W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island: A Look Inside
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W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island: A Look Inside
Get A Look Inside the iconic W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island: a stylish, iconic resort in the centre of the action during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.
Written by Liam Collens. Photography provided by the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island and Q Comms.
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island: A Look Inside
Buckle up! W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is a five-star, modern hotel that, famously, is the only hotel in the world built atop a Formula 1 racetrack. As you expect with W Hotels, this property has bags of personality from the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s bold design, vibrant interiors and standout location with its award-winning, contemporary style. It offers guests a luxury, modern stay close to some of Abu Dhabi’s best-loved attractions and, during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a front-row seat to the action. Roaring up the hotel, the award-winning design by New York firm Asymptote Architecture unfolds as its enormous gridshell, lattice-like canopy of steel and glass curves over and around the entire building.
W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island's Rooms & Suites
The rooms at W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island range from the “Wonderful” to the “Extreme WOW”, literally. The hotel offers 499 stylish rooms and 75 suites in total, all of which are spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows affording views of either the Yas Marina or the Yas Marina Circuit, but some rooms get views of both!
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Fantastic bedroom overlooking the Yas Marina waterfront with a look into the adjacent living room.
The Wonderful, Marvelous or Spectacular Rooms (in W parlance) each provide about 54 square meters of space featuring either plush king-sized or twin beds with floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies. The Marvelous Rooms face the Yas Marina (think sunsets and yacht-gazing), while the Spectacular Rooms are oriented towards the Formula 1 track and a special mood-lighting system. All these base rooms share that trendy, fun W décor with crisp white and bronzed tones, modern fittings, a comfy seating area, USB outlets, free Wi-Fi, and indulgent bathrooms with oversized bathtubs and walk-in rain showers.
The Fantastic Suites (about 102 m²) bolt-on a separate living room with a panoramic corner balcony, while the Fabulous Suites (110 m²) showcase 180-degree views of both the racetrack and marina with their expansive terrace. These suites also boast walk-in closets and even a kitchenette, perfect for longer stays and family visits.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Fantastic bedroom with a peek into the Yas Marina waterfront and the Fantastic room’s bathtub.
Climb higher to the aptly named WOW Suites, which are closer to apartment-sized spaces at 145 m², offering lofty views of both the Yas Marina and the racetrack, complete with mod cons.
The final frontier is the Extreme WOW Suite – the W’s take on a presidential suite. Spanning a palatial 409 m² across two floors, this jaw-dropping suite features its own private lap pool and sauna, multiple balconies and a rooftop deck, a full kitchen and 12-person dining room, a study, a walk-in closet, a majlis, a full-size refrigerator—and much, much more.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Extreme WOW Suites: the palatial bedroom and staircase arching down towards the main living space.
All rooms benefit from in-room amenities like the Davines spa bath products, a MixBar for cocktails, and 24/7 Whatever/Whenever service.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Fantastic bedroom overlooking the Yas Marina waterfront with a look into the adjacent living room.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Standard Rooms: Wonderful, Marvelous and Spectacular Rooms.
The Wonderful, Marvelous or Spectacular Rooms (in W parlance) each provide about 54 square meters of space featuring either plush king-sized or twin beds with floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies. The Marvelous Rooms face the Yas Marina (think sunsets and yacht-gazing), while the Spectacular Rooms are oriented towards the Formula 1 track and a special mood-lighting system. All these base rooms share that trendy, fun W décor with crisp white and bronzed tones, modern fittings, a comfy seating area, USB outlets, free Wi-Fi, and indulgent bathrooms with oversized bathtubs and walk-in rain showers.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Suites: Fantastic, Fabulous, WOW and Extreme WOW Suites.
The Fantastic Suites (about 102 m²) bolt-on a separate living room with a panoramic corner balcony, while the Fabulous Suites (110 m²) showcase 180-degree views of both the racetrack and marina with their expansive terrace. These suites also boast walk-in closets and even a kitchenette, perfect for longer stays and family visits.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Fantastic bedroom with a peek into the Yas Marina waterfront and the Fantastic room’s bathtub.
