This was our third stay with Rixos, and unfortunately I can honestly say it has been by far our most disappointing.
Our first experience of Rixos was at Rixos Premium Tekirova, and that hotel showed us exactly what we believed a premium 5-star all-inclusive resort should be. We loved it so much that the following year we chose Rixos Sungate. That stay was more disappointing, particularly regarding the décor and level of service. When I contacted Rixos afterwards, I was advised that Sungate was not a "Premium" Rixos property and therefore shouldn't necessarily be expected to offer the same experience as the Premium hotels.
Fair enough.
So this year we decided to try a different country but specifically chose Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island. We were willing to pay the premium because we expected something closer to the fantastic experience we'd had at Rixos Premium Tekirova.
Unfortunately, we couldn't have been more wrong.
On arrival I asked whether a room upgrade was available and made it clear I was happy to PAY for it. We were told the hotel was at full capacity. That's completely understandable and wasn't a problem.
Our disappointment really started with the à la carte restaurants. We understood that we could visit one à la carte restaurant per night, so naturally tried to make reservations. Initially we were told they were too busy and we'd need to wait until the following week. When we could finally book, we discovered there were effectively only three options available to us: Mermaid, Aja Asian and the Italian restaurant. We had also expected the Oriental/Turkish restaurant from the hotel's advertised dining options.
We tried Mermaid and found the menu extremely small with very little choice. We then visited Aja and were disappointed to be told the offering was limited to one starter, one main and one dessert. At a Premium all-inclusive resort, I personally don't think the dining experience should feel this restrictive. This certainly wasn't our experience at Tekirova.
We were disappointed enough that we decided not to bother booking the Italian.
Ironically, the main Turquoise buffet was actually better than the à la cartes. The variety and quality were generally good, although lunch and dinner became very repetitive after several days.
Another thing we really missed was having somewhere to eat 24 hours a day. At Tekirova, The People's Restaurant provided an excellent 24-hour ordering option. At Saadiyat, if you return from exploring Dubai or Abu Dhabi after around 10pm, there isn't really an all-inclusive food option and you're left with paid room service.
For a Premium 5-star all-inclusive resort, this seems a strange omission.
One incident particularly frustrated me. My daughter became hot and dizzy one day and went back to the room. I tried to get her a burger and chips from Aqua Bar and simply take it back to her, but was told I wasn't allowed to. I genuinely couldn't understand the reasoning behind this.
Housekeeping was probably one of our biggest frustrations because it was incredibly inconsistent.
Some days everything would be done; other days we would have to ask. We specifically asked one morning for bird mess to be cleaned from our patio chairs. It wasn't done. The following morning we had to ask AGAIN, this time in front of somebody who appeared to be a manager, who immediately got on the phone and arranged it.
The minibar was similar. At check-in we were told it would be replenished daily, but again we regularly found ourselves having to ask.
To be fair, when we asked, things would generally get done. The point is that at a 5-star Premium resort, guests shouldn't continually have to chase the basics. It's those little things being done automatically that separate an average hotel from a genuinely premium one.
The pool area created another unnecessary problem. There regularly seemed to be arguments over sun loungers. Staff would apparently move belongings and place another family on loungers, only for the original guests to return, understandably causing confrontation.
This isn't a pleasant environment for families or children to be around.
Surely a simple system could prevent this—for example, guests having a room-number disc/card that is left beside occupied loungers so staff know they're genuinely being used.
We were also disappointed by the amount of construction taking place around the hotel's main forecourt. This is one of the most beautiful and heavily photographed areas of the resort and should be somewhere guests can take family photographs, make memories or simply relax in the evening. Having construction taking place there significantly detracted from that experience.
The facilities themselves were also underwhelming.
Rixy Kids Club was particularly disappointing. For a resort marketing itself as a Premium family destination, it felt extremely small and basic. Again, I can't help comparing it with Rixos Premium Tekirova because both hotels carry the Rixos Premium name, yet the facilities and overall experiences couldn't feel further apart.
We also couldn't understand why children weren't allowed in the swim-up pool area when it appeared to otherwise be part of the family pool environment.
I do want to make something very clear: the staff themselves were generally very pleasant, friendly and happy to help whenever we approached them. This isn't a criticism of every individual working at the hotel.
The frustration is that we HAD to keep approaching people.
At a genuine 5-star Premium all-inclusive resort, the little details should happen without guests repeatedly having to request them. That's what creates a luxury experience.
We also spoke with other families around the pool, including returning guests, who told us they felt Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island had declined compared with previous visits. Obviously that's their opinion, but hearing it certainly didn't fill us with confidence about returning ourselves.
Finally, after leaving, we were extremely disappointed to hear from friends still staying at the resort that gifts we had personally given to a member of staff had apparently been confiscated from them.
If this information is correct, I find that incredibly disappointing. A gift given personally by a guest to thank an employee for looking after their family should surely be something positive. If there is a hotel policy governing staff receiving gifts, perhaps this needs to be made clear to guests. From our perspective, it left a very unpleasant final impression.
The saddest part of this review is that Rixos Premium Tekirova made us fall in love with the Rixos brand. It set the benchmark and was the reason we continued choosing Rixos hotels.
Unfortunately, each Rixos experience we've had since has been progressively more disappointing.
There is a beautiful hotel here, in a fantastic location, with many genuinely lovely members of staff. Most of the problems I've mentioned aren't impossible to fix either. Better housekeeping consistency, reliable minibar replenishment, improved à la carte availability and choice, better late-night food options, improved children's facilities and better organisation around the pool would make an enormous difference.
But based purely on our experience, Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island did not provide the luxury "Premium" experience we paid for or expected.
When you're paying 5-star Premium prices, you shouldn't have to continually ask for 5-star service.
Sadly, after this experience, we would not return to Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island. More importantly, after three Rixos stays with progressively disappointing experiences, we would seriously have to consider whether we would choose the Rixos brand again.
For a hotel carrying the Rixos Premium name, that's perhaps the most disappointing part of all.
