Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

“The wonderful staff always make our stay special....”

We've just got back from another fabulous stay at the Fairmont. The wonderful staff absolutely make our holiday! It was great to see everyone again. It was lovely to catch up with Yoonas who always goes above & beyond to make our stay special. Both him & his team are great! So friendly & helpful...… more

We've just got back from another fabulous stay at the Fairmont. The wonderful staff absolutely make our holiday! It was great to see everyone again. It was lovely to catch up with Yoonas who always goes above & beyond to make our stay special. Both him & his team are great! So friendly & helpful... Naresh , Parwej, Benjamine, Brett & Amyan really did look after us so well & it was so lovely to chat with them every day on the beach. Thankyou also to Ruhan for setting up our sunbeds everyday too! The amazing Chef Chandrakant is just the best! The marinades on the meats are so very good… the quality & tastes are fabulous! The selection of food in the Cuisine restaurant is excellent & the quality is superb! John also went above & beyond with looking after us while we were in the restaurant. Thankyou also to Al-Maktoum for your lovely hospitality it was so nice to catch up with him. We cant miss out the wonderful Lebanese restaurant & the amazing food which is a real taste sensation! Toufic & the team really looked after us so well & it was lovely to see the lovely Pan Pan again! Its definitely the staff that make this hotel so special, thankyou.

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“Very Impressive”

My wife and I visited the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr recently and was our first trip “East” and we were not disappointed. Location The hotel is located on the Creek opposite the Grand Mosque. Check In No problems quick and efficient. Room Our room was very comfortable and large and looked over the Cr… more

My wife and I visited the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr recently and was our first trip “East” and we were not disappointed. Location The hotel is located on the Creek opposite the Grand Mosque. Check In No problems quick and efficient. Room Our room was very comfortable and large and looked over the Creek (River). It had all the amenities you needed such as large tv (some English speaking channels are available), fridge, coffee making machine, slippers and robes to name just a few. There is also a bed turning down service each night and they also close the curtains at the same time. The views across the creek to the Grand Mosque were spectacular as was the view of the beach front and pool area. The bed was large and the pillows and mattress were very comfortable. Cleanliness The whole hotel was spotless, foyer, restaurants, bar, corridors and rooms etc. This continued outside throughout. Very impressed. Staff We would like to thank Zahid (Concierge) and Michael (Concierge), Laura (Customer Services) who originates from Scotland too and we wish her all the best in her new job. Ryman and Bejimin who helped us with taxis etc. (Apologies if we misspelt anyone’s name). Every single person we came into contact with no matter where it was were all pleasant and really helpful and nothing was too much of a bother. There is not enough space to name everyone but thank you ALL for making our time there a happy one. Getting Around There is a free shuttle bus from the hotel to Yas Island which stops at Sea World, Water World, Warner Brothers and Ferrari world. There is also a free shuttle bus again from the hotel to the Grand Mosque. Taxis are reasonable priced. Taxi to the Presidential palace (known as the white palace) which is approx. 60din one way. Airport to hotel is the same 60din and takes around 20/ 25min (traffic permitting). Overall The whole area out with the hotel grounds was clean with no graffiti or litter etc. Very safe area to visit and of course the weather was great.

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“A good hotel to stay when in Abu Dhabi.”

Although we didn’t stay at the property but were their for 3 days attending a conference. The hotel is at a nice location & easy to reach. The overall staff are really very helpful in every respect. The ball room facility & the use of foyer is excellent and the venue outdoor for lunch was just supe… more

Although we didn’t stay at the property but were their for 3 days attending a conference. The hotel is at a nice location & easy to reach. The overall staff are really very helpful in every respect. The ball room facility & the use of foyer is excellent and the venue outdoor for lunch was just superb.

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“Not for us thank you!”

This was our first visit to Abu Dhabi, we normally have 2-3 holidays a year and have been to Dubai many times which we loved but after years of visiting Dubai we thought we would try something new. We choose this hotel based on the reviews but I must say the people giving it 5 stars for everythin… more

This was our first visit to Abu Dhabi, we normally have 2-3 holidays a year and have been to Dubai many times which we loved but after years of visiting Dubai we thought we would try something new. We choose this hotel based on the reviews but I must say the people giving it 5 stars for everything is either easily pleased or just haven’t experienced real 5 star hotels and locations. At first we had high expectations. On arrival we mentioned that it was our anniversary and wanted somewhere special to go on the Saturday evening for dinner. Ronaldo on reception was very helpful and suggested we speak to concierge who would suggest somewhere for us to go. However, when my husband went to speak to concierge a few days later we were shocked to discover that they were not helpful at all. My husband went to the lady on the desk and started asking about where he could take me that was special for our anniversary on the Saturday and all she could recommend is going to the hotel down the road, the Shangri-la which we had already been to and although it was a nice hotel it wasn’t exactly what we had in mind. He was about to tell her that when mid conversation she stopped talking to him and immediately went to a “local woman” who was pretty much clicking her fingers at the concierge, so I can only assume that the locals take president over the tourists. At this point my husband thought how rude and walked off. The one thing I can’t abide by is rudeness. Manners doesn’t cost anything, she could have said to the woman hold on I am speaking to this guest or got someone else to deal with her but she never. I get the impression they are afraid to say no to the locals. The positives: 1. Although our room wasn’t meant to be ready until 3pm we got in around lunch time which was great. Later that day we also had some cakes and flowers put in our room with “happy anniversary” which I thought was a really lovely gesture. 2. The pool staff are friendly and helpful, the lifeguards do a great job, despite having to deal with non too bright guests. 3. The restaurant staff are also friendly and helpful. We especially liked Marcos Italian and the Steakhouse. The food was good and service was excellent. 4. My husband loved the breakfast especially the muesli so much so that he asked the waiter how it was made, one of the waiters got the head chef Daniel and he came out and explained how he made it and even wrote the recipe down for him, which we both thought was excellent customer service. 5. The pool area is nice and despite people reserving sun loungers and not turning up you can still get a lounger and the lifeguards do remove towels after a certain time. The negatives: 1. The local kids around the pool were horrid. The parents/nannies don’t control them and it seems like it’s left to the lifeguards to patrol them which isn’t fair. They are constantly ignoring what the lifeguards say to the point of outright rudeness. 2. Being outside the UK or EU you forget that people are allowed to smoke inside which is horrid. There was only one bar to go to in the evening which allows smoking and although there is a non-smoking area it still stinks and when you are around the pool and the wind blows in the wrong direction you get a face full of smoke, it’s gross. 3. There isn’t much of an atmosphere, unlike the Atlantis where there is lots going on. 4. The hotel allows non guests to use the pool which means it gets packed full of kids and their nannies. We are use to staying in hotels that only allow guests to use the pool so this wasn’t a pleasant experience. Overall, it wasn’t a great holiday, we made the best of it but wouldn’t go back, for me Abu Dhabi just doesn’t have the same atmosphere as Dubai which is fine if you like that sort of thing but I like less screaming rude children and more adults. The location also wasn’t great, there was nothing around, it had a great view of the mosque which is a stunning building but other than that it was pretty remote and not much around. I would not recommend coming in September, it’s too hot and too quiet with no atmosphere.

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