Abu Dhabi has quietly grown a proper members club scene. What used to mean one storied beach club and a couple of golf courses now stretches from an application-only film house at Marina Mall to a women-only wellness building on Al Reem, family sports clubs, beach clubs you can join on the spot and boat clubs that hand you a whole fleet. This is our updated 2026 guide to the ones worth knowing, what they actually cost and how to get in.
We have grouped them by the kind of membership rather than the postcode, because the real question is not where a club sits, it is whether you want to be vetted, want a family base for the weekend or just want the sea. Prices move and waiting lists open and close, so treat the figures here as a current guide and always confirm directly before you commit.
The Application-Only Set
These are the clubs that decide whether you get in, not the other way around. Expect a form, sometimes a sponsor and usually a wait.
1927
Abu Dhabi’s first serious entry into the members’ house category, built around film, music, dining and a 1920s salon aesthetic. Run by Cinemacity inside Cinemacity Starlight at Marina Mall, the rooms unfold from a dining area into a lounge, a cabaret and the discreet Vault. The open-to-all preview ran through May 2026, and the doors have since closed to a fully application-based house, so you will need to be accepted in rather than just turn up. Our full guide to 1927 walks through the rooms.
Vibe check: the capital’s first proper culture-led members’ house, all mood lighting and deliberate mystery, the catch being that the easy walk-in days are now over.
Location: Cinemacity Starlight, Marina Mall, Al Marina, Abu Dhabi (map)
Contact: Membership applications at 1927.ae
Membership: Application-based and curated. Individual membership has been 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 (formerly the British Club)
Founded in 1962 as the British Club, this is still the capital’s flagship community club, and the answer to most searches for the “British Club Abu Dhabi”. More than sixty years in, it counts around 3,250 adult members from 84 nationalities, with a membership ceiling of 4,500 to keep the place from bursting. You get private beach access, restaurants, sports and a packed junior programme that runs from sailing to street dance.
Vibe check: six decades in and still the expat family’s home away from home, though regulars will quietly tell you the salon and the occasionally over-keen security are the weak spots.
Location: Mina Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (map)
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, or roughly AED 5,000 a year for an adult.
WOW Expert Tip: The Club has been served notice to leave its Mina Saadiyat site by the end of 2026 and has been allocated a smaller plot in the Raha Beach area. A full rebuild could take more than two years, so if you are joining now, ask the membership office directly about the relocation timeline and where you will actually be swimming next season.
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 roof. Think treatment floors, movement studios and quiet lounges rather than padel courts and burgers.
Vibe check: a women-only sanctuary that leans hard into design and quiet, niche and premium in equal measure.
Location: Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi (map)
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.
Family and Lifestyle Memberships
No committee, no sponsor, just a membership fee and a family that wants courts, pools and somewhere to spend the weekend.
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. Family options cover two adults and up to four children under eighteen, so it is built for households rather than solo gym-goers.
Vibe check: a reliable choice for families who want courts and pools without the exclusivity games.
Location: Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi (map)
Contact: +971 2 657 7777; club@adcountryclub.com; adcountryclub.com
Membership: Tiered individual and family memberships, handled on enquiry rather than published rates.
Saadiyat Beach Club
An Aldar-run beach club on Saadiyat Island with pools, a spa, gym, padel and three restaurants. This is open enrolment rather than an application, so it is membership by credit card rather than committee.
Vibe check: polished, family-friendly and genuinely lovely, just be ready for the bill.
Location: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi (map)
Contact: +971 2 656 3500; info.sbc@aldarleisure.com; saadiyatbeachclub.ae
Membership: Annual membership is around AED 20,000, six months about AED 11,000 and a rolling month roughly AED 1,500, across individual, couple and family options. The annual tier adds a 25 percent discount across the restaurants and ten guest day passes.
Nation Riviera Beach Club
The St. Regis beach club on the Corniche, with its own 200-metre stretch of beach, adult and kids’ pools, sunbeds, saunas and wellness facilities. It is the in-town alternative to the island clubs, handy if you live on the Corniche or in Al Bateen and Breakwater and do not want the Saadiyat drive.
Vibe check: a calm, grown-up beach day in the middle of the city, more polished hotel club than rowdy day-club.
Location: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, Corniche, Abu Dhabi (map)
Contact: nationrivierabeachclub.com (memberships via the website)
Membership: Annual and seasonal memberships plus day passes, rates handled on enquiry.
The Golf Memberships
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 on the west shore of Yas Island.
Vibe check: regularly rated among the region’s finest courses, so the real barrier to entry is your handicap and your budget.
Location: West shore of Yas Island, Abu Dhabi (map)
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 with beachfront fairways and an eco-conscious layout on Saadiyat Island.
Vibe check: the prettier, calmer island course, for golfers who would rather play with the sea in view than chase a championship reputation.
