Amy M goes to Abu Dhabi.......

Let's catch up with Amy and see how her trip went.

Let me tell you all about my incredible 4 days in the up-and-coming city that is Abu Dhabi. I travelled with my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary for 4 nights from the 14th November to the 19th November. The weather was beautiful, 32°C most days with a cool breeze every now and then.

Before travelling, I was so excited to go where they filmed sex and the city 2, as I’m a huge fan, until someone dampened my dream and told me it was mostly filmed in Morrocco (who new?). However, the city didn’t disappoint and is ideal for both families, couples, or friends who just want to travel and explore, or even stay on site in the beautiful hotels.

We flew direct out of Manchester with Etihad, who were a really great airline. The food onboard was really nice, as were complimentary drinks, plenty of films, TV series, ebooks, and games to keep you entertained.

We landed in Abu Dhabi and had a private transfer company pick us up to take us to our first hotel, which was the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island. We got there around 9pm local time, went to our room, quickly showered, changed, and went to find food. On site at the Hilton, they have a fe restaurants and plenty of bars for you to choose to dine or drink in. There’s an onsite Irish bar where they play sports and have evening entertainment, whether that be a DJ or band. The staff were great, and the atmosphere was really good in there.

Over the 2 nights that we stayed at the Hilton, we got breakfast in the hotel (there was so much to choose from and if you wanted something made, such as eggs benedict, omelette etc then you ordered this and it was brought to your table, non of these long queues like you get in a lot of all-inclusive complexes.) We also got 2 theme park tickets to choose from on Yas Island as well as a free shuttle bus that would take and pick you up.

I really wanted to do it all on Yas Island, but the first full day we had there was a Friday and that's the ladies only day at Yas Waterworld, so that ruled that out for us. They also have Warner brothers World, where they have lots of rides for families to enjoy as well as characters like the Flintstones bugs bunny, Tom and Jerry, and DC characters. We chose to go to SeaWorld, and it was well worth it, The indoor aquarium that also has rides was so beautiful, lots of different areas and eac section had different things to go and see So apart from fish, sea horses, starfish, flamingos, dolphins, sharks, turtles, artic foxes and so much more It was really factual and educational for both children and adults, and the rides there were great.

The 2nd day we went to Ferrari world, that just so happened to overlook the grand prix racing track (I know this because one of the payable activities you could do there is walk along the roof and my husband, who’s a roofer, couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do this. However, it was a great experience, with the best views. Ferrari World again was geared for adults and children, with lots of different areas and loads of rides inside and outside, and it was breaking world records for its ride. (If you get a moment, google the flying aces ride and you’ll know what I mean. (It was one of the best rides I’ve ever been on)

To get to Ferrari World, you go through Yas Mall. Well, this went on forever. There were shops upon shops, a huge man city shop there, as Etihad sponsored them. Nike, Sephora, Crocs, Boots, Charlotte Tilbury, Timberland, Victoria Secrets, and chocolate outlets selling the viral Dubai chocolate. There was just everything, and you could really do with a day there just to shop.

If you didn’t want to eat or drink in the Hilton, as you walk past the pool and out the back of the hotel, they have what they call the waterfront bay; there they have the Ethiad Arena, where you will go for concerts and events. They have a bay that has water taxis to take you to different parts of Abu Dhabi, lots of restaurants from asian, american, tapas, seafood and other places to try. Right opposite the hotel is a cafe del mar so if your an ibiza fan, then Abu Dhabi is perfect for you. Although we found it quite lively (which is what we wanted), there were little chilled bars you could escape to for a more chilled evening.

After 2 days on Yas Island, we made our way in a taxi to Saadiyat which is known for its museums, white sands, and blue, clear waters, and it was exactly that. The taxi cost us 52 AED and this was a 20-minute drive, so the equivalent of £12. The Arabian Gulf was like getting in a bath, and the sand was like being in the Maldives. It was stunning, and as much as Yas Island is aiming to get a man-made beach there, it didn’t have anywhere to go, zone out, and just hear the waves, so after a few full on days the beach day was much needed.

We stayed 2 nights half board at the Rotana Saadiyat resort. It was a huge resort with lots of different room types, fresh pool towels on your bed rolled up ready for you, and each day you were given a cool box with ice and bottles of water to have with you. You can have as many of these cool boxes as you want. The hotel is on the beach, and the towels are on the beds there, and you are given a coolbox to take to the beach also.

This hotel was a chilled hotel with a live band in the English/American restaurant/bar and live sports there. Other than that, it was about fine dining in their award-winning restaurants on site. Only one was payable, and that was the Italian, but it was worth the money if you did want to dine there.

You can book excursions and waterspouts in the hotel with a local company. We decided last minute that before we went home we were going to hire a private boat to take us to see a bit more of Abu Dhabi that we hadn’t seen. It was a great couple of hours; we saw flamingos in the wild, the grand mosque, the president's palace, lots of other hotels, and the city itself, and we visited what they called the white island, “the Maldives of Abu Dhabi” It was a great way to end our holiday, and I’m so glad we did it.

So in 4 days we did a lot, but there was so much more we could of done. Its also only a 50-60 minute drive to Dubai, so you could make the most of the 2 cities should you want to.

If Abu Dhabi is on your bucket list, then go; the food, the people, the city—you will honestly love it all.

Please don't hesitate to contact Amy if you have any questions about her time in Abu Dhabi

(2) Amy M At All About Travel | Facebook