Climb higher to the aptly named WOW Suites, which are closer to apartment-sized spaces at 145 m², offering lofty views of both the Yas Marina and the racetrack, complete with mod cons.
The final frontier is the Extreme WOW Suite – the W’s take on a presidential suite. Spanning a palatial 409 m² across two floors, this jaw-dropping suite features its own private lap pool and sauna, multiple balconies and a rooftop deck, a full kitchen and 12-person dining room, a study, a walk-in closet, a majlis, a full-size refrigerator—and much, much more.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Extreme WOW Suites: the palatial bedroom and staircase arching down towards the main living space.
All rooms benefit from in-room amenities like the Davines spa bath products, a MixBar for cocktails, and 24/7 Whatever/Whenever service.
W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island is ground zero for all the racing action (and the after parties). During race days, you can watch cars roar past right under the hotel’s soaring bridge section, and year-round, the views of the F1 track and Yas Marina are unparalleled.
W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island’s Dining & Nightlife
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island features seven restaurants and bars across a broad dining selection from full-service restaurants to casual coffee shops. Here is a top-line summary of what’s on offer:
Brooklyn Chop House. This is the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s smart-casual “dim sum and chops” steakhouse offering with an Asian leaning. Think leather booths of caramel brown, marble top bar-style and a slick New York-style indoor-outdoor space with a steakhouse menu featuring an impressive Peking duck special, a trio of lobster satay with peanut sauce, braised short rib baos and dumplings that range from crab to Philly Cheesesteak. As with any self-respecting chop house, the wine menu features French, Italian, Californian and South African labels.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s steakhouse: Brooklyn Chop House.
Pappas Taverna. A decidedly Greek, smart-casual restaurant swaddled in pale stone and earth tones with refreshing pops of blue. Pappas Taverna is seafood-forward with reliable vegetarian small plates cooked well. Start with the ‘clay pots’ of tzatziki, pale tamara, chilled aubergine salad and spicy feta. Move onto a memorable lobster tomato pasta, chargrilled octopus or grilled tuna steak washed down with Greek wine (it’s licensed).
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s signature Greek-Mediterranean restaurant, Pappas Taverna.
Garage. This is the international, good-times restaurant that also leans all the way into a Saturday brunch (more on that later). Garage is where you will come for breakfast (save for the vaulted Marriott Bonvoy members having breakfast in Brooklyn Chop House). It is a multi-cuisine food hub where you can wander between live-cooking stations: Souk Social (Middle Eastern street food), Naan Stop (Indian, this was our favourite), La Tavola (Italian), Nikkei House (Japanese-Peruvian) and Steam Table (Southeast Asian).
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s vibrant Garage restaurant.
B.I.G. Brunch. It is no surprise that the convivial epicentre for W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is the Saturday brunch inside Garage with an eclectic, upbeat music mix, dancers and uninterrupted track-side views best enjoyed from a generous terrace immediately accessible from the restaurant. This all makes the Garage brunch a very hard to beat location for the Formula 1 festivities. It boasts a generous seafood and raw bar with oysters, razor clams and crab legs. There is a Mexican station with ceviche and tacos (order the shrimp with extra hot sauce), live cooking stations, steam dumplings and a British roast-like carvery slicing beef. Laurent Perrier flows generously as part of the champagne package. Prices are very reasonable at the time of publishing. Reservations highly recommended.
W Lounge. Set just off the lobby under the hotel’s atrium, the W Lounge is a chic lounge bar that encapsulates the W spirit of mixology and music. With a bespoke bar, the lounge often features a resident DJ spinning tunes, and its terrace offers amazing views over the marina and racetrack – a perfect spot for sunset drinks or late-night shisha. By day, it’s a stylish hangout for afternoon tea or coffee; by night, it transforms into a trendy club lounge.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s colourful W Lounge.
WET DECK. The adult-only pool bar, where you can sip refreshing cocktails to DJ music while cooling off in the pool or lounging in a cabana. It often hosts weekend pool parties and has a lively atmosphere overlooking the track.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s pumping WET DECK as night.
