Arrival in Abu Dhabi

It is Friday, "family day", in Abu Dhabi, and we park along the corniche, a popular common denominator of these Gulf port cities. There is a strange, wooden structure, which looks as though someone piled together a bunch of two-by-fours to build, in the center of the plaza by the newly built "public" beach. A vendor is renting motorized mini cars and scooters, and children are scurrying after their parents to sample a few turns around. Most appear to be ex-pats, women dressed in shorts or work out stretch pants, but some don traditional head covers or full-body burqas. There are several families on the beach, playing volleyball and picnicking. Only ex-pats wear bathing attire at the beach, so it seems.

The weather is perfect as we choose a table in the shade along this beachside promenade. The "fast food" restaurant offers fresh fruit and vegetable juices (we order carrot), and an assortment of Mediterranean sandwiches and wraps, along with the freshest salad bar I have seen in a while. Amer gives me a quick overview of the city and its flourishing skyline and tree-lined boulevards. The Amir's foresight in planting forests and a variety of trees in and around the city has provided the most scenic and inviting backdrop, in harmony with the sleek, tall skyscrapers still being built on the horizon.

It is a busy day: a visit to the Heritage Village, a park built for tourists with Bedouin styled tents and an old souk (closed from 2 to 4 p.m., when we were there), followed by the Emirates Palace, a homage to the wealthy dynasty of the UAE. The most expensive hotel in the UAE, its opulent interiors and beautifully landscaped grounds keep the ultra rich in 7-star luxury, among its 302 rooms and 92 suites, spa, tennis and squash courts, private beach and marina.

Today there is an exhibit about the new Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Ghery, which is being built on a peninsula adjacent to Abu Dhabi, along with modern works of art, featured in the hotel's gallery. The museum will be the center of a series of cultural institutions planned as part of the Saadiyat Island, and is configured to protect the island's pristine north beach zone. My resident architect decides he wants to visit Barcelona, where Ghery's first Guggenheim was built, a plan which I quickly endorse!

We meet Mai Café, on Aloft's pool deck, where we enjoy the sunset and some freshly baked Arabic sweets we purchased at a Lebanese bakery in the Gold Souk district earlier in the day. Then, it's dinner at the Beijing Restaurant, also in Gold Souk area, for authentic Chinese fare.

Up since 6 a.m. for our forty-minute flight from Doha, we happily retire to the comfort of our "signature" bed by 11 p.m. I am torn between the notion of sleeping in Sunday morning, versus getting up early to use the gym and take a swim. I desperately need to recover some Z's from jetlag, yet my conscious is telling me to work off the freshly baked breads, hummus and treats I've consumed these last few days.

What'll it be?

Abu Dhabi hosts most expensive Valentines Day Package

The most expensive valentines day package this year is at the Emirates Palace. A million dollars get's you 7 nights of luxury including the use of a private plane, yacht, a chauffer driven Maybach and more. Read here for the full details http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/uae-hotels-hope-money-can-buy-me-love-1898247.html


Mandarin Oriental have announced they will manage their first property in the Middle East. The hotel will open in 2013 in Abu Dhabi and will be comprised of both hotel rooms and residences. Read the story here
http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4045365.search?query=luxury+hotel

These Crystal prices are phenomenal, considering the caliber of the cruise line. I can help make any of these voyages a reality.
7- to 10-Day Cruises

Slip into the blissful routine of simple luxury aboard a 7 to 10-day cruise on Crystal.  Enjoy 2-for-1 fares, up to $2,000 per couple in “All-Inclusive. As You Wish.” spending credits, free air and price guarantee. 

