Zerotwonine

029 visited Abu Dhabi this past weekend for a location scouting trip. And let me tell you, there was MUCH to scout. Although Abu Dhabi is not in a building frenzy like Dubai, there is still plenty of new and exciting projects being built in the Emirate. It wasn’t all work though, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority planned the perfect mixture between business and fun. Just exactly like 029.

We started off from Frankfurt, where we were nicely surprised with an upgrade from Etihad’s Coral Economy Class to their Pearl Business Class. No complaints here. After relaxing in their new, chic & stylish lounge at the Frankfurt Airport, it was time to jet off to Abu Dhabi.

Voyage to Abu Dhabi

Etihad’s Business Class (on the Airbus 330) has flat beds. The entertainment system is the same for all classes (first, business & eco) and there was a plethora of movies, music, games and additional features to keep one occupied on the 6.5 hour flight (I personally like to watch where the plane is going). Another cool feature was the camera - there was a camera mounted on the front and bottom of the plane and the live video feed could be watch on your monitor. Good way to make sure that the pilots lands in the middle of the runway! Amenity kits, which doubled as an over-the-shoulder bag, were also very nice…I also couldn’t find fault with the inclusion of a bottle of VOSS - Norwegian Artesian water. And the in-seat massage actually massaged. Service was good, attentive, but not overly intrusive. Cuisine was also good, not amazing, but the homemade tri-combo bread (see pic below) was a welcomed departure from the flavourless rolls one is normally given.

After disembarking, doing the necessary passport control/baggage fetching/smiling as you stroll through customs, I was hit with a wall…of HEAT. Even at 23:50, it was still about 33°C. And after arriving from 20°C Germany, the temperature contrast was extreme and painful. Thankfully our taxis were air-conditioned, which was wonderful for me as I originally come from an air-conditioning obsessed land. We drove off into the Arabian night to our first hotel of the weekend - the InterContinental Abu Dhabi.

The InterContinental Abu Dhabi was a very nice hotel about 30 minutes from the airport. I had a room on the Executive Club Level (18th Floor) and had access to the lounge where breakfast was served. My room was very spacious and comfortable with a calm colour palette and a large bathroom with both a separate shower and bathtub. We were also toured around the hotel and visited the Presidential Suite and the main ballroom which was set up for an upcoming lavish wedding ceremony.

Visit to Sheikh Zayed Mosque & City Tour

Our first stop was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque - the sixth largest mosque in the world and a stunning beautiful architectural feat made out of marble from around the world.  Capable of holding 40,000 worshippers and boasting the world’s largest chandelier, the pictures I took really do not do the structure justice. It is something to be experienced and awed over in person. There were too many intricate details inside to possible post all of the picture here, but take my word for it, it is a must see! Female visitors to the mosque needed to stop by a counter to get a complimentary abaya to wear while they were in the mosque.

After the mosque, we drove around Abu Dhabi looking at the newest building construction and familiarising ourselves with the city. We visited Abu Dhabi Heritage Village where we could see traditional crafts being made. We visited a fruit and vegetable market where we bought heaps of dates. I decided on the chocolate covered dates stuffed with almonds and the Rotana dates from Saudi Arabia, apparently the most expensive in the world. We were allowed to sample as much as we wanted, but you can only eat so many dates, even if they are delicious! A trip to the Abu Dhabi Fish Market was next on the agenda and although it was a typical fish market, most of the fish on offer were from the warm waters of the Arabian Sea. Hammour is the most prominent, well-known fish and it is delicious.

Surprisingly, we still had room for lunch after visiting a store filled with typical Arabian sweets. I have no idea what I tried, but it was all excellent. We had lunch at Al Fanar at the Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi which is situated on the top floor of the hotel and it is a revolving restaurant. Over the course of lunch (which consisted as smoked salmon as the appetizer and a gorgeous hammour as the main dish) we were able to have a 360° overview of the Le Meridien’s surroundings, including the azure blue Persian Gulf.

The Emirates Palace Hotel

After lunch we checked into the Emirates Palace Hotel. The hotel, from end to end, is over 1 kilometre long…they aren’t lying. The hotel was massive, majestic and a magnificent montage of gold. I know what you’re thinking - kitschy , excessive - but trust me, it worked. You cannot just call yourself a palace and not have a palatial style of decorating. Everything that was in the hotel, from the furniture to the gold leafing to the marble and mosaics was exactly what I would have expected in a palace.

The rooms are incredibly spacious, even the Grand Rooms made one feel like a princess, with an oversized bed (and oversized flat screen) and a gorgeous marble bathroom with a bathtub big enough to really relax and get lost in. You couldn’t help but be happy and completely satisfied with the style and space of the rooms. Unless of course, you were fortunate enough to see the suites I would post pictures, but then you would feel depressed that you don’t live in a place that looks like that - unless of course, you are a prince or princess, better yet - a king or queen!

Even after a tour around the hotel with the extremely friendly and charming sales department of the Emirates Palace, we still only saw about 10% of what the hotel has to offer. You need at least 5 days to fully see and experience the hotel. And of course you need ample time to catch some sun at one of their 2 pools. Don’t worry about the distance from one side of the hotel to the other, there are hotel golf carts to drive you from place to place. We only had time to eat at one of the restaurants, Le Vendome, which was a beautiful buffet style restaurant. There were international choices and and local specialities - giving the diner a well-rounded dining experience. Try the Um Ali - a traditional Arab dessert!

