Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi

It’s a long way, figuratively as well as literally, from the skyscraper hotel featured in Lost in Translation to this beach resort on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. But they’re both Park Hyatts — and if you can ignore the skin-deep differences, you’ll see the similarities more or less sum up what it is that places the Park Hyatts among the world’s best-loved luxury hotels.

First of all, it’s not every day that you find a high-end hotelier — especially in the Emirates — that’s so devoted to tasteful restraint. The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi isn’t exactly a wallflower or a shrinking violet, but considering it’s got over three hundred rooms, this sprawling mid-rise complex keeps a relatively low profile. (Low impact, too, meeting LEED Silver environmental standards.) And while the rooms, suites and villas certainly don’t lack for any comfort, when it comes to the design they’re so restrained you might just about forget where you are — until, if you’re in a Sea View room, a suite, or a villa, you open the blinds and take in a jaw-dropping view of the beach and the waters of the Arabian Gulf.

There’s plenty to do, from the private beach to the outdoor pools, a spa, a tennis club, even Camp Hyatt, the kids’ club. And with three restaurants and three bars it’ll take you some time to eat and drink your way across the hotel before even considering leaving the property. Not that you’ll want to — if there’s one thing the Park Hyatts are famous for, aside from their impeccably palatable styling, it’s the service, which is generally first-rate. Time will tell whether the Middle Eastern Park Hyatt will scale the same heights as those in the Far East, but it’s not a bad beginning.