Zaya Nurai Island Resort Escape
Overview
This little island off of the Abu Dhabi coastline is the UAE’s beach paradise answer to the Maldives, Seychelles or Palawan in the Philippines. It’s secluded, tropical, private, pristine, incredibly beautiful and thoroughly relaxing. You’ll feel pampered and refreshed on Zaya Nurai Island and all in a place that most people have never heard of.
It’s a boutique private island that offers a world-class oceanside spa, a beach club complete with teepees and other modern settings, five restaurant and beverage outlets, fresh seafood, an outdoor cinema, a library of old and new books (with a wine menu), private infinity pools in each villa with each leading on to a private beach, large open plan studio feel villas, bicycles for transport or buggy pick-up service and multiple watersports, including a waverider!
Itinerary
Wednesday
11.30 boat from Saadiyat Welcome Centre to Zaya Nurai
Check in to beach villa
Ginger Mermaid Pool Bar for a swim and sunset cocktails
Dusk for Mexican dinner
Post dinner drinks and night swim in your private pool
Thursday
Frangipani for breakfast
Smokin’ Pineapple Beach Bar for beach relaxation and lunch
Hooked for seafood dinner
Dusk for cocktails
Friday
Morning beach swim
12 pm Checkout
12.30 – 4pm Frangipani brunch
5pm Boat back to mainland
Logistics
Transport to Zaya Nurai Island
Access to Zaya Nurai is from their Welcome Centre on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi central. The boat leaves every hour on the half hour all day long and takes approximately 20 minutes to arrive. It’s a quick smooth ride past some of the luxury penthouses on Saadiyat Island.
Best time of year to visit
The best time of year to visit Zaya Nurai is during the winter months as the Middle East can become unbearably hot and humid in the summer. See my post on Abu Dhabi for further details on the best time of year to visit. Keep in mind that for some reason, Zaya Nurai feels even more humid than on the mainland of Abu Dhabi at the corresponding time of year.
Time of week to visit & costs
If possible, try and time your visit to include a Friday so that you can enjoy the spectacular brunch at Frangipani Restaurant! However, note that overnight prices increase remarkably for weekend stays. A 2 night midweek stay is ideal and have described a suggested itinerary below, with a pace that allows both adequate relaxation and exploration. Note that a 1000AED/night deposit is required in addition to the nightly rate, payable before disembarking on the outbound boat from Saadiyat Welcome Centre.
Accommodation type
Zaya Nurai offers luxury beach villas, beach houses, seaview houses, water villas and estate villas. Do not fear – all have immaculate sea views! We stayed in a one bedroom beach villa and all 250m2 of it was impressive: high ceilings, a freestanding bathtub with sea views, walk in shower with rainfall, sea facing king bed, a spacious terrace, 25m2 private infinity pool, outdoor lounge with private dining, outdoor shower and palm fringed gardens.
Transport on Zaya Nurai Island
Transport around the island is by bicycle (allocated to each villa) or by golf buggy which will collect you with 15-20 minutes forewarning.
Day Trip Option
The most cost effective way to visit Zaya Nurai is by day trip. At the time of writing, day passes are AED 480, with AED 420 redeemable against food and beverage, spa and activities. This includes beach and pool access, as well as boat transfer. If you travel on a Friday, you can also redeem this towards brunch.
Brunch packages vary by the drinks package – soft drinks AED 350, house beverages (including prosecco) AED 450 and all beverages and champagne AED 600. See below for my detailed analysis of this delicious brunch!
For day trips other than Friday, I’d suggest heading straight for Smokin Pineapple Beach Bar, followed by either Hooked or Dusk for dinner.
Itinerary
Wednesday
Departure
I’d recommend the 11.30 boat departure from the Zaya Nurai Welcome Centre. This allows sufficient time to arrive on the island before checkin at 2pm. Chances are that your room may be ready prior to 2pm, which allows a little more time relaxing in your room. As it happened, we ended up heading to Hooked Restaurant for a hot lunch on arrival, including stuffed baby squids with garlic, butter and chives sauce, grilled lamb kofta, hand cut fries and a pita and dips plate with kalamata olives and pickled vegetables. This was washed down with a couple of Almaza’s, a Lebanese pilsener! The wait staff showed us the fresh seafood on offer also, which we tried on another evening. The lobsters are kept in a tank, fresh until ready for consumption.
