Shangri la Hotel Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi

For my trip to Vietnam in Juli 2026, I was thinking about a stopover in the UAE. But I was still not sure what city to choose for my stopover. With Etihad you get a complementary stopover in Abu Dhabi for two days. But when looking at the provided hotels for the stopover I was not willing to stay in Abu Dhabi, until I saw Shangri-La. The first time (2016) in Abu Dhabi I took a sightseeing bus that stopped by the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. I was mezmerized and told myself if I ever stay in Abu Dhabi I want to stay in a 5 star fairytale hotel like that or a hotel that gives of the similar vibe/ feeling. For this reason I chose the two complementary days and added two more days at Shangri-La. Unfortunately I could not also add days on the return flight.

When travelling I usually don’t go higher than four stars, because I was always of the opinion that everything above 4 stars is overrated. I changed my opinion entirely after my Shangri-La experience. The experience and the level of hospitality I got at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri shattered my view on hospitality, attentiveness and thoughtfulness in hotels. And to be honest I think I got spoiled a bit in the process and now I hold every hotel to the same high standards (which is unattainable for many hotels of course :-D).

Shangri-La, known as a harmonious utopia hidden in the mountains, a term that is widely used to describe any earthly paradise, peaceful hideaway, or perfect, idyllic place that feels far removed from the stress and troubles of modern life. In this case a harmonious utopia is hidden in the desert :-D. I don’t know how the Shangri-La group came to their formula, but I was mesmerised during my complete stay from arriving to leaving.

I hope that my in depth review elaborates in full color my experience in 5 short days at the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi.

Location The hotel is easily reachable from the Zayed International Airport. It’s like a 20-25 minute drive by car. I would recommend renting a car at the Airport, as not having a car in the UAE is like having nog legs :-D. Also going there by taxi or Uber it is not too expensive.

The area around the hotel has enough activities, you don’t need to go far. But if you wish to go far I would recommend having a rental car.

• The Souk at Qarya Al Beri, a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
• Al Qana, a premier waterfront, a 7 minute walk from the hotel, where you can go dining and can choose from multiple options, also there is a national aquarium, a butterfly garden, cinema city, go-cart track.
• Rabdan Mall, do some close by shopping or great price for money exchanging only 7 minutes by car.
• Yas Mall, 22 minutes by car.
• Ferrari World, 22 minutes by car.
• Warner Bros. World, 25 minutes by car.
• Abu Dhabi Marina Mall, 30 minutes by car.
• Corniche beach, 30 minutes by car.

For the rest all your needs can be met within the compound or within the vicinity.

Entrance/ Valet parking If you come by car, by taxi or even by foot you will be greeted with the same friendly smile by the valet parking (I did all three ways of arriving, got the same great experience every time :-). When arriving by car at the main entrance you get this impressive feeling like you are some kind of diplomat that is there for a meeting, it’s the same effort that was put in time and time again when I dropped of my rental car or picked it up. Very pleased with their way of providing hospitality and free valet parking!

Lobby/ Reception/ Lounge My first interactive encounter was with the receptionist Gavin, who was very well spoken and very accommodating while discussing with me the all the information I need to know during my stay with the hotel. He was very elaborate in providing information on the property, the amenities, food & beverages, leisurely activities, customer discounts on certain occasions and many other stuff. Also he would always check with me how my stay was when I was coming and/or going. Gavin and Nikkie were very helpful at every occasion we met. The atmosphere at the reception is very warm and inviting. The lounge was a good place to get some work done on multiple occasions, internet works great, music is subtle in the background, just pure serenity.

Architecture & appearance I was very happy with the fact that every picture on the Shangri-La site, and the ones on booking.com matched exactly with the appearance in reality. This magnificent and grand presence of the place is felt in every inch of the hotel, inside as well as outside. High ceilings, polished floors, soothing and subtle background music and the well dressed personal with a unique style. Also entering the restaurant from the stairs felt like I was going to a gala. Don’t know who is responsible for putting the colours, the style, the attributes and architecture together, but everything just compliments each other. Some times hotels catfish you by polishing their pics, this for sure NOT the case at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi. What you see is really what you get and way more.

