Abu Dhabi Getaway

We decided to spend our first weekend away in Abu Dhabi — best. decision. ever.  We took an Uber from Dubai when Meadows got back from work on Thursday evening (weekends here are Friday and Saturday).  Our Uber driver sped like a maniac, so we arrived in just over an hour!

Our friend, Tina, gave us some fabulous Abu Dhabi recommendations.  Thanks to her, we stayed at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort — if you go to Abu Dhabi, you should stay there!  It’s a beautiful resort just outside the city with a beachfront and amazing restaurants on site.  We ate at the Thai restaurant on the water when we arrived — SO GOOD!

Unfortunately, Friday was our only day there, so we had to make the most of it!  We got up early, ate breakfast and hit the beach and the pool (there are four pools!).  In the afternoon, we went on a desert safari.

We were picked up at the resort and drove to the desert in a Land Cruiser.  When the road ended and the desert began, we pulled over to let air out of our tires.  Meadows explained that this helps the tires grip the sand.  Our car darted into the sand and began “dune bashing.”  We flew over the dunes, sliding down them — I was constantly afraid that we’d flip!  I kept trying to take videos to capture how completely exhilarating it was, but none of them properly documented the speed, the thrill and my fear.  I was able to get a photo of the other vehicle with us though:

After dune bashing, we visited a camel farm (in the middle of the desert) and drove to a fortress (elsewhere in the middle of the desert).  At the fort, we went on camel rides, Meadows held a falcon, we attempted sand boarding (and failed), we ate a delicious Middle Eastern dinner and we watched a belly dancer.  We had the best day!

Since we had such a short trip, we had to miss out on some of tourist hot spots.  Thankfully, our tour guide gave us a bit of a driving tour of Abu Dhabi!  This is no match for more time to explore the city, but you do what you can when you only have 36 hours 🙂

First off, we saw the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — I’m still so upset we didn’t get a chance to go inside.  It began construction in 1996, and was just completed in 2007!  It is huge and so incredibly beautiful.

We also drove past what are often referred to as “the pineapple buildings.”  Formally known as Al Bahar Towers, they house major financial institutions.  The pineapple name comes from it’s unique exterior, which is a protective shield that improves the energy efficiency of heating and cooling.  It’s a pretty fascinating design; if you’re a nerd like me, you can read more about it here.

Our tour guide also helped us understand the differences between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  Aside from the population difference (Dubai-2.25M, Abu Dhabi-1.5M), they have a very different feel.  Abu Dhabi doesn’t feel nearly as touristy and crowded.  Plus, while Dubai has moved toward tourism as its major industry, Abu Dhabi still holds oil reserves and natural gas.

On Saturday morning, we packed up, took an Uber from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and caught a flight to Cairo!  Let’s do this!