Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi Review: Suite Stay in Abu Dhabi, UAE
I first came here last September, and then again this August,
so this Abu Dhabi hotel was a return visit almost exactly a year later.
Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi.
Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi.
It’s a hotel I absolutely, truly love.
Last year’s post.
On this UAE trip,
I spent most of my time in Dubai, but while heading to Abu Dhabi
to meet some people my husband knows,
we decided to stay one night—and of course, I picked Rixos again.
Ever since I stayed here last year,
I’ve been low-key obsessed with Rixos,
so my husband rebooked it without even a second of hesitation.
Sometimes a place feels amazing in memory,
and then a return visit ends up disappointing you,
but this one was every bit as good the second time around.
The lobby atmosphere.
My husband came back this year with a higher tier status upgrade.
The staff were already kind from the start,
but when they heard we were returning guests from last year—and Korean—
they got so excited and somehow became even warmer.
They said they don’t get many Korean guests here, so they were genuinely happy to see us.
We also got welcome drink vouchers.
This time, we were assigned room 2413, on an even higher floor.
I happily walked down the now-familiar hallway and opened the door—
and wait… the room was enormous.
I’m pretty sure we had only booked a standard room,
but somehow we were given a huge suite.
Even after checking the website, I still couldn’t figure out exactly which suite category it was. It looked a little different from the photos online.
Either way, this place really knows how to treat Accor Platinum members.
The space was so big that
photos honestly don’t do it justice—you need video to really get it.
There was even an empty area by the entrance,
big enough that a few people could probably lay out blankets and sleep there.
The living room was massive too.
I guess this is how large luxury suites use space. ^^
Since we were on a high floor and the floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over nothing but the sea, it honestly felt private enough to walk around half-dressed and not care.
There were this many bottles of water just in the living room alone.
Next to the living room was a study area.
It could be separated with a sliding door.
Sitting in that polished, upscale office-like space made my husband look very important—at least in his staged “pretending to read” photo.
A little later, they also brought us welcome snacks.
There was even a second bathroom by the entrance,
which made it easy for both of us to keep a little privacy.
I can’t remember if the ice in the sink
was something we dumped there or if it had already been there…
Now for the bedroom.
In a regular hotel, this bedroom alone probably would have been the entire room.
Compared with the standard room we stayed in last year,
the colors here felt bolder and more dramatic.
There was also a spacious bathroom attached just beyond the bedroom.
They had five different pillow types—
basically a “surely one of these will work for you” situation.
I was sad I hadn’t photographed it last time, so I made sure to get a shot of the mattress this time. It was a Sealy Posturepedic something, and wow… it was unbelievably good.
It honestly made me want to get rid of the Tempur bed we bought as newlyweds
and buy this one instead when we move. Seriously.
Across from the bed was a cute little TV—
not actually small, but the room was so huge that it looked tiny.
There was more bottled water in the bedroom too, plus tea bags,
a coffee machine, and all the usual extras.
The minibar fridge was stocked with lots of drinks,
but they were paid items, so we skipped them and used the fridge for our own stuff.
We had ordered a huge stash of FIX Dubai chocolate
and carefully tucked it away in the fridge.
A look at the bedroom bathroom: double sinks, of course.
And a bathtub, of course.
I didn’t take separate photos, but
the shower room and toilet were fully separated too.
All the usual disposable amenities were provided.
Last year the toiletries were single-use,
but now, like so many places around the world, they’ve switched to refillable full-size bottles.
The brand was SMITH&CO, which I’d never heard of before,
but the scent and the feel were both really nice.
I even attached a shower filter for the day,
and while it didn’t turn dark, it did catch a few larger particles. Still, the water quality here felt good enough that you could probably skip the filter.
The room was so large that instead of just having a closet,
it had a separate dressing room.
It was like a small extra room between the bedroom and the entrance.
It was also super convenient for unpacking luggage there.
And the slippers? Shockingly good quality. They felt too nice to wear once and toss.
And that wraps up the room tour.
Since it was the day before flying back to Korea, I was feeling a little sentimental,
so I kept finding myself staring out at the view again and again.
One of the best things about Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi is the outdoor pool,
so even on a short stay, I think it’s absolutely worth using.
Before heading to the pool, we went to fill our empty stomachs
at Marina Mall across the street.
It’s close enough that walking to the mall is totally doable.
One thing I always make sure to crush in the UAE: Five Guys.
We inhaled it quickly,
changed into our swimsuits, and headed straight to the pool.
(For reference, the club lounge still wasn’t operating.)
At check-in, they give you your room key and a towel card,
and when you go to the pool,
you just bring the towel card to the towel desk to get your towels.
Off to the LG level, where the pool is.
There’s a gorgeous staircase connecting the LG and UG levels,
and if you’ve ever seen Middle Eastern Instagram,
this is exactly the kind of staircase where people show up in dresses and take all their glamorous photos.
This air… this scent…
It’s such a big hotel that you need a wide-angle lens to capture it properly.
When I visited this time, they even had a Cybertruck on display.
These days, people in Korea post Cybertruck sightings
every now and then, but back then it still felt so wild to see one in person.
Meanwhile, the Model Y parked next to it got absolutely no attention.
They had it roped off like that, but everyone still walked by and tried touching it.
Coming back to this pool after a year… it was just as incredible as I remembered.
Raffles, where we stayed right before this, may be the better hotel overall,
but when it comes to the pool, it can’t beat Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi.
For more details,
the water depth is 1.2 meters, but because there are several pools,
there are shallower sections too.
Floating here in the water, all your random thoughts disappear, and everything feels calm and peaceful.
My husband even said
we should have spent one less night in Dubai and stayed here for two nights instead.
If you’re sad to leave? That just means you should come back next time.
My personal pick for the best hotel in Abu Dhabi:
Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi.
Part of me doesn’t want too many Koreans to discover it,
but if you found this through my blog, I think you should absolutely go at least once. (Just between us.)