Restaurant Due to my early flight I arrived a bit earlier, so I tried out their breakfast. The breakfast was amazing, such exquisite taste and flavours, you could feel the food quality on your taste buds. Unfortunately I did not get the chance to also have lunch and dinner due to appointments outside the hotel, but I wish I did only based on the rich taste and diversity of their food during breakfast. Breakfast was my most enjoyable moment at the Shangri-La that I looked forward to every morning. This has to do with the fact of the service of the restaurant staff was impeccable. There were four restaurant staff members that I met with every day with the same genuine smile and a boost of enthusiasm. They made the effort to know me by name. Everyday I enjoyed my short interactions with them and they made me feel like I was at home with my family :-) After a while they already knew where I would like to sit, what I would eat or what coffee I would start of with, what kind of beverages I liked drinking. The amount of interest they took in all the customers they served usually goes unseen and unnoticed, but l noticed their vigour in every encounter with almost every customer while eating my breakfast. It was amazing to see how much effort they put into accommodating their guests and how much they enjoyed their jobs. The quality of the food and the great service provided is probably the reason why they won the award for favourite Brunch Hotel of 2026.

My Room I had such a spacious room, with a nice balcony and a great beach view. The smell and the feeling every time when entering my room was amazing. The bathroom is big and has a lot of moving space and has everything that is needed. The hall in the middle has a wardrobe with all the necessary stuff that you can think of, such as een iron board, etc. The bed is big and comfortable. Loved the big wooden desk, great to have seat and get some work done. But what I liked most was the attention to details and the attentiveness of the cleaning staff. If I came to the room at noon the bed would be fixed the empty water bottles would be replenished. But if came to the room around evening time, the curtains would be already closed there would me a dimmed light and the corner of the duvet would be folded as if the bed was ready for me to enter. Also after every cleaning session my belongings were neatly arranged on a cloth on the sink. I really liked the small details that would usually go unnoticed. I noticed all of them.

Beach/ Swimming Pool/ World Cup lounge Quiet beach, big enough swimming pool, great view of the big mosque, Nice jet-skiing on the water. The pool staff all the time made sure you were well hydrated by providing water bottles. During the world cup tournament there was a particular lounge specifically rearranged to host football fans as they watched a big screen with a host of the lounge. A great experience for football fans that an area was designated to watch football.

Fantastic hospitality/ Impeccable service This 5 star experience at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri has broadened my horizon on what to excellence is or can be in hospitality. I heard when an experience is good you tell 7 people about it, but when an experience is bad you will tell about 25 people. In my case it was amazing and I told everybody. My family, friends, colleagues, even strangers I just met during my travels about your fantastic hospitality and impeccable service!

The staff at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri went above and beyond everyday going the extra mile. I truly understand how hard this can be on staff because 5 stars can also attract snobbish people that take things for granted and expect only high standards but don’t see the effort and persistence that is put in to stay hospitable keep caring about the well being of your guests.

People make the experiences you get. Therefore, I would like show my gratitude to a couple of the staff who I know by name and face :-).

First and foremost the magnificent four, whom I met with on a daily basis and had genuine interactions with. Their care, thoughtfulness and attentiveness was unmatched. They even surprised me on the last day with a going away dessert on my last day. Thanks again for your kindness, effort and genuineness. These people were the main source for my happy experiences at Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri

• Exsa, Essam, Lanie, Vishal.

Mr. Dejan Djukanovic thank you for your friendliness and your leadership in foods and beverages. I truly understand why you guys are the proudful winners of the favourite brunch hotel award ;-).

Also thank you to the rest for making my stay pleasant and worthwhile. Saurav - Beverages & smoothies. Manoj, Prashant, Ciyan - Valet parking. Guna - Housekeeping. Gavin & Nikkie - reception. Derek - Football lounge.

Best regards, Jer

Today I’m very happy with activities in the pool and Big Thanks For MR Hossam for aqua gym in the pool ❣️❣️❣️❣️