A week in Abu Dhabi

I was lucky enough to escape the rain for February half term & jetted off with my husband & son in search of guaranteed sun. Having visited Dubai many times before, this time I was keen to explore another of the Emirates. Abu Dhabi offers both beaches & a cultural city break - a week wasn’t really long enough to do it justice. 

The Hotel

We stayed at the Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana, a 5 star hotel with one of the largest free form pools in the city. A definite plus for us. It also has a beach with an enclosed swimming area - it gets quite deep quickly so watch out if you are travelling with little ones / non-swimmers. Watersports are also available for a fee. 

Our standard room was very comfortable & had everything we needed. We had requested an extra rollaway bed for our son which was set up ready for our arrival. I slept so well in the comfy bed & whilst we found the air conditioning a little on the chilly side, it was easy to adjust. We absolutely loved the view of the Presidential Palace & the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental from our balcony. I don't think I've ever had a view quite like it before. 

Top tip: Many hotels here assume children will share beds with their parents so do check the sleeping arrangements before you go. 

We were quite a walk from the corniche area but taxis are plentiful & cheaper than at home. Uber is popular here too.

The Experiences

There is so much to do from visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque & Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace to art galleries & museums including the Louvre & the Natural history museum. The Guggenheim is coming soon, expected this year. 

For us though, it was about the theme parks. There are 4 on Yas Island - Ferrari World, SeaWorld, Yas Waterworld & Warner Bros World™. They are about 40 mins by complimentary bus, be early if you want a seat & you need a ticket to at least one of the parks. We got a 2 park ticket to be used in 1 week.

We visited Warner Bros World™ - the world's largest indoor theme park. It has to be experienced to be believed from joining super heroes in saving the world to a water ride through Bedrock, home to the Flintstones. Meeting Tom & Jerry was a highlight for all of us. Harry Potter Land is under development but no dates have been announced. 

Yas Waterworld was our next choice, we loved the wide variety of slides & the lazy river. There were plenty of sunloungers dotted around or you could pay extra for a private cabana. A fun last day for us! 

We were pleasantly surprised by how short the queues were even for the most popular rides in both places. Most were 15 to 20mins, fast track was available to bring this down further.

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The Dining

The dining options near us were mostly hotel restaurants - we enjoyed a la carte at the waterside Kamoon at our hotel twice. Everything was good although non-alcoholic drinks were more expensive than we expected. We ate in a burger restaurant in a converted shipping container, a french cafe, a padel sports cafe & a shopping centre - all completely different but suited us especially with a fussy eater in tow. If fine dining is more your thing, there are plenty of amazing options to choose from. 

Breakfast was included in our hotel, the buffet offered a variety of options but it did get really busy towards the end of service. We started getting up earlier to avoid the rush which made the whole thing more relaxed. My husband & I loved the made to order omelettes, & our son ate cake & donuts!

We did try to buy ice cream for a robot but sadly either it wasn't operational or we weren't tech savvy enough! 

Top tip: The egg chef outside is often less busy than the one inside.

The Travel

We flew with Etihad Airways from London Heathrow & the new rules regarding liquids & electronics made the whole experience much easier & quicker. 

We travelled on the A380 to Abu Dhabi which was relatively comfortable even in Economy. It felt like there was more leg room, the food was good & there was plenty of entertainment options onboard. Our daytime flight went pretty quickly, & we arrived in the evening (but felt earlier to us due to the time difference). 

Arrival in Abu Dhabi was easy & efficient in the state of the art Zayed International Airport. We were through in no time & it was easy to find our transfer company & we were on the way to our hotel in no time

The return journey was even easier - our transfer driver was waiting for us when we checked out. The check in & immigration staff at the airport were so friendly & efficient, the whole thing took no time at all. No changes to the rules here so remember to separate liquids & take electronics out of your bag before security. 

Anything else you should know?

Ramadan started towards the end of our stay. Our hotel like many others offered an iftar buffet at sunset (it wasn't cheap though!). Opening times can be shorter at shops & attractions, the theme parks shut at 5pm. It is respectful to avoid eating or drinking in public places during day time hours & to otherwise be considerate to those fasting.  

Would we go back?

Absolutely, I want to go to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Presidential Palace & try the world's fastest rollercoaster at Ferrari World (from 0 to 240 km/hr in 4.9 seconds!). Plus the weather is amazing at this time of the year. 

If Abu Dhabi has piqued your interest, enquire to plan your holiday.