Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island Review
Crowne Plaza hotels reminds me a lot of Hilton’s DoubleTree hotels: it seems to be the catch all brand for IHG. There is no common thread that makes the brand mean anything.
After staying two nights at the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi, I booked a night at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island as it was close to the airport and I had a 6am flight to Baku the next day. Rates were cheap; I ended up booking my room for 10,000 IHG points which I value at around $60 USD.
The hotel, with 428 rooms, opened with the $40billion Yas Island project in 2009.
Location
The Crowne Plaza is located in Yas Plaza, a group of six hotels, on Yas Island. Yas Island is located next to the airport and is a leisure and residential development with an F1 Race Track, a large mall, Ferrari World, Warner Bros World, a water park and a ton of other hotels. SeaWorld is about to open a park on Yas Island as well.
It is convenient to the airport and seems like a vacation destination for families from around the Middle East. A free shuttle to Ferrari World and Warner Bros World runs every 35 minutes or so.
Check In
I arrived right around 3pm which is check in time and there was a bit of a line. I was thanked for my IHG loyalty and given a brief overview of the property.
Room
I was assigned Room 547 on the 5th floor. The Crowne Plaza isn’t a tall hotel with just eight floors.
The rooms are on the smaller size. As you enter, the bathroom is on the left and the rest of the room straight ahead.
There are power outlets beside the bed but they are only Type G. There are two USB ports but they didn’t work in my room so I called down and was brought a power adapter.
A strange feature is that there is a large window into the bathroom. It can be closed with blinds, but from the outside. So it doesn’t really offer that much privacy.
There is a small desk and a wall mounted TV. A mini fridge is located under the TV.
Floor to ceiling windows open up to a balcony with view of the pool and golf course as well as water way.
Back towards the entry is a wardrobe closet.
The room is clean and maintained but starting to feel a bit dated after 13 years.
After coming back to my room in the evening a plate of fruit had been delivered and was waiting for me.
Bathroom
The bathroom is fairly basic with one sink, toilet, bidet and tub/shower combo. The shower has a single mounted shower head that can be detached as a hand held wand.
The amenities are large wall mounted Antipodes branded bottles. No bars of soap were provided.
Pool
There is one large pool (left) and a second children’s pool (right). Plenty of seating is available and they have covers to provide shade.
There is a gym available though I didn’t get a chance to check it out.
Restaurants
There are a number of restaurants on site that offer both indoor and outdoor seating. Off the lobby is an Asian restaurant. Downstairs is more traditional Middle Eastern restaurant. There is a cafe and a bar in the lobby. Additionally there is a bar at the pool.
Overall the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island is in a good location for a quick overnight layover from the airport or a base for visiting the amusement parks of Yas Island. There are much better choices in Abu Dhabi for hotels but the price is right at the Crowne Plaza and it offers a clean room and all you need from a hotel room.