The JDEED Guide to Abu Dhabi: Where to Sleep, Eat, Sweat and Play Right Now

Over the years, Abu Dhabi has become one of our favourite cities for a weekend away. Between the beaches of Saadiyat, an increasingly exciting food scene, beautiful hotels, a new generation of wellness concepts and a cultural district that keeps giving us reasons to return, the capital has plenty going on beyond the landmarks everyone already knows.

So, where are we sleeping, eating, sweating and spending our time? Here's the JDEED guide to Abu Dhabi right now.

TO SLEEP

For a classic Abu Dhabi stay, The St. Regis Abu Dhabi puts you directly on the Corniche, pairing old-school luxury with sweeping Arabian Gulf views and easy access to the beach. It's the kind of address that works particularly well when you want to feel connected to the city without sacrificing resort time.

For something decidedly more contemporary, The Abu Dhabi EDITION is our pick. Sitting on the waterfront at Al Bateen Marina, its understated interiors, restaurants and social spaces offer a younger, design-led take on the city's luxury hotel scene.

Then there is Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, because sometimes you simply want the full Abu Dhabi fantasy. Sitting on its own private beach, the property has 390 rooms and suites overlooking the sea, city or gardens, alongside 12 dining venues, two pools, a private marina and a 1,500-square-metre spa. Trust us, you will reach your 10k steps easily just staying on the hotel premises. The little plus? Book a room with Club Access, it's one of the best ones we've seen.

And if the beach is the priority, Jumeirah Saadiyat Island gives us exactly the kind of barefoot luxury we're after: a resort escape on Saadiyat's beautiful coastline that feels removed from the city without actually being far from it. Ask anyone we know, we've always claimed the beaches in Saadiyat to be the most beautiful in the UAE.

INDEX

The St Regis Abu Dhabi, here

Abu Dhabi Edition, here

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, here

Jumeirah Saadiyat Island, here

TO EAT

Lunch: Alkalime

We're starting with something that makes us feel good. Alkalime on Saadiyat is where we're heading for a healthy reset between everything else we're planning to eat.

Think colourful, nourishing, plant-forward food that actually leaves you excited rather than feeling like you've reluctantly ordered the healthy option. From breakfast and smoothie bowls to salads, wholesome mains and plenty of fresh ingredients, it's exactly the kind of lunch that gives you enough energy to keep exploring rather than sending you straight back to the hotel.

Dinner: blue

One of the addresses we're particularly excited about is blue, a fine-dining restaurant on Mamsha Al Saadiyat that's shaking up Abu Dhabi's increasingly interesting independent food scene, which you can read more about it in JDEED 12.

The approach is thoughtful, ingredient-led and refreshingly unpretentious, with seasonality and produce playing a central role. It's the kind of restaurant that proves Abu Dhabi's dining scene doesn't need to rely exclusively on international imports or big hotel names to be exciting. If you're interested in seeing where the city's next generation of food is heading, this is one to have on your radar. The plus? The selection of natural wines, still a rarity in the UAE.

Dinner, but make it a night: SUSHISAMBA

And then there's SUSHISAMBA Abu Dhabi.

If you're looking for somewhere that combines seriously good food with an actual night out, put this one very high on the list.

The SUSHISAMBA concept brings together Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian influences, moving between sushi and sashimi, ceviche, anticuchos, robata dishes and plates designed for sharing. It's colourful, theatrical and unapologetically energetic—the opposite of a quiet dinner you forget about the next morning.

And we're not recommending it simply because it looks good on Instagram. Everything we tried was absolutely phenomenal. The rolls were excellent, the black cod was one of our standouts, and then came a frankly humongous chocolate lava cake that you absolutely need to save room for. We kept saying 'OK LAST BITE' until eventually there were no more bites to be had.

But what really makes SUSHISAMBA work is the combination of food and atmosphere. As dinner progresses, the energy completely shifts, with samba dancers bringing the heat and turning the restaurant into somewhere you genuinely want to stay long after the plates have been cleared.