Check in to room
We were shuttled to our room in a golf buggy, with a brief tour of the location of the restaurants, spa and bars. Each villa has a private driveway and entrance and we even found personalised Zaya Nurai flip flops in the hallway. The interiors were completely mesmerising; the high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows welcoming in abundant light. I loved the open plan design, with a separate living/entertainment area, bed looking over the reflective infinity pool, kitchen behind this and separate bathroom areas all converging into one long living space.
Bottom: adjoining living room, bedroom and bathroom spaces
Even though the Ginger Mermaid Pool Bar awaits, it’s just too tempting not to take a dip in your own private pool, so get into that swimwear and enjoy! Fortunately the mini bar is well stocked, so we opened a bottle of chardonnay to enjoy poolside.
Ginger Mermaid Pool Bar for a swim and sunset cocktails
If you are looking for the ultimate place to enjoy some sundowners, this is it. Ginger Mermaid is a relaxed bar with its own pool and views stretching across its own beach and to the nearby North Beach. Don’t be misled by their ‘finger food bar snacks’ description, this includes: lobster roll with truffle mayo, pesto burrata salad, portobello mushroom sliders, shrimp sliders and a magnificent sushi boat!
There are quirky large animal statues situated all over Zaya Nurai Island and Ginger Mermaid has a large gorilla guarding their pool. I am not sure what the connection is here but it’s certainly a beautiful spot to spend the afternoon. There are also some private rattan lounges on the adjacent pier where you can go and spend a few moments alone or with your loved one.
The atmosphere is enhanced as dusk sets in, with visitors perched around the pool enjoying sunset cocktails. If fancy yourself a photographer, then head down to North Beach for some beautiful scenes as the sun dips behind the horizon.
Dinner at Dusk
If you could spend an evening eating fresh Mexican food while being served unlimited cornchips and home made salsa what would you say? This is dinner at Dusk, the trendy and dimly lit Tiki-themed restaurant on Zaya Nurai. They prepare standard Mexican fare but in a unique way with an emphasis on local seafood fillings, in booths overlooking the twinkling bay. With a separate menu for margaritas and cigars, you’ll be Havana good time in no time!
Post dinner drinks at private pool
A massive day of relaxing, eating and drinking calls for a little down time in the evening. Plan to spend at least one of your nights back at your luxury villa, enjoying a night swim in the moonlight and with the pool lights illuminating the water in brilliant dark blue tones.
Thursday
Breakfast at Frangipani
As far as international breakfast options are concerned, Frangipani has it licked. With separate serving stations offering the likes of hot foods, various egg options, cold meat and cheese platters, baked items, pots of yoghurt and muesli and the usual middle eastern fare of hummus and vegetable sticks, the only downside at the time of visiting was the haphazard serving approach. Noted that this is largely due to the Covid pandemic, however I have definitely been to buffets where the staff were more orderly and structured in their approach to serving guests, particularly when busy. All points that were lost on this were recovered however, with the tasty boiled quail eggs in their speckled black and white shells.
Beach day at Smokin’ Pineapple
The sign at the entrance to Smokin Pineapple Beach Bar (just before the Taittinger drinks cart) says it all.
Really, it’s the epitome of relaxation, great tunes, party vibes and frivolous folk all sashaying around in bikinis and beachwear. The pool overlooks the gorgeous South Beach of Zaya Nurai Island and just below this, are raised sunbeds on wooden decking. These also overlook the ocean where you can sit and watch the sparkling water, people zipping past on jetskis or instagrammers trying (again and again) to get the perfect picture on the water swings and hammocks. It was time for some Pimms and swims.
After lounging on the daybeds for a while and a dip in the warm ocean, it was time to explore elsewhere within Smokin Pineapple. Behind the bar is a relaxed lawned area, with casual seating dotted around the space and some hammocks tied to palm trees. There’s also bar snacks and food options on offer if you’re feeling peckish. We found a secluded area separated by some palm trees and whittled away the afternoon with some red sangria filled with fresh fruits and some interesting games of ‘eye-spy with my little eye’.
If you’re the active type, you can arrange various watersports from Smokin Pineapple on the South Beach, including paddleboarding, jetskiing and boating. There’s even a waverider installed for those who like to splash about!
