Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi’s gym and facilities
I know Abu Dhabi and Dubai don’t pull the same traffic
as Japan or Southeast Asia when it comes to travel posts,
so these probably won’t get huge views,
but I’m still going to keep writing them for my own records.
This trip was just that good for me personally,
so here’s one last post on Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi.
My final Rixos post!
This one is all about the gym and hotel facilities.
I barely got to use the dining venues or most of the other amenities,
so this is basically a Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi gym review.
Even looking back now, those glossy, grand hallways still feel so impressive.
The gym is called the Exclusive Sports Club,
and it’s tucked deep down the corridor on the UG level.
You go down the stairs, tap your room key, and the door opens.
The entrance is on the UG floor, but you still have to walk down another set of stairs,
so it honestly feels more like it’s on the LG level.
Seriously—doesn’t this look like the most American-style gym ever?
If my neighborhood gym looked like this,
I’d be showing up every day just to take workout selfies.
The space is pretty big, and the equipment was in great condition.
I wouldn’t say it had every machine imaginable,
but it definitely had all the essentials for each muscle group.
There were markings drawn on the floor too—
maybe for CrossFit or something?
I have no idea what it was for, but it looked cool, so I was into it.
Towels and bottled water were all stocked and ready.
They also had a nice variety of smaller fitness tools,
not that I knew how to use most of them,
but doesn’t it just make a gym feel fancier when it’s fully equipped like that?
I went up on the StairMaster and took a photo looking down,
because sweating it out in a gym this stylish
somehow makes you feel like the best version of yourself.
For cardio, the machines by the windows are absolutely the move.
You can look out over the outdoor pool while you work out.
And yes, I couldn’t resist a mirror selfie.
There was also a super tall
Western personal trainer there—he had to be close to 6’6″.
He saw me doing deadlifts,
came over, and asked if I needed help with anything.
I got flustered, waved him off, said I was fine, and then worked out from a very safe distance after that.
I also filmed the whole space on video.
There was barely anyone there, so it felt like I had the place to myself.
The locker room and showers were excellent too.
Next up: the lobby lounge!
Inside the UG floor, just past the check-in counters,
there’s a big lobby lounge area.
You can buy tea, desserts, and light treats there,
and the more formal tables like the ones in the photo on the right
seemed to be for paying customers only.
But the sofa seats near the central staircase
looked like they were open for anyone to use.
I’d sometimes come down early and sit there
while waiting if my husband had gone off for work.
And if you keep walking all the way down the corridor on the same floor,
there’s a lounge bar called Antidote.
It was only open in the evening,
from 6:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.,
and there was a dress code too.
One interesting note: traditional clothing wasn’t allowed.
Maybe because it’s a bar and many Emiratis don’t drink alcohol?
In the UAE, regular restaurants generally can’t
serve alcohol the way hotel venues can,
so it’s good to know you can have drinks at places like this inside hotels.
Looking out the corridor windows near Antidote,
I could see the outdoor tables at the restaurant below
and a really pretty stretch of lawn too.
We only stayed two nights, and we were out and about most of the time,
so I never got to try the hotel restaurants.
Next time I go back, I definitely want to check out the dining too.
Next is not really about the hotel itself,
but more about the area around it.
Right near the hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE,
there’s a huge shopping mall called Marina Mall, and it’s easily walkable.
At first, they said they could take us there in a cart,
so I assumed it might be a bit far and hopped on.
But it doesn’t actually go all the way to the mall—
it only drops you at the hotel’s front entrance before the crosswalk.
Which was kind of hilarious,
because it’s basically a two-minute walk anyway.
After that, I just walked every time.
The road out front isn’t insanely busy,
and for the pedestrian signal, you can press a button
to make the light change, which I loved.
Honestly, Korea could use more crossings like that too.
Marina Mall Abu Dhabi isn’t on the level of Dubai Mall,
but it’s still big enough to browse for a while.
I started with a coffee from % Arabica,
then grabbed a Texas chicken burger too.
There aren’t a ton of amazing food spots there,
and to be honest, this country isn’t exactly my top pick for food.
We also went into downtown Abu Dhabi and picked up Buffalo Wild Wings
to bring back and eat at the hotel.
This last photo was borrowed from the hotel’s official Abu Dhabi Instagram,
because the full exterior view was just too gorgeous not to include.
I really, really want to go back.
The end