Future Projects around the Emirate

We’re not done yet! First we had an informative presentation at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company where we learned about all of the upcoming projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, those that are currently in construction and those that are planned. The face of Abu Dhabi will change in the next few years, but not in the drastic way that Dubai has. Abu Dhabi is pursing projects that embrace culture (Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum & Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island) and add value to the Emirate, not just glossy skyscrapers. And some of the hotel projects are truly exciting - I look forward to going back it the upcoming years!

Shang-ri La Qaryat Al Beri

We also visited the Shang-ri La Qaryat Al Beri and the Traders Hotel (the Shang-ri La’s four star sister hotel). The Traders Hotel is a colourful, modern departure from the traditional oppulent Arabian style. It was bright, spacious and looked like it belonged in Scandinavia and not in the UAE.

The Shang-ri La Qaryat Al Beri is a stunning hotel located a stretch of private beach only 10 minutes away from the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It is everything that you would expect a Shang-ri La to be: gorgeous, elegant, exclusive, high-class - and this did not disappoint. We visited various rooms of differing sizes, but all beautifully appointed. The highlight for me was a visit to one of their private villas.

The Das Island Villa, was 700sq metres of pure fun and luxury. It was the “party themed” villa and let me tell you, it would be the perfect location for one excellent party, if you could afford it. Four bedrooms, a movie theatre, dining room, kitchen, a jacuzzi in the middle of the living room, private outdoor pool with chill out cabanas and much more. There was colour colour everywhere - playful pink, sexy reds, decadent emerald & sapphire hues and of course the customary gold & platinum. When it comes time to decorating my villa, I will undoubtedly get in touch with the South African designer who was responsible for this harmony of chic & classy. I have no objections to anyone who wants to send me there to stay for my birthday!

We got a quick tour of the Pearls & Caviar Restaurant which is located near the villas directly on the water. The main restaurant downstairs is sexy, moody and decorated in dark hues, reflecting the colour of caviar. The upstairs bar/lounge area is all decorated in white, pearlised hues overlooking the water. The restaurant was unfortunately only open for dinner and we were there during lunchtime, but that was ok, as we were able to eat at the Shangri-La’s Sofra bld, their international buffet restaurant styled in an Arabian market feel, complete with a candy island and chocolate fountains. Highly recommended!

Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital & Desert Safari

Work was over for the day, let the fun begin! First we headed off to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital. As stated on their website: “established in 1999, the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (ADFH) is the first public institution in the world providing comprehensive veterinary health care services exclusively for falcons.” The woman running the Falcon Hospital, Dr. Margit Müller, was a lovely, energetic person who was extremely passionate about her job and her birds. She was a complete joy to be around, from her bubbly personality to her extensive knowledge about falcons and falconry.

We were able to visit the room where they keep the falcons waiting to be picked up by their owners. And that is where I fell in love…with Hobbie (or Hobby). Hobbie (1st & 2nd pictures) was the resident bird, even though he looked like a baby, he was 5 years old and full grown. And he was adorable. Back to the hospital…we were able to have the falcons sit on our arms, those ladies (all the good falcons are ladies because they are stronger & faster ;-)) can fly up to 300kmh. Eat your heart out Ferrari! It really is an interesting place to visit to see how they rehabilitate birds and keep them when they are moulting. And if you are looking for a place to hold a meeting or conference, they also have an incredibly elegant meeting room or a traditional style majilis.

After leaving the Falcon Hospital it was off to the desert for some fun in the sand. We went dune bashing and we definitely bashed those dunes! A roller coaster in the sand.  Thankfully I picked the “adventurous” driver who manoeuvred the dunes like a Formula 1 driver. I was secretly scared we were going to flip the Land Cruisers and I still don’t understand the physics behind it, but it was an incredible, adrenalin-boosting experience.

Watching the sun set in the desert is also something not to be missed. The way the changing light of the sun set reflects off the sands results in a symphony of golds, beiges and bronzes. It is an exceptional experience and definitely had the ability to be extremely romantic if you are there with the right person.

Ferrari World & Yas Island

Tired out? I was too, but it wasn’t over yet, we had one last stop on Monday morning before we headed off back to Frankfurt. We went to Yas Island to see the construction that is underway on the infamous Ferrari World. Ferrari World is set to be the largest indoor theme park in the world and will include many rides and attractions including the fastest roller coaster in the world, pictured below, reaching speeds of over 200kmh. Yas Island is also the site of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi taking place at the Yas Marina Circuit).

We also had an interesting presentation (and some culinary highlights) from the people at the Yas Hotel. This new, modern and incredibly stylish hotel will be opened for the Formula 1 and the hotel actually straddles the track so you can watch the races from their über-chic lounge designed by the creative minds at George V Restauration. I can’t wait for the opening of this hotel and I hope to be able to visit it when I hopefully go back to Abu Dhabi!

Time to Say Goodbye!

My time in Abu Dhabi finally came to an end, 72 hours of pure action, but I would not have wanted it any other way. As if the trip itself wasn’t spectacular enough, the nice people at Etihad Airways decided to upgrade me on the way back to Frankfurt. Of course, you know there were no complaints from my end!

After a relaxing flight back to Frankfurt, I was welcomed back by chill autumn air and cloudy skies, but at least I will have my 1001 memories of my Arabian adventure. And my time in Abu Dhabi will definitely have a sequel…stay tuned!
If you were just so inspired by my blog entry and would just love to visit Abu Dhabi, contact 029 who now have their very own in-house Abu Dhabi expert (and if she doesn’t know, she has connections! ;-)) who can plan an exceptional trip to Abu Dhabi, the entire Emirate, the UAE, the Middle East or the entire world!

Hope you enjoyed!
029’s Marketing Manager