Applicable Voyages:
May 11 - V0310 - Rome to Athens - 7 Days - Fares from $3,680
May 18 - V0311 - Athens to Venice - 7 Days - Fares from $3,680
May 26 - V0211 - Athens to Rome - 7 Days - Fares from $3,750
June 14 - V0213 - Round-trip London - 7 Days - Fares from $4,210
June 18 - V0314 - Athens to Venice - 7 Days - Fares from $3,850
July 28 - V0217 - Stockholm to Copenhagen - 10 Days - Fares from $5,620
August 7 - V0218 - Copenhagen to Stockholm - 7 Days - Fares from $4,375
September 29 - V0323 - Venice to Monte Carlo - 9 Days - Fares from $5,045
November 21 - V0227 - Round-trip Los Angeles - 7 Days - Fares from $2,165
November 22 - V0328 - Round-trip Lisbon - 9 Days - Fares from $4,525
November 28 - V0228 - Round-trip Los Angeles - 7 Days - Fares from $2,165
December 1 - V0329 - Lisbon to Miami - 10 Days - Fares from $4,000
December 5 - V0229 - Round-trip Los Angeles - 7 Days - Fares from $2,165
December 11 - V0330 - Round-trip Miami - 10 Days - Fares from $3,575
December 12 - V0230 - Round-trip Los Angeles - 10 Days - Fares from $2,990 

Personally, I am thinking of doing a med cruise this summer, if I can get Marshall to take enough time off.  Anyone else in?

Photo Album Links

Here are the links to my UAE photos:

Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi:   http://bit.ly/cUD6ka
Photos of local people: http://bit.ly/bMbLEh
Doha sites : http://bit.ly/9L8MYm
Abu Dhabi sites:   http://bit.ly/cCLtx8
Dubai:  http://bit.ly/cZlQLO

Aloft...Almost Perfect

With many hotel options to choose from, I decided to book the Aloft Abu Dhabi, in part because I had read good things about this new concept brand by Starwood, but primarily because of its free internet access.  My expectations were exceeded, with super-comfy beds with high-grade Egyptian cotton linens; ultra-modern yet functional furnishings and bathroom fittings; extra feather pillows; soothing colors and perfectly opaque black-out blinds that let you sleep in! 

The bonus:  FREE water and mini fridge!  Yes, no nickel-and-dime added expense for bottled water in the room, a BIG plus for me!  True, a 3 oz. cup of Hagen Das ice cream cost approximately $6 in re:fuel, the lobby snack shop, but so what?  Ice cream is a luxury!  Water is ESSENTIAL. 

The over-sized spa shower was divine, but there was a problem with the water temperature, which intermittently changed  from warm to scalding.  The engineering crew was working on by this, we were told, but the experience overshadowed the Bliss Spa amenities and thick, luxurious cotton bath sheets that are standard issue.


Another minor complaint--no bathrobes!  In the midst of amenities, this one detail was missing, and the robe delivered on my second day was child-sized, and barely fit me.  What ever happened to His and Her robes?


As an off-shoot of "W" Hotels, Aloft was very cutting edge, including the infinity pool and rooftop relax@12 bar overlooking the city.   ADNEC is located along the same road where most embassies can be found, including US, Poland, France and an elaborate Morocco.  Our room overlooked the Khor Al Bateen waterway, with views of exclusive villas on Hodariyat Island. 

We ate breakfast at the Mai Cafe & Restaurant, which will one day have a beautiful view of the surrounding embassies and convention complex, but now overlooks a huge construction site.  The buffet was extensive, but at a convention-center price:80 Dirhams (about $22). 


Service was excellent, and the front desk clerk surprised me by calling me by name my first morning there.  Housekeeping, however, should be more prudent in their clean-up, as my sample-sized cosmetic packets, which normally last me 3-4 days, were tossed after only one use.

Aloft is located in the new convention center, and was virtually empty when we checked in.  The hotel opened in October 2009, and is part of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) complex which features the leaning tower in the accompanying photo.  Access from the main highway is easy, although if you miss the exit or turn, you'll have to drive several miles in the opposite direction to back-track.


Back-tracking was a given wherever we went in Abu Dhabi...similar to Doha, the roads were designed with traffic circles and few left turning or U-turn lanes.  As a passenger, it seemed that we were repeatedly going the opposite direction we were headed, and what should have been a few minutes drive from one destination to the next, literally took half an hour!  I, for one, would have trouble driving here.