The service was also great: warm, attentive and on point throughout the evening. SUSHISAMBA manages that difficult balance of being a destination restaurant, an experience and a proper night out all at once. We'd want to come back in the cooler months to sit on their gorgeous terrace overlooking the sea.

INDEX

For Alkalime, see here

For blue, see here

For SUSHISAMBA, see here

TO SWEAT

We've been very into Lagree lately, and Abu Dhabi is giving us increasingly fewer excuses to skip a workout while we're there.

ARC Fitness at Nation Towers is an obvious stop for fellow Lagree converts, with dedicated Pilates and Lagree studios and classes built around the Mega Pro. Expect the slow, controlled, high-intensity movements we love—and the inevitable shaking legs afterwards. We tried it and loved it! It's ideally located in Nation Towers Mall, which is connected to St Regis and is home to a Café Bateel and Organics Foods and Café, ideal for a post work-out pick-me-up.

Then there is The Curve Club, an intimate Pilates destination in Al Manhal. Founded by Emirati entrepreneur Fatma, The Curve Club takes a considered approach to women’s wellness, bringing together innovative movement, beautifully designed spaces and a genuine sense of community. Its Abu Dhabi studio was the first in the region to introduce the Curveformer, a pioneering machine created for a balanced, transformative full-body workout, offered alongside the Classic Reformer.

For Fatma, the vision has always extended beyond the workout itself. “We created The Curve Club to offer women a space that feels empowering, welcoming, and intentional,” she explains. With the concept now expanding to Dubai, the brand is bringing that same philosophy to a wider community while staying rooted in the values that have shaped it from the start.

FORM Studio at Eastern Mangroves is another one we're bookmarking for days when we want movement to feel a little more mindful.

Over at Al Raha Beach, FS8 mixes reformer Pilates with functional strength and yoga-inspired movement. It's a great option if you want something low-impact but still properly challenging, particularly if you like switching between strength, mobility and Pilates rather than committing to one training style. We tried it back in Europe and then in Doha and we're hooked!

But one Abu Dhabi studio we're particularly excited about right now is The Burn Room.

Founded by Emirati entrepreneurs Meerah Al Matrooshi and Alia Al Mazrouei, The Burn Room brings Lagree, Hot Pilates, Hot Yoga and integrated red-light therapy together under one roof. The philosophy goes beyond simply training harder, looking instead at the relationship between performance, strength and recovery.

Recovery isn't something you remember to do after the workout here; it's integrated into the experience itself. And that feels very representative of where wellness is heading generally: less obsession with punishment and quick transformations, and more focus on strength, longevity, recovery and creating routines you can actually sustain.

We spoke to the founders about exactly that philosophy for JDEED in The Burn Room Wants to Change the Way Abu Dhabi Thinks About Fitness, which you can read here.

INDEX

For ARC Fitness, see here

For The Curve Club, see here

For FORM Studio, see here

For FS8, see here

For The Burn Room, see here

FOR A CULTURE FIX

You can't really do Abu Dhabi without giving yourself at least one day for Saadiyat Cultural District. Actually, make that two.

We keep returning to Louvre Abu Dhabi again and again. Jean Nouvel's extraordinary dome alone makes the visit worthwhile, but what keeps bringing us back is that this isn't the kind of museum you tick off once and consider done. The exhibitions change, you notice different works each time, and there is something about walking beneath that geometric dome with the Gulf surrounding you that still feels special no matter how many times you've done it.

Nearby, the Abrahamic Family House offers a completely different kind of cultural experience. Bringing a mosque, church and synagogue together within the same complex, the space is as much about dialogue, coexistence and understanding as it is about architecture. It's one of those places that feels particularly meaningful within the context of the UAE and the wider region.

And then there's one of Saadiyat's newest reasons to spend an entire afternoon there: Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.

