As spread out as I feel Abu Dhabi is, I’ve tended to focus my attention on venues located on the main island, near the corniche, Saadiyat Island, or Yas Island. Always wanting to expand my experience, I was happy to accept an invitation to stay at the Park Rotana Abu Dhabi and review not only Teatro, but also the property in general.
I’ll be honest, I went into this review expecting a dated property. I hate to judge a book by its cover (especially since I’m an author), but imagine how surprised I was to walk into a sleek lobby with tons of natural light, modern flower arrangements, and a stately color palate.
After checking in, we went directly to our room, where we had been placed in a corner club room on the seventh floor. I can advise that there are certainly better views in the city (Emirates Palace, Nurai Island, the Viceroy). While it’s not that the transportation systems of Abu Dhabi aren’t attractive to look at (or that I have any trouble falling asleep with traffic noise…I lived on Sheikh Zayed for years), I think the best thing is simply to focus on what the hotel does have to offer.
For example:
- A fantastic club offering. Let the record show that I unapologetically love a club room. However, I can sometimes be disappointed if the lounge offerings don’t live up to my expectations. The Park Rotana, fortunately, delivered and then some. We took advantage of both the cocktail hour (with small bites and a decent selection of booze and no kids, as children are only allowed between the hours of 9-5PM, my DINK heart sings) and the breakfast (with made to order options as well as a small buffet, including fresh juices, coffee and cheese). If you’re staying here, I would definitely opt for the upgraded room category.
- Warm service. While it’s a bit ubiquitous in the Middle East to provide professional, engaged service, I felt that the property took things a bit further (yes, they knew I was there for a review, but I’d like to think this applied to any guest). From the professional greeting at the front desk, to our interactions with housekeeping and restaurant staff, the property gets top marks.
- When I say modern, I mean it. While the next to the bed power port was missing at the Shangri-la (and Bab Al Qasr), this property offered plenty of places to recharge. Wifi was free and easy to connect to.
- L’Occitane toiletries. Yup, there are certain brands I love more than others, and this is one of them.
While the hotel is a bit further away from the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, it’s really not that much longer a trip than if you were staying at the Ritz Carlton. If you have business closer to the corniche, there are other properties in the Rotana family which might better suit your needs. Overall, if I needed a quiet, modern hotel in Abu Dhabi that wasn’t going to break the bank, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at this property again. Similarly, if you were in the market for a longer term stay, the adjacent Park Arjaan would allow you access to all of the amenities to the Park Rotana with serviced apartments.
Have you visited the Park Rotana? Or, what’s your favorite Rotana to stay at?
A to Za’atar was a guest of Park Rotana. Opinions are my own, just ask my husband.
