Published: 24 June 2026
There is a particular pleasure in waking to the sound of the sea rather than the city, and finding that the comforts you have grown accustomed to have followed you there. On Hudayriyat Island, just twenty minutes from the centre of Abu Dhabi, that experience has been given a permanent home.
Bab Al Nojoum Hudayriyat, operated by Mawarid Hotels and Hospitality, is the island's sole luxury camping and glamping destination, and the only address of its kind on an island that has been master-planned, from the outset, as one of the emirate's most ambitious leisure destinations.
All About Bab Al Nojoum
Bab Al Nojoum occupies the coastal edge of Hudayriyat with a range of 124 accommodation options, each positioned to make the most of the island's beach frontage and open skies. The offer spans an impressive spectrum, from converted vintage camper vans to overwater villas of Maldivian inspiration. It is a range that speaks to the resort's understanding that luxury, in this context, is as much about atmosphere as it is about square footage.
At the upper end, Private Pool Villas deliver a beachfront experience of genuine seclusion. Overwater versions extend the drama further, placing guests directly above the Arabian Gulf with plunge pools, sun loungers and unobstructed ocean views. Luxury Chalet Tents, measuring 52 square metres and accommodating up to eight guests, offer a more grounded form of resort living. They are fully furnished and equipped with modern appliances while retaining the charm of a canvas structure by the sea. The Duplex Tents introduce a vertical element: two-storey structures with an upper-floor balcony designed specifically for stargazing, and direct access to the water below. For those drawn to a more intimate or idiosyncratic experience, the Plush Wagons and Retro Camper Vans — stylishly converted vintage vehicles sleeping two, with kitchenettes and air conditioning — offer something closer to a private world.
Dining and Evenings
The culinary offer at Bab Al Nojoum is distributed along the beachfront in a way that feels organic rather than orchestrated. Akawa, the resort's seafront Arabic-fusion restaurant, sets a refined tone for evening dining, with the water and the light doing much of the atmospheric work. A different mood prevails at 25 Minutes to Tulum, the Mexico-inspired beach club that runs from morning through to the early hours; it is colourful and deliberately at odds with the pace of the working week. For those seeking something more private still, the resort arranges starlit beach barbecues and floating breakfasts served inside private pools, the kind of bespoke gesture that distinguishes a hospitality experience from a mere stay.
Days on the Island
The activity offering at Bab Al Nojoum reflects the wider character of Hudayriyat Island: a place designed, at its core, around movement and the outdoors. On the water, non-motorised options including kayaking, paddle boating and stand-up paddleboarding provide an unhurried way to engage with the coastline. On land, an open-air beach cinema with bean bag seating offers evening entertainment of a more contemplative kind, while beach bonfires extend the night naturally. Tennis, volleyball and badminton courts serve those who prefer their leisure more structured.
Beyond the resort's own boundaries, the Hudayriyat Leisure and Entertainment District provides a broader canvas. A BMX track, Skate Park, Splash Park, the Circuit X high ropes course and an obstacle course at OCR Park are all accessible, making the island a genuinely comprehensive destination for active visitors. Hudayriyat was master-planned by Modon Properties with precisely this breadth in mind, and the integration of Bab Al Nojoum within that framework gives the resort a depth of offer that a standalone destination could not replicate.
A Note on Exclusivity
Hudayriyat Island's coastal camping zone is designated exclusively to Bab Al Nojoum. Independent or wild camping is not permitted anywhere on the island. This is a function of the island's master plan rather than a restriction, and it has a practical benefit for guests: the experience here is managed, thoughtful and protected in a way that more informal alternatives are not. The natural habitat is preserved. The atmosphere remains consistent. And the sense of having found something genuinely apart from the city despite being twenty minutes from its centre, remains intact.
The Appeal
What Bab Al Nojoum represents, at its most essential, is a particular kind of balance: the freedom and sensory immediacy of sleeping outdoors, held within a framework of genuine comfort and considered hospitality. In a city as dynamic as Abu Dhabi, and on an island as deliberately conceived as Hudayriyat, that balance is both rare and well-placed. For residents and visitors alike, it offers something the city itself cannot: the experience of the night sky, the sound of the water, and the assurance that everything else has been taken care of.
