Beach Rotana Hotel & Towers

Offering a quality experience in a convenient location with stylish design and first-class dining options, it's not surprising this sumptuous hotel is so popular. Adjoining the Abu Dhabi Mall and boasting a pleasant beach, it deserves its reputation as one of the city's finest.

It may be just a 'girl thing', but the best hotels can always be judged not by the chicness of the basins (the designer's provenance) but by the quality of the soap in the washrooms. The Rotana is certainly not lacking in this regard and that commitment to high standards is reflected in the excellent restaurants, the attention to detail in the Friday brunch buffet and the planting of pink-flowering frangipani where most hotels settle for white. High standards are also reflected in the endeavour of the staff to keep several hundred guests happy when they have just spent a harrowing day with the credit card at the mall next door. The sleek tower-wing rooms are worth the expense. but all rooms have a sea view - it's just a pity that the view, which includes the port area, is not a particularly attractive one.