Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is luxury five star hotel which opened in 2009. By 2025 it is showing more than its share of wear and tear. We arrived very late in the evening. We did not get the kind of welcome I would associate in a luxury hotel brands such as Fairmont or Sofitel. More of the kind you expect in an Ibis or Novotel. Other hotels in the Accor group. It was more like we were some paying guests who just turned up for a few nights rather than treating ourselves to something special. When we got to our room, it was spacious but my wife immediately noticed a musty smell and expressed her unhappiness. We asked for another room and got it. This smelt better initially only because it was sprayed with some scene before we arrived. As it was now the early hours of the next morning we went to bed. In the morning we just saw how tired the room was and it too began to smell musty. There was dated and scratched furniture. The city view was a horrible view of the hotel car park. I took pictures and contacted my travel agent straight away. We also contacted the guest relations manager and told them to sort it out by the afternoon or else we would be looking to move at another hotel. To his credit Raymund did deal with the issues rapidly. We got moved the Gold club room with the creek view. The room was much better but that does not to say it did not have wear and tear. We also got club access facilities which was a nice touch. The deluxe rooms whether club or not. Creekview or city view are all the same size. They are big sized rooms, 45 square meters. Large sized bathroom with a seperate bath and rainfall shower. There were Le Labo toiletries. The room had a coffee maker, fridge, safe, bottles of water. There were UK style plugs but it can accommodate other type plugs as well. Also USB adaptors. Breakfast was a good large spread but personally I felt it was not up to premium 5 star hotel standards. Croissants were big but they were never kept warm. We ordered latter. I got in a large cup, my wife's arrived later in a smaller cup, The cooked omelettes were nice but there were never hash browns available. I was later told I could order it. The orange juice and other juices were very good. I felt this would be really good breakfast in a Grand Mercure hotel but not in a Fairmont brand. We used the hotel facilities. There is a large main pool, probably a bit too large. It was used by everyone, which put the lifeguards on alert as kids would use it and parts of it was deep. It would had been better if they had another more kid friendly larger pool, although there is a smaller kids pool. The hotel has large grounds but a lot of it is wasted. There is a long stretch of a private beach with plenty of sunloungers. As we were there in October, the sea was warm. There were nice views of the creek from the beach. The hotel has a small gym near the pool and a small sauna room. It was a bit hard to get to. There is a larger gym elsewhere in the hotel complex. As we had access to the club room facilities, we went there for afternoon tea and evening canapes. It was good tom sit there and relax, get some work done and admire the views of the gran mosque from the higher club floors. We also ate breakfast in the club room one morning, although I preferred to eat at the main breakfast room. Outside the hotel there is little to do. You need a taxi to get about. There are Shangri La hotel brands nearby. I did take early morning walks to the Al Qana marina just before breakfast. It is not something recommended to do in midday. So this is an ambivalent review. The initial impressions after the first two rooms was very negative. It improved after Raymund sorted us out. The breakfast needs improving. More quantity than quality. There is the lingering impression that the hotel needs a full refurbishment or it will get knocked down and rebuilt.

Hotel was stunning - great location and clean with excellent, friendly staff. Everyone went that extra mile - nothing was too much trouble especially Rafat from the Concierge team - I would definitely recommend and a return visit is on my to do list…!!

It’s been very relaxing. Food and service has been great. We gave really enjoyed our stay and look forward to staying here again.

We stayed for one week at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr and the hotel exceeded all our expectations. It’s a beautiful place with great service, very friendly staff, good dining options and facilities. We arrived in the evening and were assisted during both check-in and check-out by Sofia, a lovely and kind woman who warmly welcomed us and surprised us with a complimentary room upgrade :-) We absolutely didn’t expect it, so it was a wonderful surprise and made our holiday more specially and unforgettable. When we walked into the room, we couldn’t believe our eyes. It was a stunning, spacious room, and we were as excited as two little kids every time we walked in after a day at the beach/pool or trip. We had a wonderful bathtub, an incredibly comfortable bed with soft pillows, our own coffee machine, and huge windows overlooking Abu Dhabi. Every morning, I opened the curtains and enjoyed an espresso in bed — the perfect way to start the day! We felt like royalty. The room was cozy, comfortable, and had everything we Needed (and more) including a lovely sofa and TV and fresh towels every day. The hotel itself was also fantastic. The pool was amazing, and the beach and sunbeds were perfect. The sea was calm, and the hotel provided towels, which was very convenient. Breakfast was excellent as well, with plenty of superfoods, delicious bread, yogurt — etc. everything you could wish for. The staff was always attentive, kind, and friendly. We had a late flight and were able to shower and change in a clean, spacious room at the sports centre. That was also very nice. There was even a hairdryer and straightening iron. We made several trips from the hotel to explore Abu Dhabi, and everything was easy to reach by taxi. The staff was always ready to help with anything we needed. I want to thank Sofia once again for the incredible surprise of the room upgrade. It made our holiday extra special, and we enjoyed every moment of it. Thank you, Sofia — we truly hope to return to the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, and I hope to meet you again. I can recommend this hotel to everyone. It meets all expectations, offers top quality, and fully deserves its five stars. We hope to come back very soon ❤️

Just got back from another fantastic stay at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr. We booked a Gold room on the 7th floor and the lounge was a real plus point with a relaxed breakfast and evening drinks from 5-7pm. The Gold lounge team go above and beyond to make your stay memorable. Too many names to mention but Rajun, Steven, Paolo and Alfam deserve a special mention for looking after us so well. All of them are a credit to the hotel. We ate in Bridges Bar, Marco Pierre Whites steakhouse, Marcos Italian and Mazaj. All were excellent. Once again ALL of the staff really help to make this place so special and we will be returning in February 2026. Also nice to see Nathan Hill back at the hotel. His singing and piano playing create the perfect atmosphere in Marcos Italian. Once again thanks to all the team.