Hotel Review: Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi
Anyone who enjoys spending time by the water will love a stay at the four-star Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi. With its own private beach being one of the hotel’s best offerings right on its doorstep, it offers some of the best night views in the city.
We spent just under two nights here, courtesy of Etihad Airways as part of a free stopover on our way to the Philippines. Having landed in Abu Dhabi at 6am, we were pleasantly surprised at being able to check-in to our room at 9am, and more so that we’d been given a complimentary upgrade to a superior king room. This meant that we were now part of the Traders Club. The privileges of this including complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapés!
The Beach at Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri
We only had an hour or so to wait until we could check-in to our room and were greeted by the sight of the magnificent private beach, just a few steps away.
With its loungers and day beds under a canopy, the beach is small but pristine and the water incredibly warm. Just what we needed for some winter sun. Being one of the safest cities in the world, it was especially great that we didn’t need to worry about leaving our belongings while we went for a dip later in the day – something that can be of concern on a busy, crowded beach.
The Room at Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri
Upon checking into our room, we were greeted with earthy tones, dark wood furniture and accents of muted teal décor – a stark contrast to the bright furnishings with pops of lime green and pink in the lobby.
The styling of this hotel is a juxtaposition of modern and contemporary while also being slightly dated with the large, bright canvas prints displayed on the wall. Slightly strange, but I guess that’s what differentiates it from other four-star hotels.
The room was cozy and clean with a large bathroom, fully equipped with a large monsoon rain shower, separate tub and toiletries – perfect for a one-night stay.
You can click here to see a short room tour.
There are no balconies, and we had a city view from our room; framed in a beautiful arch shaped window showcasing a very elegant roundabout.
The Facilities at Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri
Alongside the star of the show; the beach, the hotel also houses a small gym and outdoor pool. We didn’t even realise there was a pool at the hotel as we were only there for just under 48 hours!
There is a dedicated play area for children with swings and other outdoor activities too.
Food & Drink
As someone who is predominantly vegan, dining in the hotel was sadly a bit of a miss for me.
Afyä is the only restaurant within the hotel, (aside from the club lounge) and it offers all-day dining. The breakfast here includes a mixture of hot and cold offerings and a variety of dishes with flavours from all over the world; cereal, pastries, fruit, eggs (cooked to order), cold cuts, curries, baked beans, rice, shakshuka, salads, cheeses and more.
It’s worth noting that food intolerances and dietary requirements are overlooked here, so it really is a case of constantly asking the chefs which dishes are vegan, for example. Aside from the vast selection available, I personally felt that was disappointing and let the hotel down – I just expect better from a four star establishment, and in 2022 no less.
A wonderful chef did serve me some boiled asparagus at breakfast, which strictly speaking was part of the a la carte menu – that made my day!
The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus are almost identical, though varied, with items ranging from seafood, pizza, pasta, burgers and Asian dishes including laksa and biriyani. Not many vegetarian or vegan options again. I opted for the shahi paneer which is served with naan dripping in butter, a papadum, raita and lemon pickle. It wasn’t great – somewhat disappointing considering the chefs are Indian, to be honest.
Prior to our visit, we joined the Shangri-La Circle loyalty scheme which gives us discounts at the restaurants in the hotel. We hadn’t intended to take advantage of this, but ended up having a very late dinner at Afyä on our last night due to our late flight at 2.45am – and we got 25% off our bill. It’s very useful to have as I believe it’s valid at any of their establishments within the group. You can read about some more money saving travel tips here.
Traders Club Lounge
For the discerning traveller, the hotel’s club floors provide enhanced rooms such as the exclusive Traders Club Lounge. With luxe accommodation as well as a number of special privileges and amenities, the club provides a welcoming retreat.
The lounge offers guests food and drink throughout the day, an alternative breakfast option, as well as newspapers and magazines. It’s a great spot to work from or to simply relax and have a coffee. They supposedly serve afternoon tea (which wasn’t on during our stay) and evening drinks and canapés – although again, it wasn’t massively vegetarian or vegan friendly.
The Service
While mostly pleasant and capable, the service is a little hit and miss.
Lounge staff, while attentive and friendly weren’t up to speed on the dishes that were being served or the ingredients in them. The chefs weren’t overly accommodating about serving only the vegetarian parts of the platter or omitting tuna from the salad – it was a bit haphazard.
Despite this, staff knowledge in the lobby is great and they were always on hand to offer assistance.
Traders Hotel Qaryat Al Beri Location
Traders Hotel is part of the Qaryat Al Beri complex that includes the nearby Shangri-La hotel and residences, CHI the spa and a souk (market/bazaar), giving guests access to a supermarket, additional food outlets and traditional Arab market stalls. Not to mention its own private beach a few steps away from the restaurant, of course.
Apparently, there is a complimentary golf buggy service to and from the souk and Shangri-La (though guests have to pay to use the facilities at Shangri-La). We weren’t there long enough to fully explore the location.
The notable Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a mere 10 minute drive away and the international airport is only a 15 minute taxi ride away, making it the perfect location for a short stay.
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