You would be hard pushed to find a bar with a better location and view than Buddha-Bar Beach. Right off the bat it’s impressive as you walk down from the main reception of The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort and meander towards the white sands of Saadiyat beach flanked by palm trees under the warm embrace of the sun.
You enter the chilled dining room and it feels like something inbetween an art gallery and a cool hotel lobby.
Look out the window and you can’t help but stare at the glistening waters of the Gulf that boasts more shades of blue, green and turquoise than you ever thought existed.
It’s pretty mesmerising and there aren’t many better vistas on offer for a casual drink.
The venue is something of a night spot too, and we’re arriving at the cool hangout on a random week night for a beverage or two.
There are people dotted throughout the dining room and on the terrace enjoying a leisurely late-afternoon drink and it would be rude not to join them.
There are a lot of options when it comes to mixed drinks, including all the classics plus a few new concoctions that we’ve never had before, so of course we order a couple of those to try.
There’s a touch of class to the whole place, from the comfortable yet sometimes unorthodox seating to the polite staff and, of course, the setting.
Our drinks arrive with some mixed nuts and we kick back and let the stress of our nine-to-five existence drift away like the ocean on the horizon.
The drinks, expertly crafted by the barman, are picturesque themselves, cueing a couple of quick Instagram posts.
But don’t judge us too harshly, it’s pretty much mandatory these days, right?
The Donatello is a juniper berry- based drink with blood orange and eucalyptus cordial, while the Care Bear is a nice mix of cranberry, strawberry, hibiscus and vanilla foam.
Having spent so long staring at the sea we start to feel peckish and comfortably demolish a bowl of edamame beans with ease.
We already love this place and having sneaked a look at the sliders and sushi coming past our table we look forward to returning for a bigger bite to eat. While enjoying our drinks and watching the sun set, we wonder if it gets any better than this?
WHAT IS IT…
A picturesque beach-facing bar and restaurant on Saadiyat
WHY GO…
For the love of Instagram, of course
