Qaryat Al Hidd

Qaryat Al Hidd, Hidd Al Saadiyat — Community Guide (2026)

Development: Qaryat Al Hidd — low-rise apartment community

Area: Saadiyat Island

District: Hidd Al Saadiyat

Emirate: Abu Dhabi

Developer: Saadiyat Development and Investment Company (SDIC)

Architects: B+H Architects

Project management and design scope: Drees & Sommer — master planning, urban design, landscape design, architecture and interior design

Main contractor: Shapoorji Pallonji Middle East

Buildings: 17 low-rise buildings across 17 plots

Storeys: 4 to 5

Apartments: Published figures differ — see the note below

Property types: One, two, three and four-bedroom apartments

Zones: Three themed communities — Sunrise Residences, Garden Residences and Sunset Residences

Total site area: 220,500 sqm

Gross floor area: Approximately 200,000 sqm

Construction: Commenced 1 February 2019 on a 30-month programme

Status: Completed and ready to occupy — confirm current availability with Address Point Properties

Ownership: Freehold, available to buyers of all nationalities

Qaryat Al Hidd Overview

Qaryat Al Hidd is a low-rise apartment community within Hidd Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island, developed by Saadiyat Development and Investment Company. It occupies 17 plots with 17 buildings of four to five storeys across a total site area of 220,500 square metres and roughly 200,000 square metres of gross floor area.

What makes it worth understanding separately is that it is an apartment community inside a district otherwise defined by large villas. Hidd Al Saadiyat is known for the island’s biggest plots and most private waterfront homes. Qaryat Al Hidd sits within that same district but does something different — one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments in low-rise buildings, at a scale and price point the villas do not reach.

The community is arranged in three themed zones: Sunrise Residences, Garden Residences and Sunset Residences, connected by landscaped gardens and pedestrian routes. Construction began on 1 February 2019 on a thirty-month programme, placing completion around mid-2021, and the development is now built and occupied.

Qaryat Al Hidd is Hidd Al Saadiyat’s apartment community — 17 low-rise buildings of four to five storeys arranged in three garden-linked zones, offering a freehold route into a district otherwise made of large private villas.

Location and Setting in Hidd Al Saadiyat

Hidd Al Saadiyat occupies the eastern end of Saadiyat Island, the quietest and most residential part of it. The district was planned around privacy and generous plots rather than around footfall, which gives Qaryat Al Hidd an unusual position: apartment living inside a low-density, largely villa setting.

That is a genuinely different proposition from the island’s other apartment stock. The buildings of Saadiyat Grove sit inside a retail and entertainment quarter, and Mamsha Al Saadiyat is a beachfront promenade with cafés along it. Qaryat Al Hidd offers neither the retail density of the first nor the promenade activity of the second — what it offers instead is quiet.

The rest of the island remains accessible. The Saadiyat Cultural District and its institutions — Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum among them — are a short drive west, as are Saadiyat Beach and the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. The Abrahamic Family House and Manarat Al Saadiyat sit within the same stretch.

The Qaryat Al Hidd Community

The development is organised into three named zones — Sunrise Residences, Garden Residences and Sunset Residences — with landscaped gardens and pedestrian routes running between them. The design intent, as described by the project team, was flowing landscapes and ornamental gardens connecting the zones to improve pedestrian accessibility and comfort.

Keeping the buildings to four or five storeys across 17 plots rather than concentrating the same floor area into fewer, taller blocks is the defining decision here. It produces more ground-level landscape, shorter walks between buildings and amenities, and a lower-density feel consistent with the surrounding district. It also means no building dominates the others, and the garden space between them is usable rather than residual.

Qaryat Al Hidd Apartment Types

The development offers four formats:

• One-bedroom apartments
• Two-bedroom apartments
• Three-bedroom apartments
• Four-bedroom apartments

The inclusion of four-bedroom apartments is notable. Most apartment stock on Saadiyat stops at three, and four-bedroom units are generally found only in penthouses or branded buildings at a much higher price point. For a family wanting apartment living with genuine space, the format is uncommon on the island.