This one takes us much, much further back. The museum follows the story of our natural world across 13.8 billion years, from the formation of the universe and the evolution of life on Earth to the biodiversity of the Arabian Peninsula. It's immersive, enormous and exactly the sort of museum where you go in thinking you'll spend an hour and suddenly realise half the afternoon has disappeared.

There's an extra reason to head there this summer, too. From 21 August, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi opens LEGO® SHOWS Natural Brickstory, a world-first, limited-time exhibition that invites visitors to explore those same 13.8 billion years of natural history through creativity, play and hands-on discovery.

The interactive experience brings LEGO® brick building together with the museum's extraordinary specimens and scientific stories. Across themed zones inspired by Earth's history, wildlife and the cosmos, visitors can take part in collaborative builds, experiment and discover together, turning some pretty enormous scientific concepts into something wonderfully tangible. Designed for curious minds of all ages, it might also be the best excuse we've had in a while to play with LEGO® and call it culture.

We explored the Natural History Museum for JDEED when it opened, and it's firmly on our Abu Dhabi cultural rotation now.

Between Louvre Abu Dhabi, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and the Abrahamic Family House, Saadiyat has reached the point where we'd genuinely build an Abu Dhabi trip around its cultural offering alone. We're also particularly excited about The Guggenheim opening later this year, on December 11th!

For Abrahamic House, see here

For Louvre Abu Dhabi, see here

For the Natural History Museum, see here

WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW

Celebrate Emirati Women's Day at Emirates Palace

If you're in Abu Dhabi at the end of August, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental is hosting a three-day programme for Emirati Women's Day from 28 to 30 August, centred around Emirati heritage, craftsmanship and creativity.

On 28 August, Hind Al Oud hosts its Karat Oud Workshop, taking guests through the role of oud in Emirati culture, fragrance layering and different grades of oud before a creative session decorating authentic oud chips with gold paint and foil.

On 29 and 30 August, Reine de Roses takes over with floral-arrangement workshops designed around creativity and conversation. Guests will create their own arrangements to take home, with complimentary dates and Arabic coffee adding to the afternoon. Best of all? The workshops are complimentary, although advance registration is recommended as spaces are limited. You can register on this link.
There's also an Emirati Women's Day Afternoon Tea at Episodes from 27 to 30 August and a special Sweets Moment running from 27 August through 28 September.

And if you need to unwind afterwards, the hotel's spa is offering an Oriental Rose Hammam, combining rose petal and lavender black soap, traditional Kessa exfoliation and a rose rhassoul treatment, followed by a rose rinse and argan and oud hair oil.

Spritz Your Way Around the Palace

Also happening at Emirates Palace is Spritz & Friends, running until 30 September. Created in collaboration with Aperol, the experience connects four of the hotel's restaurants—Hakkasan, Talea, Broadway and Strawfire—through eight different interpretations of the Spritz.

The combinations are fun: Shiso and Yuzu Spritzes at Strawfire, Il Viaggio and Rosmarino at Talea, La Birra and The Garden at Broadway, and Hakka Lemonade and un YUZUal at Hakkasan. Each restaurant also brings its own bites into the mix, ranging from Wagyu gyoza and Korean fried chicken to arancini, soft-shell crab, dim sum and crispy calamari.

Basically, it's an excuse to drink your way around some of the Palace's best restaurants without having to pick just one. Can you blame us? Woops....

And When You Need Something Sweet...

Dubai-born CHUNK Bakehouse has finally landed in Abu Dhabi. It is JDEED tested and approved (don't tell our fitness coach. Or do, he'll probably order some for himself.)

The cult dessert brand now has an Al Reem Island base delivering its full lineup around the capital, including its viral Chocolate Dreamcake, Kinder Choco Dreamcake and Tiramisu Dreamcake, alongside Dreamcookies and those instantly recognisable tins.

Consider that our post-Lagree balance restored.

More info and orders, here