Location: Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi (map)
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, so you effectively get two of the country’s best courses on one fee. Worth raising with the Viya Golf membership team before you choose a home club.
On the Water
The Captain’s Club
If “marina club” is really what you are after, this is the closest thing Abu Dhabi has to a membership that puts you on a boat without the headache of owning one. Established in 2016, it runs a fleet of more than 200 boats and yachts across four marinas, Emirates Palace Marina, Yas Marina, Al Qana Marina and Saadiyat Marina, with in-house captains included. For sailors who prefer to own and berth, the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club has been the city’s traditional home since 1985.
Vibe check: all the sea time and none of the maintenance bills, as long as you are happy sharing the fleet rather than having your own berth.
Location: Marinas across Abu Dhabi, including Emirates Palace Marina and Yas Marina (map)
Contact: thecaptainsclub.ae (memberships via the website)
Membership: Monthly boat-club memberships from around AED 1,500, including complimentary captains and access to the full fleet.
Membership at a Glance
| Club | Type | Best for | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Members’ house | Culture, dining and nightlife | ~AED 12,000/yr + AED 3,000 joining |
| The Club | Community beach club | Long-stay expat families | From ~AED 640/month |
| Kintsugi Space | Women-only wellness | Women wanting a wellness base | International tier ~AED 15,000 |
| Abu Dhabi Country Club | Family sports club | Tennis, padel, pools, fitness | Tiered, on enquiry |
| Saadiyat Beach Club | Beach club | Weekend beach days for families | ~AED 20,000/yr or ~AED 1,500/month |
| Nation Riviera Beach Club | Beach club | Corniche beach access in town | On enquiry |
| Yas Links Abu Dhabi | Golf club | Serious golfers | Tiered, on enquiry |
| Saadiyat Beach Golf Club | Golf club | Scenic ocean golf | Tiered, on enquiry |
| The Captain’s Club | Boat club | Time on the water without owning a boat | From ~AED 1,500/month |
How to Choose the Right One
Start with what you actually want from a membership rather than the name on the gate. If you want to be part of a community and you are here for the long haul, The Club is the obvious anchor, with the relocation caveat above. If you want courts and pools for the whole family without a waiting list, Abu Dhabi Country Club is the path of least resistance. If the weekend is really about a sunlounger and the sea, Saadiyat Beach Club and Nation Riviera Beach Club let you join and start tomorrow, one on the island and one in town.
For something more curated, 1927 is the only true members’ house in the city and Kintsugi Space is the only women-only wellness club, so neither has a like-for-like rival yet. Golfers should weigh Yas Links against Saadiyat Beach Golf Club knowing a Full membership bridges both, and anyone whose idea of a club involves a wake rather than a fairway should look at The Captain’s Club. When in doubt, ask each club for a day pass or a trial before you sign, and pair your shortlist with our guide to the best private dining in Abu Dhabi if entertaining is part of the plan.
The main options are the members’ house 1927 at Marina Mall, The Club (formerly the British Club) at Mina Saadiyat, the women-only Kintsugi Space on Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi Country Club, Saadiyat Beach Club, Nation Riviera Beach Club, the Yas Links and Saadiyat Beach golf clubs, and The Captain’s Club for boating.
Yes. The Club was founded in 1962 as the British Club and is still around half British, with members from 84 nationalities. It sits at Mina Saadiyat but has been told to vacate by the end of 2026, with a new plot allocated in the Raha Beach area.
Membership starts from around AED 640 a month, roughly AED 5,000 a year for an adult. You need Abu Dhabi residency to apply, and being sponsored by current members helps.
Individual membership has been listed at AED 12,000 a year plus a AED 3,000 joining fee. Since the open-to-all preview ended in May 2026, entry is application-based, so confirm current terms when you apply at 1927.ae.
Abu Dhabi Country Club is the strongest family all-rounder for courts and pools, while The Club, Saadiyat Beach Club and Nation Riviera Beach Club all offer family memberships with beach access and kids’ programmes.
Yes. Kintsugi Space on Al Reem Island is Abu Dhabi’s first women-only holistic wellness members’ club, set across a seven-storey building.
Annual membership is around AED 20,000, six months about AED 11,000 and a rolling month roughly AED 1,500, with individual, couple and family options and open enrolment rather than an application.
The Captain’s Club offers boat-club membership from around AED 1,500 a month, with a shared fleet across Emirates Palace Marina, Yas Marina, Al Qana Marina and Saadiyat Marina. The Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club is the traditional home for owners who want their own berth.
Final Thought
Abu Dhabi’s club scene is finally varied enough that the right answer depends entirely on you, whether that is a vetted members’ house, a family base with courts and pools, a beach membership you can start tomorrow or a key to a fleet of boats. Pick the one that matches how you actually spend your weekends, confirm the current rate, and you will get far more out of the fee than the postcode on the brochure suggests.