SUN DECK. A separate rooftop pool area geared towards families – a more chilled setting where you can enjoy light bites and mocktails with the little ones, all while enjoying panoramic island views. Turn up for an early dip for little ones to wade in the shallow end.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s SUN DECK which is also features a child-friendly shallow swim area for kids.
ROASTERY. No need to go searching for a barista when ROASTERY is available on site. It also makes for a convenient place for meetings or quietly getting some work done while nibbling on pastries. This space is also licensed for those looking to start the check in celebrations early with glasses of Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé.
Perched right above the Yas Marina Circuit (home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix), W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is ground zero for all the racing action (and the after parties). During race days, you can watch cars roar past right under the hotel’s soaring bridge section, and year-round, the views of the F1 track and Yas Marina are unparalleled. The hotel is split into two interconnected towers – one on the mainland and one jutting into the marina – connected by a steel-and-glass bridge that spans the racetrack.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island from the perspective of the Yas Marina Formula 1 track.
As you would expect with a full-service resort, guests can also take advantage of the spa with its 11 treatment rooms, a generous gym with uninterrupted Yas Marina views and an impressive, sprawling Kids Zone that may make it difficult to take your little ones home.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island WET DECK lounges during the day time.
Beyond the circuit, Yas Island’s top attractions are on your doorstep, including the Ferrari World park (with its record-breaking roller coaster), the Etihad Arena, the Yas Waterworld waterpark and Yas Links golf course and Yas Mall (a mega shopping destination). The hotel is also a stone’s throw away from Yas Beach for those looking for a little Vitamin Sea.
On the cultural side, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are roughly a 30-minute drive–both are must-see attractions.
For dining, the popular Emmy Squared Pizza in Yas Bay is very close. The Mamsha Al Saadiyat beach stretch includes some of the city’s most popular restaurants, both formal and casual, including NIRI Restaurant and Bar and the fine-dining Les Dangereux.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is ten minutes away by car from Zayed International Airport and over an hour from Dubai International Airport.
You can find more information, including the latest rates, and make reservations, visit W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s website, contact wabudhabi.events@whotels.com (for event bookings and general information) or visit their Instagram. For dining reservations: call +971 2 656 0000, WhatsApp +971 50 642 0893, or email wabudhabi.dining@whotels.com or visit each restaurant’s Instagram for more: Pappas Taverna and Brooklyn Chop House.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, P.O. Box 131808. Call +97126560000 for more.
Liam is a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in the Middle East. He owns EatGoSee and contributes to other publications. You can find Liam on Substack, Threads, Instagram, BlueSky or Facebook.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s restaurants
Brooklyn Chop House. This is the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s smart-casual “dim sum and chops” steakhouse offering with an Asian leaning. Think leather booths of caramel brown, marble top bar-style and a slick New York-style indoor-outdoor space with a steakhouse menu featuring an impressive Peking duck special, a trio of lobster satay with peanut sauce, braised short rib baos and dumplings that range from crab to Philly Cheesesteak. As with any self-respecting chop house, the wine menu features French, Italian, Californian and South African labels.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s steakhouse: Brooklyn Chop House.
Pappas Taverna. A decidedly Greek, smart-casual restaurant swaddled in pale stone and earth tones with refreshing pops of blue. Pappas Taverna is seafood-forward with reliable vegetarian small plates cooked well. Start with the ‘clay pots’ of tzatziki, pale tamara, chilled aubergine salad and spicy feta. Move onto a memorable lobster tomato pasta, chargrilled octopus or grilled tuna steak washed down with Greek wine (it’s licensed).
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s signature Greek-Mediterranean restaurant, Pappas Taverna.
Garage. This is the international, good-times restaurant that also leans all the way into a Saturday brunch (more on that later). Garage is where you will come for breakfast (save for the vaulted Marriott Bonvoy members having breakfast in Brooklyn Chop House). It is a multi-cuisine food hub where you can wander between live-cooking stations: Souk Social (Middle Eastern street food), Naan Stop (Indian, this was our favourite), La Tavola (Italian), Nikkei House (Japanese-Peruvian) and Steam Table (Southeast Asian).
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s vibrant Garage restaurant.
