St. Regis Red Sea Resort Review 2026

Arrival: Seaplane from KAEC

The St. Regis Red Sea Resort is accessible only by seaplane or private yacht - there is no road. The 25-minute seaplane transfer from King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) airport is itself a preview of what follows: the moment the aircraft banks over the archipelago and you see the arrangement of villas on stilts above turquoise water, the scale of what Saudi Arabia has built here becomes apparent.

Landing directly at the resort's seaplane terminal means that check-in is completed before you board - your butler meets you at the dock with a chilled towel and a cold beverage. The first impression is of extraordinary stillness. The Shura Island atoll in which the resort sits absorbs sound. Within minutes of arriving, the pace of wherever you have come from begins to dissolve.

The Overwater Villas

The resort offers 90 villas across several categories - overwater, beach, and a small number of larger pool villa configurations suitable for families or groups. For most guests, the choice is between an overwater villa and a beach villa, and the answer is almost always overwater unless you are travelling with young children.

The overwater villas are among the most accomplished in their category anywhere in the world. The design is contemporary and restrained - pale stone, local timber, and textiles in sand and ivory tones that allow the colour outside to dominate. The private plunge pool occupies a glass-bottomed terrace cantilevered over the water; lying in it at sunset, looking directly down at the reef below, is the image that every photograph of this resort tries to capture and that every photograph undersells.

The villa butler - a dedicated member of staff assigned to each villa throughout the stay - has already unpacked any luggage left at the dock. The minibar is stocked to the preferences recorded during pre-arrival correspondence. The bath has been drawn if a bath was mentioned in any pre-stay communication. The St. Regis butler programme, which has been the brand's differentiating feature since Augustus himself established it in New York in 1904, is executed here at a level that justifies the programme's reputation.

The Reef: Saudi Arabia's Marine Secret

The coral reef directly beneath the overwater villas at the St. Regis Red Sea is in exceptional condition - a consequence of the Red Sea Project's marine conservation mandate, which restricts access to the archipelago and prohibits any activity that would damage reef systems. The water clarity regularly exceeds 25 metres. The fish populations are dense and largely unhabituated to human presence, which means encounters with larger species - rays, reef sharks, grouper of extraordinary size - are routine rather than exceptional.

The resort provides snorkelling equipment of genuinely professional quality, rather than the afterthought masks and fins most island resorts offer. Guided reef tours depart twice daily with a resident marine biologist who knows every significant coral formation and regularly introduces guests to species they have never encountered. For guests who dive, the resort's PADI dive centre operates daily boat dives to deeper sites with wall formations and pelagic species.

This is arguably the strongest aspect of the St. Regis Red Sea experience and the one that most consistently surprises guests who arrive expecting a beautiful but otherwise conventional overwater villa resort. The reef here is extraordinary in a way that is difficult to convey without experiencing it.

Dining

The resort operates four dining venues: a main all-day restaurant with indoor and terrace seating, a beachfront seafood grill, an overwater bar serving small plates at sunset, and an in-villa dining programme that allows any menu item from any venue to be served on the villa terrace by the butler.

The beachfront seafood grill is the standout venue - grilled catch from the day's boat, regional Arabic preparations, and tables positioned close enough to the water that the sound of the lagoon is constant. The wine programme is well-considered given the constraints of Saudi licensing regulations. The all-day restaurant is capable but less distinctive.

The most memorable dining experience is not in any of the venues but on the villa terrace: butler service, a table set to specification, and the Red Sea at night - phosphorescent, still, and lit only by stars. Request this for at least one evening. The resort's team arrange it as a matter of course for guests who ask.

Practical Information