A note on the published unit count

Two figures are in circulation from sources connected to the project, and they do not agree. The project’s own material states over 900 apartments; Drees & Sommer, which lists the scheme among its projects, states over 1,100. Both exceed 900 and the difference is roughly 200 units.

The most likely explanation is that the figures were recorded at different points in the design programme, or that one counts a scheme stage the other does not. Rather than pick a number, this guide presents both. Anyone needing a precise count — or, more usefully, the number of units actually available — should get it from Address Point Properties, since the available figure matters more than the built one.

Qaryat Al Hidd Amenities

The community provides:

• Swimming pools
• Fitness centre
• Children’s play zones
• Landscaped gardens and ornamental planting throughout
• Barbecue areas
• Beach access
• Retail outlets
• Dining facilities
• Schools

The amenity set is residential rather than aspirational — pools, a gym, play areas, barbecue space and gardens, with retail and dining on site for daily needs rather than as a destination. In a district with no retail quarter of its own, having shops and food within the community matters more than it would elsewhere on the island.

Beach access is part of the offer, and in the context of Hidd Al Saadiyat — a waterfront district — that is a meaningful inclusion for an apartment buyer. Villa owners in the district have their own shoreline; apartment residents have access through the community.

Who Qaryat Al Hidd Suits

Qaryat Al Hidd answers a specific question: how to live in Hidd Al Saadiyat without buying a villa. The district’s villa stock sits at the top of Saadiyat’s market, and for a household that wants the location, the quiet and the waterfront setting but not the plot size or the price, this is the only route in.

The apartment mix points at families. One-bedroom units serve single professionals and investors, but the three and four-bedroom formats — unusual in island apartment stock — alongside children’s play zones, on-site schools and landscaped gardens indicate a community built for households rather than for short-term lets.

Buyers wanting retail density and nightlife on the doorstep are better served by Saadiyat Grove; those wanting the beachfront promenade by Mamsha Al Saadiyat. Those wanting space above all should look at the district’s villas or at Saadiyat Lagoons.

Healthcare Near Qaryat Al Hidd

Two primary-care clinics serve the island: Burjeel by the Beach Clinic and HealthPlus Family Clinic Saadiyat Island. Both sit towards the island’s western side, so the drive from Hidd Al Saadiyat is longer than from the Grove or the Cultural District.

Hospital care, emergency admission and specialist surgery mean crossing to Al Maryah Island, where Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi sits. Allow longer than from the island’s western districts. Clinic hours, specialities and insurance network coverage change and should be confirmed with each facility directly.

Schools Near Qaryat Al Hidd

The community includes schools within its own amenity provision, which is unusual and worth confirming in detail — on-site schooling materially changes the daily logistics for a family. Cranleigh Abu Dhabi remains the island’s principal school, running a British curriculum from early years through sixth form in the Saadiyat Beach District, and NYU Abu Dhabi provides university-level education in the Saadiyat Marina District.

Families needing American, IB or Indian curricula look to the mainland or Al Reem Island. Current provision within the community, together with fees, waiting lists and inspection ratings for any school, should be confirmed directly. Address Point Properties can clarify what schooling is operating on site.

Getting Around from Qaryat Al Hidd

By Car

Hidd Al Saadiyat sits at the island’s eastern end, which makes it the furthest point from the mainland bridges. Central Abu Dhabi is reachable via the Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, with the drive longer than from the Saadiyat Marina District at the island’s western tip. Yas Island and Zayed International Airport are reached on the same network. The trade-off for the district’s quiet is a few extra minutes on every journey off the island.

By Bus

Abu Dhabi’s public bus network serves Saadiyat Island. Coverage is strongest around the Cultural District and the island’s western residential areas, so residents at the eastern end should check current routes and stop locations against the Integrated Transport Centre, which revises timetables periodically.

On Foot and By Bicycle

Within the community, pedestrian connectivity was an explicit design objective — the zones are linked by gardens and walkways rather than by roads, and the low-rise form keeps distances short. Beyond the community, the island carries walkways and cycle paths, though the Cultural District institutions are a drive rather than a walk from this end of the island.

