Hasta
La Vista,
Abu Dhabi!
Yes,
I will definitely visit again, and it’s all because of… one missed roller
coaster ride!
An
invitation by Etihad Airways to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was hard
to turn down by any adrenaline junkie, especially when they threw in a desert
safari (where the 4WD you sat in could overturn at any minute, yes with you
inside!) and riding on the world’s fastest roller coaster.
But
the UAE is not only about getting high on adrenaline, there’s so much you can
do, and one of the most memorable was probably shopping till 1am in their
malls! Do read on and I’ll share more.
Flash
from the Past
The
UAE Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi is
a great cultural and familiarisation experience especially if you’re a first
timer in the UAE. The village is a
re-creation of an Emirati village where you can experience first-hand a
traditional desert way of life.
The
kids will love the falcons, camels and Arabian horses on display; while the adults
will enjoy the souk selling souvenirs such as traditional clothing and
jewellery. Don’t miss out sitting by the
campfire and taking a sip of their famous Arabic tea; visit the museum to
discover how Abu Dhabi evolved from a pearl diving village to the booming city
of current day; and best of all walk along the beautiful stretch of sandy beach
and turquoise water. Try to be there
later in the evening as more shops will be open then.
Entrance
Fee : Free
Opening Hours : 8.00am
– 1.00pm; 5.00pm – 9.00pm (Saturday – Thursday)
: 5.00pm
– 9.00pm (Friday)
The
White Mosque
The
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the
largest mosque in the UAE. The mosque is
a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, built to encourage visitors and locals
alike to visit the mosque for educational and tourism purposes.
The
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is very strict on its dress code, as your tour guide
will definitely advise you before the trip.
Transparent or sleeveless clothing is a big NO, NO, same goes for shorts
and skirts. A word of advice: Your tour
guide will most probably ask the ladies to prepare a scarf, and it’s advisable
to follow his instructions, especially if you don’t like the thought of using
the mosques’ scarves shared by God knows how many others.
The
blistering heat of 49°C, combined with our long sleeves
and headscarves – certainly was enough to hasten our journey into the
mosque. Within moments of stepping down
from the bus, sweat started trickling all over.
Thank goodness for air-cond throughout the mosque! Although, the smell of sweat from all walks of
life in a confined air-conditioned space might not be pleasant for all…
Come
visit during the night, and witness the unique lunar illumination that was
designed specially to reflect the phases of the moon. As the moon progresses through its cycle and
becomes full, so does the lighting effect become more brilliant, thus creating
a different façade of the mosque on a daily basis. 22 light towers consisting
of light projectors are used to create this amazing effect!
Welcome
to Record-Breaking Abu Dhabi & Dubai
The tallest man-made structure. The world’s largest mall. The most environmentally friendly city. Just three of the 103 records that the UAE
holds in the new edition of the world's best-selling book, Guinness World
Records 2014.
Here
are some of the amazing record-breakers:
1.
Dubai Mall
1,124,000 sq m
World’s
largest shopping centre
2.
Ferrari World
860,000 sq m
World’s largest indoor theme park
3.
Burj Khalifa
828 m
World’s tallest man-made structure on land
4. At.mosphere
Level
122, 441.3 m above ground
World’s
highest restaurant, also situated in Burj Khalifa
5. Hyatt Capital Gate
Leans
at 18 degrees
World’s
furthest leaning man-made tower
6. License
Plate Labelled “1”
52.2
mil Dirham ($14.3 mil)
World’s
most expensive license plate
7. Yas Waterworld
World’s
best waterpark
8. The Palm Islands
World's biggest man-made islands
9. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
32.7m in diameter, 85m tall
Biggest mosque dome in the world
10. Formula Rossa Rollercoaster
239.9 km/h, 4.8Gs
World’s Fastest Rollercoaster made
from steel
11. Ferrari Logo
65m in length, 3,000 sq m in area
World’s
Largest Ferrari logo
12. Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
Considered the first and largest of its kind in the world
A
Disappearing Act
The
spice souq and gold souq is a must
visit for those visiting Dubai. The souqs were especially memorable because ¾ of
the busload didn’t arrive back at the designated hour while the rest told our
tour guide that they would find their own way back to the hotel. Surprisingly, our bus driver was more than
calm when this happened. This must be a
regular thing, I suppose?
