The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort is the newest five-star hotel and resort in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, the federal capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the first St. Regis hotel brand of the Starwood Hotels group to be opened in the Middle East region. The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort is the second hotel to open in Saadyat Island after the grand opening of the Park Hyatt Hotel in November 2011.

The exterior of the resort is designed using Mediterranean architecture, while the interior decor is modern. All the resort’s 377 rooms range from different types and rates and overlook either the Saadiyat beach or Saadyat Beach Golf Club, which was designed by Gary Players, a South African professional golfer.

The Iridium Spa that is featured in the resort is the first from its brand to be in the Middle East. This spa has 12 suites for traditional and international remedies. There are a lot of fine dining options with nine attached restaurants that serve the hotel guests with different cuisines from around the world. There are also luxury residences for sale. These residences consist of 32 villas that have 4 or 5 bedrooms with 24-hour room service.

The starting price of each villa is AED 19,597,783.00 ( $ 5,335,488 USD) as mentioned on the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) website. TDIC is the master developer of the Saadiyat Island and other Islands within the Abu Dhabi Emirate. The Saadiyat Island is the home of Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, the Performing Arts Center, Maritime Museum, and Abu Dhabi-New York University. The Saadiyat Island literally means the “The Island of Happiness” in Arabic.

The entire project’s construction is expected to be finished in 2020, which would make the island the main cultural center of the oil-rich Emirate. Saadiyat Island is a natural island that is a driving distance of 20 minutes from the Abu Dhabi International Airport and a 15-minute drive from Abu Dhabi City downtown.

There are two public bus routes to ease the transportation from Abu Dhabi City to the Saadiyat Island. These routes are 404 and 405. The other option is to hire a taxi to travel to the island.

In February 2012, Starwood Hotels will have the second St. Regis brand hotel in the Middle East, located in Doha City, the capital of Qatar. Also, in May 2012, another St. Regis hotel will be opened in Abu Dhabi City.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.saadiyattheresidences.com

The article Resort Opens on ‘The Island of Happiness’ appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.