Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi — Hotel in Abu Dhabi

From start to finish, our 12 nights at Rixos Abu Dhabi Marina have been absolutely fantastic.

At first glance, just seeing it in the distance, I can safely say there was no hotel envy.

We arrived very late, just a few minutes before the dinner stop, and the receptionist who checked us in immediately offered us the option to go have some food and complete our check-in after we ate. We opted not to have dinner as we had already had an in-flight meal.

The hotel interior is absolutely breathtaking, from pristine marble floors to gorgeous chandeliers, glasswork, furniture, and accessories, with the lobby filled with beautiful fresh flowers.

As we entered our room, it truly did not disappoint. We opted for a Premium Sea View room with a balcony; the sweeping views of the city and open sea were just amazing.

On our first night, as it was late, we decided to visit the Anti Dote bar, which stays open until 2:00 AM. The choice of drinks and cocktails got us very excited for what was to come, and it didn’t disappoint throughout our stay. Prince absolutely made our night and converted us to enjoying gin, Aperol, and elderflower drinks—cocktails we previously said we would never drink. The amazing drinks he prepared for us truly changed our minds.

The service in every corner of the hotel was outstanding, but a few individuals stood out significantly.

Most mornings, we got our towels from the towel desk, where Mi Yin greeted us with the most beautiful and welcoming smile. I must admit, Mi Yin is such an amazing person and a great asset to the hotel; she should probably be at reception.

We spent most of our holiday by the main pool, where I was really impressed by the little touches that made our stay special, such as cool boxes filled with ice and bottled water, and frozen face flannels in 37 degrees—absolute lifesavers. The staff, especially Cagatay on roller skates, was fantastic, always checking if we needed anything and surprising us with refreshing lemonades and cocktails.

Sophay at the pool bar made our holiday unforgettable. Even during the busiest times, he checked on us frequently and greeted us with a smile. His knowledge of different languages is incredible, making him a true asset to the hotel.

People’s Restaurant, which is open for à la carte lunch every day, was a great escape from the busy buffet. The selection of fresh grilled fish, meat, and burgers was cooked to perfection every time. Ayo was extremely attentive, often knowing we needed drinks before we did, and he greeted us daily with a smile from a distance. Yasim at People’s provided amazing and friendly service, always attentive and professional.

We also tried the luxury hammam at the Naturlife Spa. Tony was excellent at explaining the treatments and always greeted us around the pool to check if we wanted any further massages or treatments. The luxury hammam was, so far, the best I’ve ever had.

One night, we booked a table at Vera Italiano, and all I can say is wow. It featured the best veal and burrata I’ve ever tasted, along with an amazing beef rib. The atmosphere was lovely, and the place was immaculate. We were very well looked after by Mohammed, who was polite and accommodating, demonstrating amazing attentiveness and attention to detail.

We also tried the Isla Beach Bar in the evening, which had a fantastic selection of Asian dishes that we both enjoyed, with great recommendations from Adam on dish suggestions. The service was efficient and friendly.

Housekeeping was absolutely brilliant, taking excellent care of us. A special mention to Shahanshah for ensuring we were happy and had everything we needed in the room.

Also a special thank to management team, as you could see them daily checking every corner to make sure standard are maintained. And after many years working in the hotels myself it is very pleasing to see that even when things go wrong it’s spotted and fixed...