Dinner at Hooked
I first noticed Hooked from the boat transfer the day before and its aesthetic charm drew me straight there for lunch before even checking in. Perched on a little ‘cliff’, it’s hard not to draw your attention. The outdoor area is decorated in a theme remisce of my trip to Turkey: hanging bauble light globes, wooden seating and large round decorations scattered around, which I can only assume must be the Hamsa evil eye. The lighting is charming in the evening, sending a soft glow across the tables.
Hooked would have to be one of the most decadent fresh seafood island restaurants in the region. After visiting for a light lunch the day prior, we did not hold back on the seafood this time.
Canadian lobster.
King prawns.
Grilled octopus.
Fried diced potatoes.
Hooked also have an extensive wine list so naturally we paired these delicious cream-based fresh seafood with a full-bodied and delectably buttery chardonnay. Seated on the outside decking, the weather was calm and warm at 8pm.
At the back of the Hooked dining area is a small bar, where we sat for a digestif and enjoyed recapping the events of the day.
Cocktails at Dusk
The nightlife on Zaya Nurai is not raging but one of the options to kick on with after dinner is at Dusk Bar. From here you can find a seat in their quaint garden or inside overlooking the ocean. As mentioned before, this is a Mexican bar so naturally the margaritas are a must! In keeping with the oversized animal art on the island, don’t miss the bull complete with pink horns and a nose ring at the entrance.
Friday
Morning Beach Swim
Morning calls for a light breakfast in Frangipani on a Friday as you’ll need to keep extra room for the gigantic brunch ahead. We cycled to the restaurant, enjoyed an omelette and some fruit and then took a meandering ride home, down some of the tree lined pathways that we hadn’t yet explored. Again, this can be an unpleasant activity in the belting summer heat, so try and maximise the number of activities available by visiting Zaya Nurai in the winter months.
There was nothing else I was more keen to do on my last morning than go for one last dip in the infinity pool and private beach. We set the umbrellas up for some shade, I took my novel and then we were in and out of the water, bare foot and fancy free.
Check out
Standard check out is 12pm but you can ask for a late one. On a Friday 1pm seems to be the latest, although it’s not really necessary if you’re lining up brunch at Frangipani. We settled the remaining bills and the helpful staff stored our luggage while we floated off to brunch.
Brunch at Frangipani
Who wouldn’t be completely won over by a welcome glass of bubbles, followed shortly by a warm bread basket filled with smoked paprika grissini, crispy lavash breads, Kraft-corn, soft rolls and rye bread and some room temperature butter? These are but the essentials of life!
If you weren’t already completely in love with Frangipani by now, then imagine how you’d feel when the wait staff deliver a platter to your table that contains more sushi and sashimi than you could poke a chopstick at.
All guests have the option to order limitless amounts of their favourite dishes! More sushi anyone?
This is just the beginning of the Frangipani brunch!
What continues, is an afternoon of divine food and a selection of soft drinks, wines, beers, spirits and bubbles, but be sure to pace yourself across the afternoon ‘brunch’, which runs from 12.30 to 4pm.
What else is on the menu at Frangipani Brunch?
Next out are some some more ‘starters’, my favourites being the burrata, chicken tacos and kale and manchego salad. Spend an hour or so grazing at these plates and make sure to leave some time for your tummy to settle before out comes the ‘live barbecue serving’. This includes an Indian Tandoor selection, Malai, pahadi, tika kebabs, Oriental kebabs, Lamb chops, shish tawouk, kofta and beef kebabs, international grills, Sirloin cap and chimichurri prawns. (Help!)
Finally it’s time to order some tea and coffee (or indeed that last glass of sangria) to enjoy with the desserts selction: Red Velvet tower, Creme brulee, seasonal berries tart and ricotta cheese cake.
The staff at Frangipani are attentive and proactive. They filled my glass before I could even raise my hand to get their attention. The food is cooked to perfection and the variety of options will mean that everyone at the table has some delicious options.
Bottom: How we felt after brunch at Frangipani
Boat back to mainland
If you’re staying for the brunch, then I’d recommend catching the 5pm or 6pm boat back to the mainland. The boarding process is simple and the reception staff will ensure all your bags are loaded safely. Alternatively, you could choose to walk off the afternoon’s intake or head out for a nightcap as the sun sets. At the time of writing, boats leave hourly on the hour and the last boat back was at 11pm.
