Abu Dhabi
Polished, precise, civilised. Abu Dhabi's best hotel-bar drinking — picked for craft, not concierge buzz.
Corniche · $$$$
62nd-floor skybar inside the Etihad Towers.
Corniche · $$$$
Revolving rooftop bar inside Le Royal Meridien.
Yas Island · $$$$
Cocktail bar attached to the Hakkasan restaurant inside the Emirates Palace.
Saadiyat Island · $$$
Beach-club bar inside the Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island.
Al Maryah Island · $$$$
Marina-side cocktail terrace inside the Rosewood.
Saadiyat Island · $$$$
Beach lounge with a Buddha-Bar branded cocktail menu and DJs from sunset onward.
Hotel bars solve specific problems. You need a bar near your room. You need somewhere quiet to take a meeting. You want the drink right the first time and you don't want to negotiate a wait. Every recommendation below clears those three bars. Most are open to non-guests; we've flagged any that aren't.
Best for: business travellers, late-checkout drinks, hotel-room negotiations made civilised, anniversaries that deserve a hotel jacket. Pricing skews higher than the city average — that's the trade. The rooms below justify it.
Civilised, polished, not pretending to be a club. Pick by neighbourhood and proximity to where you're sleeping.
Looking beyond Abu Dhabi? See our guide to the best hotel bars worldwide, or compare hotel bars city by city.