The
gold souq is THE place to buy gold at a great steal. The rates probably change on a daily
basis. When we were there, 24k gold was
selling at AED 157 per gram. Gold prices are posted on billboards and are
prominently displayed all throughout the gold souq. The husbands were the first
to arrive back at the bus while the wives were nowhere to be seen. When I asked them: “Who’s paying for the
gold?” they just smiled and didn’t answer.
Hmm…
The
souq is also a great place for souvenir hunting. Souvenirs here are cheaper than in Dubai
city, and we had great fun picking out the “I ♥
Dubai” shirts and caps for our desert safari. Shops that face the main road or recommended
by your tour guide will have steeper prices, so take some time to explore other
shops for better bargains. Final
reminder: bargain and bargain hard!
Our
personal favourite was this particular perfume shop that sold perfume
testers. Perfume testers are basically
100% authentic, fresh and completely the same as the original fragrance, just
that these perfumes are meant for the counter in a department store. These testers are shipped in a plain brown
box and sometimes without a cap. The
savings on the packaging and cap means these perfume testers are much cheaper
than the fancy boxed version and are great if you don’t have a need for the
fancy packaging! For example, a 100ml CK
One Summer sold at a retail price of RM210 can be bought at only RM89!
To
find the perfume shop, ask around for Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. The perfume shop called Fakhruddin Khuman
Perfumes (shop No.10) is located directly opposite the ice cream shop.
Dubai Ibn
Battuta Gate
In
the 14th century, Arabic explorer Ibn Battuta roamed the world, from Africa and
Europe to the Far East. The 5-star
Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate - Dubai reflects his travels through its
architecture, décor and cuisine.
The
immense scale of the hotel is a striking feature, apparent upon approaching the
exterior and also throughout its vast interiors. The imposing Ibn Battuta Gate – which at 60
metres high is larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – greets guests as they
arrive outside the hotel. Once inside,
the 90m x 30m Al Bahou (the Grand Hall) and its 88 large-size eastern-style
lanterns immediately offer a stunning and striking welcome.
The
hotel’s lifts offer guests the first insight into Ibn Battuta – each floor is
named after countries visited by the Arabian adventurer. Each of the spacious 396 hotel rooms are also
beautifully furnished in the colours and styles of Moroccan influence, while
all of the suites are themed on the Africa, Asian, Middle Eastern and southern
European countries visited by Ibn Battuta.
The
best memory here, apart from the comfortable rooms, is the food. If you ever stay here, make your way to Mistral located on the hotel’s ground
floor. Mistral is an all-day dining restaurant, featuring a sumptuous
buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Following
the footsteps of Ibn Battuta along his journeys, Mistral invites diners to engage in a busy market place atmosphere,
with numerous options here for you to choose from live cooking stations – lunch
is inspired by the cuisine of Arabia, North Africa and the Levant, while dinner
is fresh seafood fare. The sushi we had
here was amazing!
The
hotel offers complimentary shuttle bus transfers to Dubai Mall (world’s largest
mall), Mall of the Emirates and Marina Walk.
If you prefer walking, the Ibn Battuta Mall is right on the doorstep of
the hotel.
The
Ibn Battuta Mall is the UAE’s largest themed shopping mall, uniquely designed
to celebrate the travels of the famous aforementioned Arabic explorer. Each region Ibn Battuta explored – Andalusia,
Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China – is reflected in the architecture and
theme of the mall’s six courts.
Since
it is a huge mall, you may want to consider taking the in-mall shuttle
service. Yup, it’s that huge. For AED 5, the shuttle will get you from one
end of the mall to the other, it is the best way, especially for first timers
who want to explore the entire mall but don’t have the luxury of time.
Another
interesting fact you should know is that malls in Dubai open till midnight on
certain days, same goes for Ibn Battuta Mall which is open from 10am – 12
midnight (Thursdays – Saturdays). The
mall closes at 10pm on other days. Ramadan
month mean longer business hours, where malls usually open till 1am! Longer business hours means more money
spent. Ouch!
Dubai Ibn Battuta Gate
United Arab Emirates
Tel: +971 4 444 0000
Web:
hotel.dubai.ibnbattuta@moevenpick.com
Hyatt
Capital Gate
Although
Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is a premium business hotel well known for its
record-breaking 18 degree lean, I will always remember the hotel for its warm
service. Luis Soares, their Associate
Director of Sales personally welcomed us and escorted us to Reception on the 18th
floor. The hotel concierge and the
multilingual staff were also very friendly; they really go the extra mile to
put a smile on your face. It is these
small things that make a hotel stay that much more pleasant. Leisure
Travel highly recommends Hyatt Capital Gate to all travellers!
