For years the answer to “where do you actually go to be a member of something in the UAE” was Dubai. Soho House, The Arts Club, the DIFC crowd. Abu Dhabi had sports clubs and beach clubs, but nothing that felt like a proper members’ house.
That is changing. With 1927 opening inside Marina Mall, the capital finally has a culture-led members’ club of its own, and it sits alongside a quietly strong line-up of legacy clubs, island golf and lifestyle memberships. Here is the honest 2026 map of where to join in Abu Dhabi, who each place is really for and what it takes to get in.
The Application-Only Set
These are the clubs where you do not simply pay and walk in. There is a form, sometimes a sponsor and a quiet nod from the membership team before you are in.
1927
Abu Dhabi’s first serious entry into the members’ house category, built around film, music, dining and a 1920s salon aesthetic of dark wood, deep colour and brass. It is operated by Cinemacity and lives inside Cinemacity Starlight at Marina Mall, with rooms that unfold from a dining area to a lounge, a cabaret and the discreet Vault. We have the full walkthrough in our guide to 1927.
Vibe check: Early word frames it as the capital’s first proper culture-led members’ house, all mood lighting and deliberate mystery, the catch being that once the public preview ends you will need to be accepted in rather than just turn up.
Location: Cinemacity Starlight, Marina Mall, Al Marina, Abu Dhabi
Contact: Membership applications at 1927.ae; preview tickets at the Cinemacity Starlight box office
Membership: Application-based and curated. Individual membership is listed on the application portal at AED 12,000 a year plus a AED 3,000 joining fee, so confirm the current terms when you apply.
The Club
The grand old name of Abu Dhabi social life, more than sixty years in and still the capital’s flagship expat community club, with 3,000-plus members, beach access, restaurants, sports and a packed events calendar. It runs on residency and word of mouth more than exclusivity for its own sake.
Vibe check: Six decades in, it is still the expat family’s home away from home for beach days and long lunches, though regulars will quietly tell you the salon and the occasionally over-keen security are the weak spots.
Location: Currently at Mina Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (a move to a new Al Raha Beach home is planned, see the tip below)
Contact: membership@the-club.com; the-club.com
Membership: Application-based, requires Abu Dhabi residency, and being sponsored by current members helps. Rates start from around AED 640 a month.
WOW Expert Tip: The Club is moving from Mina Saadiyat to a new home in the Al Raha Beach area, targeted for late 2026. If you are joining now, ask the membership team which site you will actually be using before you pay, so you are not signing up for a location that is about to change.
Kintsugi Space
Abu Dhabi’s first women-only holistic wellness members’ club, spread across a seven-storey building on Al Reem Island and blending Western and Eastern healing under one calm, design-led roof. This is the wellness end of the members’ club spectrum rather than the late-night one.
Vibe check: A women-only sanctuary that leans hard into design and quiet, niche and premium in equal measure, and a genuinely different proposition from anything else in the city.
Location: Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: kintsugispace.com (enquiries via the website)
Membership: Membership-based. A non-residential international tier has been listed at around AED 15,000, with local tiers handled on enquiry.
The Lifestyle and Sports Memberships
No committee, no sponsor. These you join because you want the courts, the course or the beach, and the membership is essentially a season-long pass to a very good facility.
Abu Dhabi Country Club
Open since 1999, this is the capital’s dependable family all-rounder, with tennis, padel, pools, fitness and wellness under one membership. Less scene, more weekend routine.
Vibe check: A reliable choice for families who want courts and pools without the exclusivity games, the sort of place you use every week rather than save for a big night.
Location: Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi
Contact: +971 2 657 7777; club@adcountryclub.com; adcountryclub.com
Membership: Tiered memberships handled on enquiry rather than published rates.
Yas Links Abu Dhabi
The Middle East’s first true links course and a fixture on the region’s best-course lists, with a clubhouse, gym and pool to match. If you are a serious golfer on the islands, this is the membership to want.
Vibe check: Regularly rated among the region’s finest courses, so the real barrier to entry is your handicap and your budget rather than a membership committee.
Location: West shore of Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: Membership team via viyagolf.com
Membership: Application-based across Full, Weekday, Young Professional and Corporate tiers, with fees handled on enquiry.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
The region’s first ocean course, a Gary Player design, and the scenic, slightly quieter counterpoint to Yas Links. Beachfront fairways and an eco-conscious layout make it a favourite for players who want the view as much as the round.
Vibe check: The prettier, calmer island course, and a strong pick if you would rather play with the sea in view than chase a championship reputation.
Location: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: Membership team via viyagolf.com
Membership: Individual and Family options across Full, Weekday, Young Professional and Corporate tiers, fees on enquiry.
WOW Expert Tip: A Full membership at either Yas Links or Saadiyat Beach Golf Club includes weekday access to the other. If you split your time between the islands, the Full tier quietly doubles your home courses for one fee.
Saadiyat Beach Club
The lifestyle membership of the group, an Aldar-run beach club with pools, spa, gym, padel and dining on one of the city’s best stretches of sand. Open enrolment rather than an application, so the only test is your appetite for the fee.
Vibe check: Polished, family-friendly and genuinely lovely, just be ready for the bill, this is membership by credit card rather than committee.
Location: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: +971 2 656 3500; info.sbc@aldarleisure.com; saadiyatbeachclub.ae
Membership: Six and twelve-month memberships for individuals, couples and families, plus rolling monthly options, from around AED 2,300.
How to Choose the Right One
Think about what you actually want from membership. If it is evenings, atmosphere and a room that feels like a secret, 1927 is the only one of its kind in the capital right now. If it is family weekends, beach days and a community, The Club and Abu Dhabi Country Club have decades of practice. If it is sport, the island golf clubs and Saadiyat Beach Club are pay-and-play in spirit. And if it is wellness and quiet, Kintsugi Space stands alone.
Abu Dhabi’s members clubs range from the new culture-led 1927 house at Marina Mall to The Club at Mina Saadiyat, Kintsugi Space women-only wellness club on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi Country Club in Al Mushrif, the Yas Links and Saadiyat Beach golf clubs and Saadiyat Beach Club.
Membership is application-based and curated. Individual membership is listed on the 1927 application portal at AED 12,000 a year plus a AED 3,000 joining fee, so it is best to confirm the current terms directly when you apply at 1927.ae.
The Club is application-based and requires Abu Dhabi residency. Being sponsored by current members helps your application, and rates start from around AED 640 a month.
The Club and Abu Dhabi Country Club are the strongest family all-rounders, with pools, courts, dining and events. Saadiyat Beach Club is a polished family-friendly beach option on open enrolment.
Yes. Kintsugi Space on Al Reem Island is Abu Dhabi’s first women-only holistic wellness members’ club, spread across a seven-storey building and built around design-led calm.
Final Thought
Abu Dhabi has spent years being the city you left for Dubai when you wanted to join something. With 1927 open and the islands’ clubs maturing, that excuse is gone. The capital’s members’ scene is finally worth belonging to.