Qaryat Al Hidd Sale Prices

No developer price list is published for Qaryat Al Hidd, and this guide does not quote one. The community is complete and occupied, which means the relevant market is resale rather than off-plan — and resale pricing moves with what is actually listed at any given moment.

On positioning: apartment stock in Hidd Al Saadiyat is scarce, because the district is overwhelmingly villas. That scarcity tends to support values, but it also means there are few direct comparables within the district and pricing is often benchmarked against apartment stock elsewhere on the island instead.* The four-bedroom format in particular has very little to compare against.

For current asking prices, what has actually transacted, and which units are available, contact Address Point Properties for exact pricing information. On a resale-only community this is the only reliable source — there is no developer launch price to work from.

Qaryat Al Hidd Rental Prices

No published rental schedule exists. Rental demand in Hidd Al Saadiyat draws on households wanting the district’s quiet and waterfront setting without buying into it, and the larger apartment formats tend to attract longer tenancies from families rather than the shorter cycles typical of studio and one-bedroom stock.* The distance from the bridges is the counterweight for tenants commuting daily to the mainland.

Achievable rent on a specific apartment depends on zone, floor, outlook and furnishing. Address Point Properties can give current achievable rents and realistic yield expectations unit by unit.

Qaryat Al Hidd Investment Perspective

The case rests on scarcity of type rather than scarcity of location. Saadiyat has a good deal of apartment stock, but almost none of it is in Hidd Al Saadiyat, and the district is not being rezoned to add more. An apartment buyer wanting this particular district has a very short list, and that structural scarcity is the clearest support for values here.

Second, the format. Four-bedroom apartments are rare across the island, and a family wanting that much space in an apartment rather than a villa has limited alternatives at any price. Narrow supply against a real if modest demand is generally a sound position.

Third, completion. The community is built and occupied, which removes construction and handover risk entirely — a material difference from the island’s off-plan branded stock such as Nobu Residences Saadiyat or Mandarin Oriental Residences Saadiyat. What is bought is what is seen.

Against that, three qualifiers. The district’s distance from the bridges lengthens every commute. Thin comparables make valuation harder than in a district with deep transaction data. And because the community is complete, there is no developer payment plan — purchases are conventional resale transactions. Establish the service charge, the building’s maintenance record and recent transacted prices before committing. Address Point Properties can obtain all three.

Saadiyat is a designated investment zone, so the apartments are freehold and available to buyers of all nationalities, with investment above the relevant threshold falling within scope of the UAE’s long-term residency framework. Thresholds and conditions are set federally and change, so confirm current eligibility rather than assuming it.

Qaryat Al Hidd within Hidd Al Saadiyat — Comparison

Hidd Al Saadiyat is made up of several phases, and Qaryat Al Hidd is the outlier among them.

• Qaryat Al Hidd — the district’s apartment community. 17 low-rise buildings, one to four bedrooms, three garden-linked zones, complete and occupied.
• Al Seef, Ras Al Hidd and Al Suhoul — the district’s villa phases, offering the large private plots and waterfront frontage Hidd Al Saadiyat is known for.

Against the island’s other apartment communities, the contrast is sharper still. Grove Museum Views and the branded buildings of Saadiyat Grove sit inside a retail and entertainment quarter. Nobu Residences Saadiyat and the Mamsha Al Saadiyat stock are beachfront promenade addresses. Louvre Abu Dhabi Residences and Baccarat Residences Saadiyat are branded product at the top of the market. Qaryat Al Hidd competes with none of them directly — it offers quiet, space and completion rather than brand, retail or beachfront activity.

For buyers still choosing between islands, the Al Reem Island vs Saadiyat Island and Yas Island vs Saadiyat Island comparisons cover the wider decision.

Qaryat Al Hidd FAQs

How many apartments are in Qaryat Al Hidd?

Published figures differ. The project’s own material states over 900 apartments, while Drees & Sommer, which lists the scheme among its projects, states over 1,100. Both figures come from parties connected to the development, and the gap is roughly 200 units. The most likely explanation is that they were recorded at different points in the design programme, or that one counts a stage or component the other excludes. This guide presents both rather than selecting one, because there is no basis for preferring either. What matters more to a buyer in any case is how many units are currently available rather than how many were built — and on a completed, resale-only community that number changes constantly. Address Point Properties can confirm current availability.

