Introduction
A visit to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates after 15+ years was certainly a shock. An archipelago made up of 200+ islands, with the main city itself set into the mainland. One such island, Saadiyat, is a haven for beach lovers with pristine waters, near white sand and a fantastic array of resorts that cater to both families and those looking for adult only breaks. Within the Abu Dhabi islands, you can also find dedications to art, culture, specialist hospitals to cater to the country's national bird, the Falcon, along with the infamous Yas Island which is host to Ferrari World and the Yas Marina F1 circuit.
Pricing
Much like its' neighbour Dubai, Abu Dhabi is creeping up in pricing and has done so over the past few years with the growing popularity as a holiday destination. Abu Dhabi prides itself on providing something for everyone though so you have a lot of options in terms of accommodation and sightseeing / experiences. The one thing to take note of, Abu Dhabi has its' own airport. So if you're looking to explore just this city, then you would be better flying into Zayed International Airport, also the hub for Etihad Airways. As this was a combined trip for us with Dubai, and only staying two nights in Abu Dhabi, we flew into Dubai International and took a taxi to Saadiyat Island to our resort. Taxi's in the UAE aren't cheap because of the distances so keep this in mind. A taxi from Dubai to Abu Dhabi can cost anywhere between £80 - £120. Uber is more expensive so I would suggest you download Careem which is the local version and covers the Dubai taxi's and Hala Taxi's as well which are kind of like city taxi's. As I was going to be spending my birthday in Abu Dhabi, we splurged on an island resort. With flights, accommodation and food we spent a total of about £2,000 for two over two nights.
Accommodation
As we were headed to Saadiyat Island, which is more of a beach resort island, I spent a fair while looking into hotel options. We travelled in June which is pretty hot in Dubai and it's before the peak of summer. With this in mind, I wanted to pick a resort that had the option of a decent balcony or outdoor space without breaking the bank. Lo and behold, I find the Jumeirah Saadiyat Island. The Jumeirah group of hotels is very well known, predominantly in Dubai with the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. Knowing this, I figured the experience would be great at a resort such as this. We booked the Ocean View Terrace King room which is a ground floor room with a private outdoor space for relaxing and sunbathing, along with a pretty direct route straight to the pool and beach. We couldn't have been happier with the room and the resort. A fabulous decor throughout, great breakfast selection, courteous staff and a fantastic private beach area. A total cost of £750 including breakfast for two, which for a 5 star resort that delivers isn't too bad. There are quite a few options on Saadiyat Island, including a Rixos All Inclusive option if that is more your holiday vibe.
Sightseeing / Experiences
Abu Dhabi really does have something for all ages. From grand architecture, to specialist falcon hospitals you can book visits to. As we only had two days in the city, we didn't explore too much as a big part of the trip was to just relax, but a bucket list location was certainly the Grand Mosque which I can't recommend enough.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - an absolute icon for its' architectural, spirituality, and cultural heritage. The mosque, which has over 82 domes, was the vision of the founding father of the UAE. It houses the world's largest hand knotted carpet, unique Swarovski chandeliers and marble through out with hints of gold leaf. It's an active mosque, attracting 50,000 worshippers daily, so you must be respectful as you tour the grounds. There is a strict dress code (available on their website) and etiquette to follow. It's free to visit for all and open to all as well.
Saadiyat Beach - if you're going to stay at such a resort, a big part of your trip has to be to relax by the pool, lounge across the crystal blue waters of the gulf on the beach and enjoy a cocktail or two brought to your sun lounger! Make the most of the resort itself if you choose to stay at the Jumeirah
Yas Mall / Yas Island - if you're looking for a spot of shopping or a new experience, then you need to head to Yas. Yas Mall is the second largest mall in the UAE and has every store you can possibily think of along with a great selection of food outlets & restaurants. Through Yas Mall, you can access Ferarri World which is home to the worlds fastest rollercoaster.
Louvre Abu Dhabi - located on Saadiyat Island (though unfortunately, we didn't get time to go), is the Abu Dhabi edition of the famous Louvre museum. Entrance costs 60aed / £12 so it's a very affordable afternoon out if you are interested in unique architecture and and exquisite artwork.
Jubail Mangrove Park - sadly, we weren't visiting at the best time of the year for this, due to the high temperatures in the afternoons which is the best time for a visit. Jubail Mangrove park, located between Yas Island and Saadiyat Island, is a self contained park with a boardwalk running through the mangrove park. It's recommended to go during late afternoon when the tide is high. You can do a variety of activities here including kayaking. It's definitely on our to visit list for next time!
Food
As the resort had a great selection of restaurants within the confines of the hotel, we actually opted to go to these for the majority of our meals because we really wanted to make the most of the resort and just relax rather than travelling around too much. However, if you wish to venture out then Saadiyat Island itself has a great selection of restaurants, especially by an area called Soul Beach. To note, these restaurants were all pretty expensive, as they were located within the 5 star resort.
Tean - a middle eastern / lebenese inspired restaurant was our first stop. The food was absolutely delicious, though the portion sizes were much larger than we expected. The food was fresh, light and flavourful. The restaurant had a good selection of cocktails as well which of course, we had to sample a couple of. For 5-6 dishes (that was way too much food in all honesty) and drinks, we spent £120 for two.
SAL - only opened in 2024, SAL is a beachside restaurant and pool space. You can pay extra to use the pool and the sun loungers, or just book a table at the restaurant which has both an beautiful interior restaurant or beachside seats. We opted for an alfresco dining experience, complete with Shisha. The food was a fusion of spanish / italian options but all extremely delicious. The lobster linguini was some of the best I've had, inlcuding in Italy itself! As we had the Shisha, this bumped up the price of our meal, which also included several wonderful cocktails. A total spend of £200 for two.
Mare Mare - an italian wonder filled with fantastic food and service. This was my restaurant of choice for my birthday dinner and it did not disappoint. Fresh and light salads, well balanced cocktails, good sized portions. We spent £120 for two which included cocktails and 3-4 dishes which was the perfect amount of food. Highly recommend!
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