The
hotel’s signature restaurant 18°
(18 Degrees) is a good place to explore Eastern Mediterranean cuisine
especially if you have never tried food from Greece, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.
Be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it
certainly is a different experience dining in one of the world’s most iconic
towers.
For spa lovers, make your way to
Rayana Spa. The only “sky spa” in Abu
Dhabi is perched on the 19th floor overlooking the city, offering “a
refreshingly elevated oasis experience” that complements the Fitness Centre,
suspended outdoor pool and whirlpool. Rayana treatments are holistically
designed to instil power, beauty and energy – sounds like the perfect guide to
desert wellness. An extension of the spa
is the pool terrace that also features a whirlpool and pool bar
facilities. Put on your bikini or
swimming trunks and splash into the pool, unwind with a good book and chilled
beverage at the pool deck, and make the most of your beautiful holiday!
Hyatt
Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi
P.O.
Box 95165
Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Tel:
+971 2 596 1234
Fax:
+971 2 596 1235
Web:
abudhabi.capitalgate.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
Desert
Safari
A visit to Dubai’s desert is
incomplete without a safari that starts with a roller-coaster ride across the
dunes in powerful 4x4s.
We were recommended to
experience the evening desert safari, reason being the weather is just too hot
during the day! Driving across the
desert, we tried taking shots of the desert ahead of us, but eventually gave up
because it got too nauseous trying to look through a small camera hole while
the Toyota Cruiser swung from dune to dune.
Finally, we decided it was best to sit back and scream our lungs out as
the driver accelerated to the top of the dune, then dived and skidded down the
dune cliffs. Dangerous as it may sound, it’s absolutely
safe and the adrenaline rush you feel through your body makes it all
worthwhile.
The cruiser stopped at a
beautiful spot, just in time for us to watch the beautiful sunset and try out
sand boarding. Ah… sand boarding. It might not be something I will try again in
the near future. It really hurts (the
ego) when you fall flat on your face even after several tries…
After the sunset, our drive
continued to a campsite. There was a buzz of activity surrounding the campsite
when we arrived. Some were enjoying ATV
rides; some were on camel rides; while others were having their hands and feet
designed with henna. There was also a
small souvenir shop in the camp.
The desert safari is sure to
work up one’s appetite. Don’t worry as a
delicious barbecue dinner awaits you at the campsite. Entertainment in the desert comes in the form
of belly dancers performing around a campfire.
This is one safari you can’t do
back home. We recommend it highly. Definitely worth every penny spent!
Knight Tours
Dubai, UAE
Hamnrya
P.O.
Box 55885
Tel: +971 4 268 6555
Web:
knighttours.co.ae/eng/index.html
Email: marketing@knight.ae
Dubai
Museum
The
late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum chose the historic Al Fahaidi Fort to
be Dubai’s Museum in honour of his
ancestors. This also happens to be the
oldest building in Dubai, which will help you sum up Dubai’s history, culture
and tradition in an hour or so.
Enter
the wooden gates of the Al Fahaidi Fort to a wealth of displays and exhibits
which bear witness to the rich history of Dubai. From the fort and the Emirate’s history; the
ancient cannon in the northeast tower that has been there since the tower was
built; the military section; the tunnels of history made interesting through
pictures and words; the Dubai Creek; the bustling souq and right to the desert
and oasis, visitors will be able to experience Bedouin life and learn about
their traditional crafts and culture.
The
wax figures found in the museum here can be creepily alive, and visitors
(naturally curious) often reach out their hand to feel the figures. But before any of the curious hands could reach
the figurines, a stern voice will pop out of nowhere: “Don’t Touch!” A sway of the head will most probably reveal
a disapproving security guard standing behind you. The guards here take their job seriously,
better not mess with them.
My
favourite exhibit was in the marine gallery, learning how pearl divers made very
deep dives (each about 3 minutes long) with only a nose clip and a 5kg stone to
pull them down and a rope to raise them to the surface again. The pearl divers only made about 50 dives a
day, earning about 200 and 300 rupees a year (that was in 1905). 50 daily dips in the sea, associated with the
difficulties of pearl diving - we can only imagine their joy of returning
home. It was perhaps more precious than
the pearls collected by the captain in his ornate wooden box.
Entrance Fee : Dhs
3 (Above 6 years) ; Dhs. 1 (below 6
years)
Opening Hours : 8.30am
– 8.30pm (Saturday – Thursday)
:
2.30pm – 8.30pm (Friday)
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