Is Qaryat Al Hidd apartments or villas?

Apartments. This is the single most common misunderstanding about the development, because Hidd Al Saadiyat as a district is known for large private villas on generous waterfront plots, and buyers reasonably assume everything within it follows that pattern. Qaryat Al Hidd does not. It comprises 17 low-rise buildings of four to five storeys offering one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, arranged in three themed zones — Sunrise Residences, Garden Residences and Sunset Residences — connected by landscaped gardens and pedestrian routes. It is, in effect, the apartment option within a villa district, and that is precisely what makes it worth considering separately. Address Point Properties can explain how it sits against the district’s villa phases.

Who developed Qaryat Al Hidd?

Saadiyat Development and Investment Company — SDIC — is the developer. This distinguishes it from the majority of Saadiyat Island’s residential stock, which is developed by Aldar. B+H Architects are credited as architects, with Drees & Sommer involved across master planning, urban design, landscape design, architecture and interior design, and Shapoorji Pallonji Middle East as main contractor. Construction commenced on 1 February 2019 on a thirty-month programme, placing completion around the middle of 2021. The development is now built and occupied. Because the developer differs from Aldar, the handover standards, service charge structure and management arrangements are not the same as on Aldar communities elsewhere on the island — worth establishing before purchase. Address Point Properties can confirm the current position.

How big is the development?

The scheme occupies 17 plots with a total site area of 220,500 square metres and approximately 200,000 square metres of gross floor area, across 17 buildings of four to five storeys each. Spreading that floor area across 17 low-rise buildings rather than concentrating it into fewer taller blocks is the defining design decision: it produces substantially more ground-level landscape, keeps walking distances between buildings and amenities short, and maintains a low-density character consistent with the surrounding villa district. It also means no single building dominates, and the garden space between them functions as usable amenity rather than leftover ground. The three zones — Sunrise, Garden and Sunset Residences — are connected by that landscaping and by pedestrian routes rather than by internal roads.

What amenities does the community have?

The community provides swimming pools, a fitness centre, children’s play zones, landscaped gardens with ornamental planting throughout, barbecue areas, beach access, retail outlets, dining facilities and schools. The set is residential rather than aspirational — built around daily living rather than around destination facilities. That emphasis matters more here than it would elsewhere on Saadiyat, because Hidd Al Saadiyat has no retail quarter of its own in the way Saadiyat Grove does, so having shops and food within the community covers needs that would otherwise require a drive. Beach access is a meaningful inclusion for apartment buyers in a waterfront district where villa owners have their own shoreline. Address Point Properties can confirm which facilities are currently operating.

Can foreigners buy in Qaryat Al Hidd?

Yes. The apartments are freehold and available to buyers of all nationalities. Saadiyat Island is one of Abu Dhabi’s designated investment zones, which means property there is not restricted to UAE and GCC nationals as land outside the investment zones is, and buyers of any nationality can acquire on a freehold basis. Property investment above the relevant threshold also brings the buyer within scope of the UAE’s long-term residency framework, which is a material consideration for many overseas purchasers. Thresholds, qualifying conditions and the documentation required are set by federal authority and have changed more than once, so current eligibility should be confirmed before it is relied upon rather than assumed from older guidance. Address Point Properties can confirm the present position and handle the purchase.

Is the development complete?

Yes. Construction began on 1 February 2019 on a thirty-month programme, which places completion around the middle of 2021, and the development is built and occupied. For a buyer this removes construction and handover risk entirely — a material difference from Saadiyat’s off-plan branded developments, where handover dates frequently go unpublished and timelines move. What is viewed is what is purchased: the finish, the landscaping, the service standard and the condition of the common areas can all be inspected rather than taken on trust. The corollary is that there is no developer payment plan — purchases are conventional resale transactions requiring conventional financing. Address Point Properties can confirm current availability, the service charge position and the building’s maintenance record.