We booked our holiday through a UK travel agency. Unfortunately, the flights have been delayed which meant we lost 2 days of our stay. We arrived at Rixos extremely tired, however from the moment we walked in, we knew we chose the right hotel for our stay. The exterior and interior is impressive. This was meant to be our honeymoon, however due to delays with the flights , we decided we would have another trip in the future to celebrate too. The hotel is gorgeous with breathtaking decor and views. We were looked after by staff from the moment we arrived. The room (with balcony and sea view) on the 34th floor was amazing with everything we needed for our stay. The hotel was clean and our room was looked after every day without a fail. On the grounds we always saw staff cleaning and looking after the place. Great choice of food in the buffets. Our favourite was turquoise restaurant with good selection of sea food and sushi. With our 7 days stay we had the option to book a la carte restaurants 3 times, however due to availability and some mix up with communication, we were only able to visit the Italian restaurant. I booked the Isla and Italian restaurant in advance via QR code, however when we got to Isla on the second night, I’ve been told there was no booking, instead we’ve been told to go to the Italian restaurant that night. This was rather confusing as I received 2 email confirmation for 2 separate nights. The lady said there was no booking at the Isla, however the following day I received an email to say the reservation has been cancelled as I did not arrive on time. I suggest that perhaps the hotel can look into this. The Asian restaurant that we were so eager to celebrate our honeymoon at was always booked. We enjoyed lunch times at People’s restaurant with our favourite dishes. Overall, the food was really good, however the restaurant booking was not great. What really made our stay was the staff. Nothing was ever too much. We’ve been served drinks on the beach and around the pool, the staff always got us the sunbeds in shade and kept moving the parasol to ensure we stayed in shade. We had our sunglasses cleaned by Benson who was friendly and very chatty - a small service but makes a difference. Special thanks to Mamun at the Isla, who ensured we always had a drink in hand. At night, the entertainment was fantastic! We joined Oktoberfest on a few occasions with staff looking after us and welcoming us back each time. Special thanks to MJ and Seraj for serving the drinks throughout our stay and the entertainment team there was fantastic. We enjoyed the band and the DJ in the antidote bar. During our stay we were grateful for extra activities we were able to enjoy. The main ones being with Waves Club Water Sports and Diving Centre . Emad was very friendly and explained each trip, showing a catalog of activities and advising which one would be best suited to us. We decided to do water sports and have a private boat trip with just myself and my husband. It was a memorable experience that we will never forget. He ensured we were well looked after throughout each activity. The hotel also had free activities such as yoga, aerobic and paddling. We were also hoping for some relaxation time and the spa located at the hotel was fabulous. We enjoyed a 90 minutes treatment recommended by Tony, who ensured booking was smooth and tailored to our needs. We never felt more relaxed and the use of the treatment room for extra 45 minutes was great. We had the chance to use sauna and jacuzzi post treatment. Special thanks to the girls who were very professional and made us feel relaxed. We had a nice stay, came back relaxed and we would not hesitate to return...

This was by far the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. As someone who has studied and worked in hospitality, I cannot understand how this property is rated as a 5-star hotel. The only positive aspect of our stay was the kindness of the valet staff — beyond that, the experience was shocking and disappointing.

We stayed for four nights on the all-inclusive package, which supposedly included meals at any of the hotel’s venues. However, when we arrived at one restaurant, the hostess immediately dismissed us with, “No, no, no, you’re in the other venue, I’m sorry.” That is simply not the way to address any guest. Basic customer service etiquette was completely missing. After being redirected, we went to the other restaurant only to be told the same thing and sent back again. The lack of organization and proper communication was astonishing. When I raised my concerns to the manager, I explained that the issue was not just the mix-up but the unprofessional approach. Unfortunately, instead of listening, he repeatedly apologized for the “confusion,” completely missing the point.

Another shocking issue was the service during meals. Plates were being cleared away while we were still eating — without even asking. This is such a basic courtesy in hospitality, yet it was consistently ignored.

The hotel’s facilities were equally disappointing. With four elevators out of service in a 38-floor building, wait times reached up to 30 minutes — even from the 4th floor. To make matters worse, the room key cards were extremely unreliable and barely worked. I had to replace mine at least twice a day, which only added to the frustration. Dealing with faulty keys on top of the elevator delays made the overall experience even more aggravating.

We also attended a private group dinner with a set menu, which highlighted even more concerning issues. One of the guests had a nut allergy, and when I asked the staff whether a dish contained nuts, the initial answer was, “I don’t know.” After checking, the response was, “It might be cross-contaminated, we don’t know.” Not only was this careless, but they also failed to remove the plate from the guest — a shocking disregard for guest safety.

As for my own order, I requested my steak to be cooked medium, and the waiter confirmed it. When it arrived, it was completely well done. When I raised the issue, the response was, “It was pre-cooked.” If I had known this in advance, I would have chosen another dish.

To make matters worse, a friend who stayed at the same time also wrote a negative review, and the customer service team responded with, “Thank you so much for leaving a positive review.” This just shows it’s not only the front-of-house staff that lack professionalism — it’s a reflection of the entire operation.

I have never written a review like this before, but I feel compelled to do so now. We had guests visiting from Saudi Arabia, and the entire experience was so embarrassing that I found myself constantly apologizing and explaining that this is not the standard of hospitality the UAE...