saadiyat – island of happiness

Shangri-la beckons

Half as big as Manhattan and just seven minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island will be a fantasy destination offering a great variety of attractions. It will be developed around seven distinctive districts with hotels and private residences, three marinas with mooring for 1,000 yachts, a culture and arts hub, two golf courses and 19 kilometres of beachfront.

The beauty of Saadiyat lies in its natural environment, from protected mangrove forests in the east of the island to a 30-kilometre stretch of pristine coastline. Here, turtles nest, dune grasses sway gently in the breeze and the bluest of azure waters sparkle with the sun. Thanks to its unbroken, nine-kilometre arc of pristine white sand, Saadiyat Beach will be a much-sought-after international tourist destination.

The new Shangri-la Resort designed by eco.id architects will be located on this stunning stretch of beach front. Saadiyat Beach will be home to the first of two championship golf courses planned for the island designed by Gary Player.

It will also be a cultural magnet for arts aficionados; the home of four museums, including the Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a Maritime Museum and a Performing Arts Centre.

The 325-key Shangri-la sits in close proximity to the upcoming Guggenheim Museum and The Louvre Museum. Along with this, the resort is bound by the Gary Player designed golf course and its frontage has direct access to a 9-kilometre stretch of natural beach and infinite views of the Persian Gulf.

Read more about its master plan and architecture in Projects (Hotels).