Rooftop Up & Below in Abu Dhabi

Up & Below: a rooftop pool right in the city centre

On the 12th floor, between the towers

The Courtyard by Marriott adjoins Abu Dhabi's World Trade Center, on Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street, the main shopping street in the centre of the island. Its roof, on the 12th floor, brings together a pool surrounded by sun loungers and cabanas, a terrace sheltered by a pergola, with a counter and high tables, and a largely glazed indoor room. All around, the view stretches between the neighbourhood's skyscrapers, far from the bustle of the street below. The decor stays simple and bright: light floors, white and green furniture, a few plants, nothing to distract from the sky.

During the day, the pool is reserved for hotel guests. In the late afternoon, the roof turns into a lounge open to all, and on some evenings a DJ takes to the decks for livelier parties.

Cocktails and small plates

At the bar, house cocktails, draught beer and wines by the glass or by the bottle. The menu of bites to share stays simple: burgers, flatbreads, chicken wings. “Golden hour” deals and drink-and-plate combos come back almost every evening, enough to stretch the aperitif into sunset.

Practical information

Open every day from late afternoon until 2am; the opening time may change, so it is best to call before coming. Reservations on +971 52 914 1207. Open all year round. Casual dress. Abu Dhabi has no metro: come by taxi, as the hotel stands at the foot of the World Trade Center and its shopping mall.