Abu Dhabi - A Weekend by the Desert
According to Garfield the Cat, Abu Dhabi is a ‘very very long way away’, where pesky little kittens get sent in boxes. Well from London it’s barely seven hours, but possibly to kittens in boxes it feels that bit longer.
Dubai has cornered the market in glitz and glamour, but emerging from the shadows is this big brother of The Emirates, where enormous wealth is being channeled into long term cultural development. The new regime has their foot on the gas, literally. Vast oil revenues are being used to develop the arts and heritage.
In ten years time the place will be unrecognizable, but for the moment there’s a quaintness, a proximity to desert culture that Dubai for one has all but left behind, and of course a growing number of construction sites!
The reason it can now be classified as a “weekend” destination is the astonishing growth of the UAE National airline – Etihad which offers daily flights from Heathrow, Manchester and Dublin. Onward destinations in Asia and Oz now mean that stopovers en route make sense. Another option is via the UAE's other, and probably more famous airline, Emirates, which flies to Dubai (duty free!) out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and even Newcastle. Getting from Dubai to Abu Dhabi by taxi is easy. And quick - the road is straight, flat and Emirati taxi drivers are notorious for their lead feet.
OK. WE’RE HERE.
The city is on an island reached by two bridges, Maqta and Musaffa, and the main route follows the creekside Corniche, a highway, beach and promenade.
From the airport, the choice is public bus (No 901) or a cab into town where metered taxis are cheap and plentiful, and buses thin on the ground. Everyone has a car and petrol is very cheap here.
Walking around, western clothes are fine, including bikinis on the beach, but bare flesh should be kept to a minimum around town to avoid offending Muslim sensibilities. You’ll hear the call to prayer five times a day from a myriad of small mosques. Alcohol, as you might expect, is restricted to hotel bars.
STAY WHERE?
Fifteen minutes from the airport overlooking the water towards Abu Dhabi is the newest hotel, the Shangri-La with its own beach, poolside cafes and bars. Rates start around £200 for doubles but check the website for offers (www.shangri-la.com). Restaurants include French and Vietnamese, there’s an excellent spa, and suites have wi-fi, spacious showers and cool interiors. All bedrooms have glorious views of the imposing new Grande Mosque, spectacularly lit at night.
Cheaper downtown hotels include Howard Johnson (www.hojo.com +971 2671 0000) – doubles upwards of £55 - and the Al Diar Mina Hotel (www.aldiarhotels.com +971 2678 1000) – doubles over £100.
The world’s most expensive hotel, the Emirates Palace (www.emiratespalace.com +971 2 690 9000) charges so much for its grandest suite that if you have to ask what it is, you can’t afford it. The last time we looked it was nearly £7,000 a night, but that was five minutes ago so it’s probably gone up since then. Room rates are also available for mere mortals. It’s at least worth a look around. Especially if you like gold leaf.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL, 1,2,3…
You can just lie in the sun all day every day on the public beaches or…
(1) Take a guided tour inside the fabulous new Grand Mosque. Third biggest in the world, a reputed cost of half a billion dollars including the world’s biggest carpet, from Iran. Remember to leave your shoes at the door. Or try a stroll along the Corniche on a Friday (Holy Day) when there’s less traffic and more families out and about. The beach has shelters to escape the midday sun with vendors offering water and dates.
(2) The Emirates Palace, all gold leaf and high ceilings, is a destination in itself but there’s also a free permanent exhibition of the ‘cultural masterplan’ - the drawings, musings and architectural models from Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster and others, whose projects will soon cover Saadiyat Island. The museums, theatres and galleries there will be adjoined by 27 new hotels.
(3) Window shopping is best done in the fully air conditioned malls, the Marina Mall being the best, complete with huge French hypermarket Carrefour in the basement sans vin. The open-air souks can still be found, even if the tents of yesteryear have been replaced by something more perfunctory. At Port Zayed there’s the Iranian (household) Souk, Carpet and Fish Souks, plus an extensive fruit and veg market with an avenue entirely dedicated to local dates (15 yummy varieties for about £1 a kilo) The Gold Souk at the Madinat Zayed Centre is where to go for fixed-rate tax-free gold.
LET’S DO LUNCH
Cheap
Shawarma (think doner kebabs, but tasty) are high quality, cheap and plentiful. Top drawer is Lebanese Flower which has three branches. Choose from chicken, lamb and Mexican (spicy beef) or try grilled fish or meat with hummus. All accompanied by delicious fresh salads and flatbreads plus excellent fresh fruit juices and non-alcoholic cocktails. Plenty for two at under a tenner.
Not so cheap
In the revolving rooftop restaurant Al Fanar (+971 2 695 0490) you’ll see the entire city in 90 minutes. Semi-formal, the French inspired set lunch at around £25 plus taxes of 16% certainly takes second place to the stunning view over the city, its creeks and islands. Great for a romantic supper too as the sun goes down.
Not cheap but worthwhile
Friday is Holy Day (Sunday is a normal working day) so try brunch instead at Sofra (+971 2 509 8555) in the Shangri-La, overlooking the beach, with kids entertainers, jazz, jugglers, and barbecues alfresco. Starting at about £20 per head, kids are half price, but add-ons and taxes add up.
Follow that with afternoon tea at the Emirates Palace where caviar, smoked salmon and 24 carat gold covered chocolate petit fours will set you back a princely £30 or more, depending on which caviar you choose.
AN APERITIF
Alcohol is only served in hotels so the local tipple is fresh fruit juice mixed into multicoloured cocktails. However if you do require a drink the hot place is Trader Vics in the Beach Rotana Hotel where you’ll find a mix of expats and locals partying until after midnight. There’s also a Sports bar (Heroes) in the Crowne Plaza, and an English Pub at the Al Diar Sands Hotel.
DINNER IS SERVED
Oceans Seafood bar and grill (+971 2 695 0573), at le Royal Meridien attracts a youngish crowd most nights to an outside terrace (only open in winter) with shisha, the hubbly bubbly pipe burning fruit flavoured tobacco, and a loud bar which fails to distract the diner from seared scallops, grilled local hammour and whatever else is fresh that day. Starting about £65 for two, depending on what you have to drink.
DRIVE BY
For an hour or so…
The Heritage Village shows not-so-old Abu Dhabi, with Bedouin tents and camels surrounding a well, a small mosque, workshops and an intriguing air conditioning system involving nothing much more than a large chimney. Craftsmen produce silverware, swords and if you really want to buy a toy camel, you’ll get a good one here. Easy to find, it’s dominated by the biggest flag in town, and is an interesting diversion for an afternoon.
For the day…
Al Ain, once a clutch of desert Oases, now an urban sprawl in the shadow of Jabal Hafit, the region’s tallest mountain with views over Oman from the summit car park. The Oases themselves are neatly ordered and irrigate lush greenery and hundreds of date palms. The camel souk is here (Fridays) as well as camel racing in the winter months, now jockeyed by hump-mounted robots instead of small boys. This is a full day out so either hire a car or ask your hotel about a car and driver – between four sharing it’s pretty cheap.
Overnight…
For your last night why not sleep in the desert under the stars? Arabian Adventures (www.arabian-adventures.com +971 2 691 1711) will pick you up at your hotel and whisk you across the dunes in four wheel drives to the middle of nowhere to spend a magical night being Lawrence of Arabia. Camel rides, a barbecue, drinks and shisha start at about £56 per head. They bring you back too.
Useful links
Arabian Adventures
Emirates Palace
Howard Johnson
Shangri-La Hotel
Visit Abu Dhabi
Added 2008/07/22 @ 12:28:28
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