What are the three zones?

The development is organised into Sunrise Residences, Garden Residences and Sunset Residences. The names reflect orientation and setting, and the zones are connected by landscaped gardens and pedestrian routes rather than separated by roads — the project team described the intent as flowing landscapes and ornamental gardens connecting the zones to improve pedestrian accessibility and comfort. In practice the zoning gives the community internal variety across a site that would otherwise read as uniform, and the orientation differences mean aspect and light vary between them. Which zone suits a given buyer depends on preferred outlook and time of day — a west-facing apartment in Sunset Residences offers something different from an east-facing one in Sunrise. Address Point Properties can advise on availability and aspect within each zone.

How far is it from the rest of Saadiyat Island?

Hidd Al Saadiyat occupies the island’s eastern end, making it the furthest residential district from the mainland bridges. The Saadiyat Cultural District and its institutions — Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum — are a short drive west, as are Saadiyat Beach, the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and the island’s two primary-care clinics. Central Abu Dhabi is reached via the Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, with the journey longer than from the Saadiyat Marina District at the island’s western tip. That extra distance is the trade-off for the district’s quiet and low density, and whether it is worth making depends largely on how often a household commutes off the island. For daily mainland commuters it is a genuine consideration; for those working on the island or remotely it matters very little.

How does it compare with apartments in Saadiyat Grove?

They serve different buyers almost entirely. Saadiyat Grove apartments sit inside a retail, dining and entertainment quarter, with the island’s main shopping on the doorstep and the Cultural District museums walkable — an urban proposition within an island setting, and the location of most of Saadiyat’s branded stock. Qaryat Al Hidd offers the opposite: a low-rise, low-density community in the island’s quietest district, built around gardens and pedestrian routes, with on-site retail covering daily needs rather than serving as a destination. It also offers four-bedroom apartments, a format largely absent from Grove stock outside penthouses. The practical question is whether a household wants activity and walkability to retail, or space and quiet with a longer drive to everything. Address Point Properties can compare current availability and pricing across both.

Qaryat Al Hidd Summary

Qaryat Al Hidd is the apartment community within Hidd Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island, developed by Saadiyat Development and Investment Company with B+H Architects, Drees & Sommer across master planning and design, and Shapoorji Pallonji Middle East as main contractor. It comprises 17 low-rise buildings of four to five storeys across 17 plots, on a site of 220,500 square metres with approximately 200,000 square metres of gross floor area, arranged in three garden-linked zones — Sunrise, Garden and Sunset Residences. Apartments run from one to four bedrooms, the four-bedroom format being rare in island apartment stock. Published unit counts differ between sources connected to the project, at over 900 and over 1,100, and this guide presents both rather than selecting one. Amenities include swimming pools, a fitness centre, children’s play zones, landscaped gardens, barbecue areas, beach access, retail, dining and schools. Construction ran from February 2019 on a thirty-month programme and the development is complete and occupied, so purchases are resale transactions without construction or handover risk. Healthcare runs through two island clinics with hospital care on Al Maryah Island; Cranleigh Abu Dhabi is the island’s principal school. The apartments are freehold and open to buyers of all nationalities. For current availability, pricing and service charges, contact Address Point Properties.

Enquire About Qaryat Al Hidd

Address Point Properties transacts across Saadiyat Island, including the island’s less widely covered communities. Apartment stock in Hidd Al Saadiyat is scarce and the market here is resale-only, which makes current availability harder to track than on the island’s launched developments. For what is available now, what it costs, the service charge position and realistic rental expectations, speak to the team.

Message Address Point Properties on WhatsApp  or visit  approperties.ae.

All prices, yields and market observations marked with an asterisk (*) are indicative only, derived from market research, and are subject to change without notice. They do not constitute an offer, a valuation or financial advice. Development specifications, unit configurations, amenities and service charges are subject to change. Information in this guide reflects publicly available developer and project-team material at the time of writing; where published figures conflict, both are stated rather than one being selected. Prospective buyers and tenants should verify all details with Address Point Properties before making any decision. Use of this guide is subject to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.