Mana-mana

Hi folks! I have a couple of quick questions about getting membership of a decent beach club for myself and my wife;

1. Which are the good clubs?
2. Are they over-subscribed / have they got waiting lists?
3. If there are waiting lists, can we get on them now (several months ahead of arrival)?
4. How do you get members to sponsor you (if required) if you're brand new in town?

Thanks in advance for any help!

busybee2

people use health and fitness club, ad golf club, hiltonia, sheraton it all depends on what you want
yes the club you will wait at least 1 year for family membership
you cannot get on until you have a visa.
you have to ask around.

Mana-mana

Cheers BB. Do you know whether any of the hotel clubs offer sailing lessons?

seven seas

sailing- The British Club
Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club (unsure about hte name)

Millhouse

can you tell us where the beach is at the health and fitness club?

Millhouse

There are no decent beach clubs in AD.

The "best" is the Hiltonia. However, this beach opens to the same pool of jet ski churned mess as the public beach and you are crammed in like sardines in a tin. The public beach has good facilities and the sunbeds are nicely seperated.

We joined the Rotana for about 3 months. Facilities are great, beach is awful - overlooks massive construction.

They will all tell you that they have waiting lists several months long... they don't. I registered with two and both called in under a month.

busybee2

sailing the club, but you have to be a member and then you have to pay extra to do the sailing, best place to do it is at the marina (just opp marina mall) they do a course of sailing for 8 weeks something like 800 dhs, you can hire sailing boats etc from them, the other places are for emiratis only.

busybee2

ok ok funny yes not a beach club per say!!! unless you bring your own sand.

busybee2

yes the hotels you are more likely to get in, the club nope unless you are single you will have to wait it depends on the demographics family size, company, nationality etc.

there are no nice beaches any more, the big I used to have the best beach, but now opp construction site, hiltonia opp jet skis/boats and public beach next door but because they have made the beach they used the wrong type of sand and it can at times turn to mud. beach hotel opp construction side and in the near future more bridges being built both sides once al salam st finishes is roadworks. the club opp mina port and opp nice big electric pylons, sheraton used to have a nice beach until they built the new corniche road, and now its a lagoon. raha beach used to be good when public but now raha beach hotel on it and opp construction site, yas island hotels but no beach! EM so not really any hotel with really nice beach

Mana-mana

If we can get by without the beach (we can), what's the Golf Club like? Do they have other ameneties like a decent pool, tennis courts, gym etc?

busybee2

golf club very expensive. was full of peeps coming from raha gardens as they have no pool there.

near a building site, as they have built villas on part of the golf course, they are building a hotel on site, and also 32 high rises not far away, and other buildings on the other side too.

they used to have lovely tennis courts but they dug that up for the car park and golf gardens, gym is ok. pool is ok.

soukie

Let's face it Abu Dhabi has been ruined over the last 5 years.

busybee2

yep

Millhouse

I used to love Al Raha, until they reclaimed in front of it.

The best beach is the public beach - water is crap though. We used to take mini there all the time... but he wasn't allowed in the water.

Thankfully, we had our own pool.

busybee2

yep quick mud