Review: The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal

After spending a few nights on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, I headed south to The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal, which sits opposite the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Nestled along the banks of the Grand Canal, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal is a luxurious and sprawling complex serving both leisure and corporate guests.

The hotel is the brand’s ninth property in the Middle East, with two of them situated in Dubai. Moreover, the hotel has been acclaimed as the largest beachfront Ritz-Carlton resort in the world.

I was eager to see more of Marriott’s hotel portfolio in Abu Dhabi, and The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal seemed to be an impressive property that warranted trying first-hand.

The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal – Booking

Redeeming points at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal typically falls in the range of 33,000–42,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with a bit of leeway on either side.

On the other hand, nightly cash rates at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal typically hover around 800 AED ($300 CAD), but can climb to well over 1,400 AED ($520 CAD) during peak times in December and January.

With our valuation of Bonvoy points at 0.9 cents per point (CAD), redeeming points can certainly be advantageous when cash rates are on the higher side. This happened to be the case at the time of my visit when the hotel was teeming with both foreign and domestic tourists.

I booked this stay using a Marriott Free Night Award worth 35,000 points and topped it up with 5,000 points, for a total award cost of 40,000 points. Compared to some of the other properties in the area, I thought it was a decent value on points.

This property participates in Marriott STARS, which is Marriott’s preferred partner program. By booking a Marriott STARS rate with a travel advisor from Prince of Travel, you’ll enjoy extra perks such as free breakfast, upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out (subject to availability) at the same or lower rate than booking online.