The name couldn’t be more fitting. Everything about this hotel is grand – the location, the rooms, the views, the breakfast spread, and don’t even get me goin’ on the happy hour. Read all about our grand stay at the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi.
The best part? Stay at a 5-star resort for a 3-star price…what a deal!
Table of Contents
- Grand Location
- Grand Rooms
- Grand Views
- Grand Breakfast
- The Grandest Happy Hour at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi
- The “Grandest” Part
I am not affiliated with this hotel, nor did I receive any compensation in exchange for this review. I may earn a small commission as an Expedia Group affiliate, if you use the Expedia link to make a reservation (at no extra cost to you). Or you can contact me to book your hotel, if you’d like to take advantage ot perks and discounts through my travel agency, Fora. I appreciate your support to keep my blog going (it costs more than you think)!
Grand Location
Step outside the glitzy hotel lobby and you are literally within walking distance to the Observation Deck at 300 and two famous “palaces” in Abu Dhabi. We contemplated walking but ended up driving because 100 degrees in Dubai is, well, just as fun as it sounds.
One of the palaces is an actual working palace, the Presidential Palace, or Qasr Al Watan. The other is a fancy hotel, although it sounds like royalty as well – the Emirates Palace.
We rented a car through Expedia and drove from Dubai. It’s an easy drive from Dubai International Airport (1.5 hours), Abu Dhabi Airport (35 minutes), and more importantly the theme parks on Yas Island (30 minutes). Priorities.
Grand Rooms
These grand rooms are perfect for families to spread out. Sometimes we just need a break from the kids, right?
Our little ones had the entire living room to themselves. Our oldest was comfortable on the giant couch that we turned into a cozy bed, and our two-year-old thankfully snoozed the night away in the crib they provided. They have roll-away beds as well.
This is just a small part of the huge one-bedroom suite. They also have two-bedroom suites available.
We felt like royalty with our fancy bathtub, luxury toiletries, and plush robes. Their own bathroom was an added plus. The room was well-stocked with waters and a fridge to keep our milk and drinks cold.
The staff left us some surprise treats and a personalized letter upon arrival. Nice touch.
We couldn’t even finish the welcome bowl of fruit by the end of the trip because everything else was so good. The room service hit the spot.
Grand Views
These are the kind of views that make you excited to get up in the morning.
Imagine walking out onto your balcony and seeing the Presidential Palace, the Emirates Palace, skyscrapers, and the horizon over the Persian Gulf, all in one panoramic view!
My stomach dropped trying to look down. Who needs the Observation Deck at 300 when you’re staying on the 42nd floor of the Grand Hyatt?
These are also the kind of views that tempt you to stay up late. Our four-year-old insisted on keeping the curtains open so he could see the city lights all night. He eventually shut his eyes. Whew.
Grand Breakfast
We are spoiled with elaborate breakfast buffets everywhere we go, and this one was no different.
We nearly had to roll Jameson out of there he ate so much food (pancakes, sausage, yogurt…). He was just talking about this breakfast buffet the other day, saying it was his favorite one of the trip.
Once we recovered from breakfast, we were back down there in the afternoon stocking up on scrumptious scones at high tea.
The Grandest Happy Hour at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Speaking of scrumptious…
From gourmet foods and sushi to all the champagne, wine and cocktails you can drink in 2 hours, you may not think this place is family friendly. If it were in the US, it would be jam-packed with loud and wild twenty-somethings.
But the atmosphere was actually mellow and relaxed with a few couples, families, and businessmen. Here’s your tablet, kiddos.
The tiny plates and delectable finger foods couldn’t stop these hungry McFadden’s from making this our full-on dinner. I joke a bit, but they did have “entrees” as well as soup, bread and desserts, so it was by no means just nuts and cheeses to accompany your drinks.
The food was so good that I actually interrogated (albeit politely) the chef for the recipe. She lost me after the third sauce. Or maybe it was after the third mojito? Kiddiiiiiing.
Despite all the yumminess, our two-year-old was behaving like a two-year-old, at no fault of her own, and wasn’t eager to try anything. When the head chef came out to check on his food and guests, he saw Elle not eating, so he made a special meal just for her – the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.
I barely could steal a bite before she licked that bowl clean. Chef was so sweet to do that… thank you!!!
The “Grandest” Part
The best part of the Grand Hyatt? The price! I couldn’t believe how cheap this giant suite was along with everything the hotel had to offer.
In terms of amenities for the kids, they have a beach and kids’ pool. That’s really all you need. We never used either of them as we were pretty busy every day. I actually enjoyed the break from the water activities after 7 days at Atlantis.
Contact me for a quote and I can score you Hyatt perks (like free breakfast, room upgrades, hotel credits and more) at no extra cost to you. My services as a travel advisor are free.
Book a room with club access if you want to take advantage of the unforgettable happy hour and snack hour (all included in the price). That was one of the best parts of our entire trip!
We visited Abu Dhabi for 3-days during our 14-day trip. Subscribe to my blog for more updates about our trip, including our 3-day Abu Dhabi itinerary. For now, read about Dubai and all the over-the-top activities it has to offer.
