event infrastructure. Mandarin Oriental lists around 7,000 square metres of meeting and conference space, more than 40 meeting rooms, six large terraces and substantial pre-function areas. The auditorium can accommodate approximately 1,100 guests, while the ballroom capacity reaches around 2,400.

For weddings and ceremonial events, the scale becomes even more dramatic. The Etihad Ballroom spans approximately 2,183 square metres and can be divided into three sections, while the Palace Terrace can host major outdoor receptions against the Gulf and Corniche skyline. Few hotels in the region can move as naturally from an intimate private dinner to a head-of-state-scale gathering.

Why Emirates Palace still matters

Abu Dhabi has changed almost beyond recognition since Emirates Palace first opened. Saadiyat has become a global cultural district, Yas Island has grown into an international entertainment destination and the city’s hotel scene now includes virtually every major luxury name. Yet Emirates Palace has not become less relevant. If anything, the expansion of Abu Dhabi has made its role clearer.

This is the place that represents the capital at its most ceremonial: vast lawns, fountains, domes, sea, marble, gold and an approach to hospitality built around a sense of occasion. Mandarin Oriental has added sharper contemporary rooms, stronger wellness and a genuinely serious restaurant collection, but the essential appeal remains the same. Emirates Palace is still designed to make arrival feel significant.

For visitors, it is both hotel and landmark. For Abu Dhabi, it is part of the city’s visual memory — a building conceived at enormous scale, on an extraordinary piece of coastline, and still capable of delivering the kind of spectacle that no new opening can simply manufacture.

At a glance

Opened: 2005Reported construction cost: approximately US$3 billionCurrent accommodation: 390 rooms and suitesGrounds: approximately 85 hectaresPrivate beachfront: 1.3 kilometres (temporarily closed at time of writing; pools remain available)Dining: 12 venues, including Michelin-starred Talea by Antonio Guida and HakkasanSpa: approximately 1,500 square metresMeetings and events: approximately 7,000 square metres, with more than 40 meeting roomsAddress: West Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesTelephone: +971 2 690 9000Website: mandarinoriental.com/en/abu-dhabi/emirates-palace

Information checked against current Mandarin Oriental pages accessed 24 August 2026. Historical opening and construction-cost context cross-checked against Gulf News, 3 October 2025. Operating hours, restaurant availability and beach access can change; readers should confirm directly with the hotel before travelling.