Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island: An Honest Family Review 2026

First Impressions of Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island

Wow, wow, wow you cannot be anything but blown away when you walk into this hotel. It is absolutely stunning! It feels like you’ve arrived at a palace. I just had to stand there in the lobby and take it all in, it’s beautiful in a very palatial way.

We arrived around 8pm and check in was easy. We made our way up to our room, which was perfect. I think the entry level Deluxe King Room is ideally designed for a family of three, as it has a king size bed with one single pull-out chair bed. However, they had already set up another bed for our other child so top points, because one of my pet hates is when all the beds aren’t ready for kids on arrival!

You’re spoilt for room choices at this hotel, including swim-up rooms. We had a sea-view room, and the balcony was huge.

Top Tip: Ask the hotel for a large balcony as you might get one of the rooms with the oversized balconies.

As it’s all-inclusive, we checked the fridge and it had soft drinks, crisps, and chocolate. Alcohol isn’t provided in the room fridge, and you’re not allowed to take alcohol back to your room from the bars. Not a problem for us as the bar settings are gorgeous, and it’s always chaos getting everyone ready in the room anyway, so I usually want to get everyone out as quickly as possible!

Booking Your Restaurants

You can’t pre-book any à la carte restaurants before arrival. I was a bit apprehensive about this since all-inclusives can be let down by poor restaurant availability during busy times. This was the Easter holidays, one of their peak seasons but I needn’t have worried. I simply went to the restaurant reservation desk on our first morning and booked all the restaurants we were entitled to.

On your arrival day, you’re eligible to dine at the Turquoise all day buffet restaurant. After that, you can use the à la carte restaurants. For stays of five nights or more, you get four à la carte dinners.

Top Tip: For an extra special treat, you can pay for a live teppanyaki show. It was AED 215 per adult and AED 110 per child, around £129 for a family of four. Not cheap, but we absolutely loved it and would thoroughly recommend it (if your kids are okay with seafood and steak, probably age 6 and up to really enjoy it).

Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast is at Turquoise, and the selection is huge. UAE breakfast buffets never disappoint. One small gripe (and I’m being picky) is they don’t seat you at a table. So, on a couple of mornings, we had to walk around to find one. That said, drink orders were taken quickly, so it’s a minor inconvenience.

At lunch, we were sometimes out exploring Abu Dhabi or ate at People’s Restaurant by the pool or the buffet. Both were great, though lunch may feel a bit “samey” if you stay in the hotel every day.

Overall, food here is amazing for an all-inclusive. It offers better quality and more choice than most European 5-star all-inclusives. However, it’s not quite at the level of the UAE’s top à la carte dining experiences, like those at Atlantis or Jumeirah hotels. But absolutely no complaints it’s excellent for an all-inclusive.

The Kids Club

The Rixy Kids Club is for ages 4–12. There’s a huge indoor area and a secure outdoor playground. Loads of daily activities and even though my kids aren’t usually into kids’ clubs, we loved the parent-and-child activities. We did a canvas painting session together, which was lovely.

There’s also a teens’ club next door with video games, table football, and a chill-out area. It’s unsupervised, but we used it as a family spot to hang out after dinner.

A standout feature? The Kids Club stays open until 10:30pm! So, if your child is happy to go, you could enjoy a grown-up dinner.

Every evening there were events from bubble shows to mini concerts. It’s quite rare to have this level of evening entertainment for kids in the UAE.

Adult Exercise & Activities

Unusually for the UAE, this hotel has loads of activities for adults. You’re not pushed to join you do as much or as little as you like. My husband and I took turns doing different things whilst the other stayed on pool duty. The activities ranged from aerial yoga, pool spinning, and yes even bouncing around on bouncy shoes! There’s also a gym, tennis courts, and even guided bike rides.

You can book all of these for free at the sports centre hut by the pool.

The Spa

I didn’t get time for treatments (which cost extra), but I did have a look around and it’s gorgeous. There’s even an adults only small pool inside. Worth visiting just to relax.

There are also treatments for children, though kids can’t use the spa facilities themselves.

General Vibe of the Hotel

If you haven’t guessed by now, this hotel is all about luxury and ease for families. What sets it apart is how many daily activities there are for both kids and adults, the consistent live music, and the exceptional mixologists.

It’s a truly generous all-inclusive in one of the most beautiful locations in the UAE.

What Could Be Improved at Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island

• An app would make things easier, currently you have to visit desks to book activities and restaurants.
• No turn-down service, which is standard in many 5-star UAE hotels.
• Being seated at the buffet would avoid the morning wander.

These are all minor, and I think I’m being a bit fussy!

Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island – Travel Mum Score: 5/5

I would recommend this hotel again and again for anyone seeking a luxury family all-inclusive in Abu Dhabi. I can see why it gets so much praise, and I’d absolutely return. I wouldn’t recommend it for couples seeking an adult-only vibe, it’s very family orientated and full of children.

If you’d like to check the price for a family holiday I highly recommend Etihad Holidays and have included a link to this hotel below for you.

Etihad Holidays Discount: Use the below link with the code TRAVELMUMS for an exclusive discount off your total.