B.I.G. Brunch. It is no surprise that the convivial epicentre for W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is the Saturday brunch inside Garage with an eclectic, upbeat music mix, dancers and uninterrupted track-side views best enjoyed from a generous terrace immediately accessible from the restaurant. This all makes the Garage brunch a very hard to beat location for the Formula 1 festivities. It boasts a generous seafood and raw bar with oysters, razor clams and crab legs. There is a Mexican station with ceviche and tacos (order the shrimp with extra hot sauce), live cooking stations, steam dumplings and a British roast-like carvery slicing beef. Laurent Perrier flows generously as part of the champagne package. Prices are very reasonable at the time of publishing. Reservations highly recommended.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s lounges and bars
W Lounge. Set just off the lobby under the hotel’s atrium, the W Lounge is a chic lounge bar that encapsulates the W spirit of mixology and music. With a bespoke bar, the lounge often features a resident DJ spinning tunes, and its terrace offers amazing views over the marina and racetrack – a perfect spot for sunset drinks or late-night shisha. By day, it’s a stylish hangout for afternoon tea or coffee; by night, it transforms into a trendy club lounge.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s colourful W Lounge.
WET DECK. The adult-only pool bar, where you can sip refreshing cocktails to DJ music while cooling off in the pool or lounging in a cabana. It often hosts weekend pool parties and has a lively atmosphere overlooking the track.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s pumping WET DECK as night.
SUN DECK. A separate rooftop pool area geared towards families – a more chilled setting where you can enjoy light bites and mocktails with the little ones, all while enjoying panoramic island views. Turn up for an early dip for little ones to wade in the shallow end.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s SUN DECK which is also features a child-friendly shallow swim area for kids.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s coffee shops and casual
ROASTERY. No need to go searching for a barista when ROASTERY is available on site. It also makes for a convenient place for meetings or quietly getting some work done while nibbling on pastries. This space is also licensed for those looking to start the check in celebrations early with glasses of Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Formula 1 Thrills
Perched right above the Yas Marina Circuit (home to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix), W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is ground zero for all the racing action (and the after parties). During race days, you can watch cars roar past right under the hotel’s soaring bridge section, and year-round, the views of the F1 track and Yas Marina are unparalleled. The hotel is split into two interconnected towers – one on the mainland and one jutting into the marina – connected by a steel-and-glass bridge that spans the racetrack.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island from the perspective of the Yas Marina Formula 1 track.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s Amenities
As you would expect with a full-service resort, guests can also take advantage of the spa with its 11 treatment rooms, a generous gym with uninterrupted Yas Marina views and an impressive, sprawling Kids Zone that may make it difficult to take your little ones home.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island WET DECK lounges during the day time.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island: What’s Nearby?
Beyond the circuit, Yas Island’s top attractions are on your doorstep, including the Ferrari World park (with its record-breaking roller coaster), the Etihad Arena, the Yas Waterworld waterpark and Yas Links golf course and Yas Mall (a mega shopping destination). The hotel is also a stone’s throw away from Yas Beach for those looking for a little Vitamin Sea.
On the cultural side, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Watan and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are roughly a 30-minute drive–both are must-see attractions.
For dining, the popular Emmy Squared Pizza in Yas Bay is very close. The Mamsha Al Saadiyat beach stretch includes some of the city’s most popular restaurants, both formal and casual, including NIRI Restaurant and Bar and the fine-dining Les Dangereux.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island is ten minutes away by car from Zayed International Airport and over an hour from Dubai International Airport.
You can find more information, including the latest rates, and make reservations, visit W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island’s website, contact wabudhabi.events@whotels.com (for event bookings and general information) or visit their Instagram. For dining reservations: call +971 2 656 0000, WhatsApp +971 50 642 0893, or email wabudhabi.dining@whotels.com or visit each restaurant’s Instagram for more: Pappas Taverna and Brooklyn Chop House.
W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, P.O. Box 131808. Call +97126560000 for more.
Liam is a restaurant critic, food and travel writer based in the Middle East. He owns EatGoSee and contributes to other publications. You can find Liam on Substack, Threads, Instagram, BlueSky or Facebook.
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