Abu Dhabi – the Pearl of the Gulf – a culture visit and the F1 Grand Prix
With an extraordinary long term cultural building plan for its country extending to 2030 Abu Dhabi is safely among the top picked world destinations. Its airline Etihad is just one of 12 carriers that have the Airbus A380 as part of its fleet so travelling there in luxury business class, in superb comfort with great service was indeed a huge pleasure. I had not visited Abu Dhabi for 30 years so was going to see huge and fantastic changes.
Yas Marina at nighttime, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi consists of 200 islands and the main city built on Yas Island, Saadiyat Island and Al Jubail Islands which are all connected to the mainland via an efficient road system. I’d come to experience the many leisure activities the kingdom has to offer and to attend the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. I checked into the stunning Ritz Carlton Hotel overlooking the Canal on the one side and the staggeringly beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on the other; I stood entranced at the view of the Grand Mosque when I arrived at night; a superb sight at 2 am from then empty the lobby of the hotel. After spending a day exploring the services the hotel had to offer, a great selection of restaurants, a fully kitted out gym and very large swimming pool on the beach pool I met with the staff from the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority who organised a packed programme for our group. We travelled by car to the iconic Ferrari World, the world’s first Ferrari theme park and largest attraction of its kind, with over 20 attractions providing the complete Ferrari experience. My travelling companions went to travel on the ‘Ferrari Rossa’ to feel the acceleration of 240km/h in under 5 seconds and discover what 4.8Gs really feels like. I tried the gentler version ‘Fiorano GT Challenge’.
Pearl Journey
The 5-star Emirates Place Hotel is a majestic Arabian Palace rising out of the desert with its own private beach 1.3 k long. We went for a buffet lunch on this beach and were then taken on a tour round the worlds’ largest breath-taking lobby made of Italian marbles and gold leaf. The Palace has 302 rooms and 92 magnificent suites and offers “a truly magical experience, uncompromising indulgence, legendary Arabian hospitality and a lasting memory you will always treasure” this is combined with state-of-the-art technology and a private butler. At sunset covered myself head to foot and had private tour of the Grand Mosque experience the exquisite evening sun on the eighty marble and gold domes. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was initiated by His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who wanted to establish a structure which unites the cultural diversity of Islamic world, the historical and modern values of architecture and art. During Eid it can be visited by more than 40,000 people. Constructed by artisans from many countries the result is truly magnificent and is an awesome sight and the marble flooring shimmers in moonlight.
Yas Marina at nighttime
We attended a sumptuous cocktail party at the Saadiyat Beach Club where you cannot stay (The Park Hyatt next door for sleeping) but set amongst gorgeous beach setting is a great place to spend your day. Saadiyat Island is home to the one of the five endangered populations of Hawksbill Turtles; on hatching night the hotels along the beach lower their lights so that the newly hatched turtles (there is a thirty second window for this to happen) can make their way to the sea by moonlight.
Etihad Towers and Emirates Palace
Construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is well underway and is set to change the emirate’s cultural landscape and become the first universal museum in the Arab world. It will be joined by the Zayed National Museum which will explore the emirate’s history and culture and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and when finished will be the largest Guggenheim the world – about twelve times the size of the Frank Lloyd Wright landmark in New York
Later that evening I thoroughly enjoyed Enrique Iglesias playing at du Arena, Yas Island – a concert put on as part of the Grand Prix festivities.
The next morning we visited the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital which takes in 150 birds each day for check-ups and minor ailments. Falconery is a very popular sport in the Emirates and this award-winning hospital serves the whole Gulf. Gulf airlines can take up to 16 falcons on a plane – they can apparently sit on the seat next to you.
Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
For lunch we took a speed boat the luxurious Nurai Island – a fabulous resort with private villas and hotel facilities. The rooms have their own pool and own private beach section. It was a glorious location. I particularly enjoyed our afternoon on the Abu Dhabi Pearl Journey where we travelled on a dhow (Jalboot), a traditional pearling boat. We opened oysters and to my delighted I did find a pear which I have kept. We had drinks at the fascinating Heritage Village overlooking the Corniche Breakwater, a reconstruction of a traditional oasis , complete with campfire and goat-hair tents. We drank apple and mint cocktails to watch sunset over the fabulous Corniche and enjoyed the stunning view of the Emirate Palace Hotel lit up with green and red laser lighting in preparation for National Day. All the streets and buildings were lit up in fact over the grand Prix weekend – Abu Dhabi comes alive this 44th National Day and offered a choice of interesting activities, fantastic firework shows, captivating concerts, dazzling displays and heritage attractions, running across the Emirate. The festivities mark the country’s union over four decades ago and celebrate the spirit of the union.
In the evening after dinner at Hawksbill at the Yas Links Gold Club Florence & The Machine were playing at the Arena.
Saadiyat Beach Club- Swimming Pool with Cabanas
The F1 racing event at Yas Marina Circuit held on Yas Island was now in its 7th year in Abu Dhabi. The racing took place late afternoon and the whole track and area was floodlit to ensure smooth transition into darkness. The track runs under the Yas Marina Viceroy Hotel and around the stunning Marina. It really looked magnificent. We were invited the Paddock Club Formula 1 and given a superb lunch; Mum Champagne were sponsoring this year so their magnums were everywhere. The hospitality and service was off the hook with lavish food bars and buffets on every level; the atmosphere was excellent and very exciting. We were given pit passes so wandered along the pits to view the teams and their pilots and cars. It was an incredible day which ended with a Blur playing a concert at the Arena. I flew home in comfy seats in Etihad Business Class.
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/AbuDhabi/Default.htm
Double rooms from £150 per night
Etihad flies from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi are three times a day – flights on Economy from £800 return.
Etihad Airways operates two First and Business Class Lounges at Abu Dhabi Airport’s Terminal 1 and 3.
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