Bottom line:  Almost perfect!  I will definitely stay at Aloft again.  Starwood delivers.

The Return of the Beanbag

  Aloft, ground level lobby entrance from ADNEC

Duplicity in Doha

Marshall is there to meet me, on the other side of the arrivals hall in Doha. Immediately upon deplaning, I notice the cultural changes and duplicitous manner of life in this oil-rich kingdom. Three young women in black burqas embellished with beaded sequin trim around the cuffs, carrying Gucci and Prada handbags, wearing Manolo Blahnik platforms, alternately glance at their Blackberries while chattering in Arabic, as we ride the bus from the plane to the terminal. American ex-pats make small-talk with visiting U.S. citizens, while Indian and Pakistani workers carry bungee-corded packages as hand luggage. There are "fast-track" lanes through immigration for card-carrying residents, Gulf Country Citizen (GCC) lines, and "other" citizenship immigration check lines. I completely forget Marshall's advice to go through the "women only" line to expedite the process, but then it is a "slow" night when I arrive this Wednesday, Jan. 27.

A new terminal will soon replace this old one, to meet the demand the Amir hopes to muster with its bid for the 2022 World Cup. Block-long billboards build anticipation for this successful bid, as do the scantily occupied glass structures dominating the city sky line across the bay. Pizza Hut, Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts have made it here, oddly situated next to Lebanese bakeries, Turkish cafes and petrol stations.

I sleep until 1:15 p.m. on my first day in Doha, after 22 hours of traveling. Considering it is 5:30 a.m. at home, and despite my restless slumber and stiff neck, I felt rested enough to work out in the gym in Marshall's building. The equipment is adequate, but the Serdhal Towers has no internet access today, after almost a month of intermittent service. Ex-pat residents are especially wary, since temporary lobby-only service offered through the transition to wireless (which has taken almost a month) is also down today. I set off for the City Center, directly across the street, in search of a signal. There is none, not at Starbucks, not at any of the cafes or restaurants. There go my plans to keep my blog posts, Twitter and Facebook feeds up-to-date, and my intent to follow up with potential employers and family members via Skype.

Marshall has worked all day while I acclimate, and he arrives surprisingly early to take me to dinner. We drive along the Corniche, which he counsels me to always look for if I am lost. This main drag is at once a promenade and a centerpiece for the monumental structures that ring the city waterscape. He points out the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei, the grand mosque that backs up to the Souk, and the Sheraton, the city's first major tourist hotel. He warns me about the round-abouts, built by British and detested by the rest. They are vestibules for countless accidents as Qataris rush haphazardly in their SUVs across multiple lanes, a testimony to a society balancing the old traditions with new trends and technology. (A ticket for cell phone use while driving will cost you the equivalent of US $100.)

The air is a crisp 57 degrees Fahrenheit, as we make our way through the cobbled streets of the souk, through the alleys filled with cages housing falcons, bunnies and parakeets. We turn the maze through the household goods, past the textiles and local cobblers, to the main streets filled with tourist paraphernalia. I am consciously not holding onto Marshall as I wobble in my high-heeled boots, as this is frowned upon, although I do see men holding hands with other men. It is difficult not to nudge or touch this man I seldom see, and who I've known for 27 years.

I am a bit disappointed in the Moroccan fare we have chosen, although the atmosphere of this upstairs outdoor cafe is lively, with locals and tourists alike eating kabobs and smoking shisha under warm gas lights. There is even an impressive fireworks display in the distance, although Marshall is unaware of any national holiday or cause for celebration. Winding our way back, we venture into the Hotel Souq Waqif (a boutique hotel with only 13 rooms), and are offered Turkish coffee, complete with demonstrations on how to shake my cup if I want more. I shake it once.

It has been a good day, overall, full of ambiguity, yet surprisingly refreshing.