Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas

The kids' club policy and staff at the club need to be reviewed, as the children were being provocatively suppressed and showed no approach or cooperation, unlike the rest of the resort staff.

We recently stayed at Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas as a family, and overall I have mixed feelings about our stay. There is a lot to love about this resort, but for the price we paid and the fact that it is marketed as a 5-star luxury all-inclusive resort, I expected a more consistently flawless experience.

The resort itself is beautiful. The grounds are very well maintained, the pool area is lovely and the beach is genuinely stunning. Saadiyat Beach is probably the biggest highlight of the whole stay — beautiful white sand, clear water and a really relaxing setting. The hotel also has excellent facilities for families, and there is plenty to keep children occupied.

The staff were generally friendly and helpful, and there were definitely members of the team who went above and beyond. The resort has a lovely atmosphere and, visually, it certainly feels like a luxury property.

However, there were some issues that I don't think should be overlooked.

One of the biggest disappointments for us was finding ants in our room. At a resort of this standard, and particularly when you are paying a significant amount for a luxury holiday, this shouldn't be happening. We reported it and housekeeping dealt with the situation, and the hotel did provide us with a voucher for in-room dining as a gesture of goodwill, which we appreciated. However, having to deal with ants in the room in the first place definitely affected our impression of the hotel.

I also think the all-inclusive concept needs to be clearer. The hotel has a fantastic choice of restaurants and bars, but there are restrictions around what is actually included, and some things that you would naturally assume were part of an all-inclusive package come at an additional cost. This can make the experience feel less straightforward than you would expect from a luxury all-inclusive holiday. Other recent guests have raised similar concerns about the all-inclusive inclusions and additional charges.

For us, that matters because this wasn't an inexpensive holiday. When you are paying several thousand pounds for a family all-inclusive stay, you don't want to constantly be wondering what is and isn't included.

That said, I don't want this review to sound as though we had a bad holiday, because we didn't. We had some lovely moments and the beach, pool, resort setting and family facilities were excellent. The hotel is attractive, spacious and in a fantastic location. The rooms are also generously sized and the overall resort is impressive. The hotel is consistently praised by guests for its location, facilities and service.

But would I say it felt like the completely faultless 5-star luxury experience I expected?

Honestly, no.

There were too many little things that prevented it from feeling truly exceptional, particularly given the price point. I think Saadiyat Rotana is a very good family resort in a beautiful location, but I personally wouldn't put it in the same category as the very best luxury 5-star all-inclusive resorts.

Overall: beautiful resort, fantastic beach, great family facilities and some genuinely lovely staff — but with room for improvement in the finer details and in delivering what you would expect from a premium all-inclusive experience.

We enjoyed our holiday, but for the money, I expected more.