Last month we had a long weekend and John and I used our Dubai coupon app to get a hotel deal... purchase one night and get one free! Our destination was Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and less than a two hour drive away.
I liked Abu Dhabi immediately. It seemed a lot more chill than Dubai. Less crazy. Less flashy, but not boring. Our hotel was located near the famous Abu Dhabi "Corniche" (the road of skyscrapers going along the waterfront).
We checked out the Abu Dhabi Mall which had a Tim Horton's with a patio right out front (we went there twice for breakfast during our stay). The Abu Dhabi Mall was quite large but definitely no Dubai Mall, which is the largest in the world.
The highlight of the weekend was visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Dedicated to the former Sheikh, it was finished being built in 2007, and cost around $545 million USD to construct. The mosque was very beautiful with white marble floors outside inlaid with semi-precious stones, and the carpet inside is the largest in the world. The mosque also contained the largest chandelier in the world as well. We joined a free tour of the mosque and learned that Muslims pray five times a day and there is a huge clock showing the times of the "call to prayer" times during the day.
To visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque you need to be wearing proper clothing. John was fine wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt, but women had to cover their heads, arms, and ankles. I had to rent an "abaya" which is the black robe that you see many women in the UAE wearing. It was free to rent and made the experience a bit more authentic, haha.
After visiting the mosque we made our way to the famous 7-star hotel called Emirates Palace, which was situated on the Corniche. We had lunch in the cafe. John got a camel burger and I got an "Oriental wrap" with the famous "gold cappuccino" which actually had real gold flakes on it. It was so nice I didn't want to drink it!
At the Emirates Palace there were also gold ATMs in the lobby. You know, just in case you needed some gold jewellery or a gold brick. Crazy!!!
Overall it was a fun weekend in Abu Dhabi and I hope to go back again one day soon!
I liked Abu Dhabi immediately. It seemed a lot more chill than Dubai. Less crazy. Less flashy, but not boring. Our hotel was located near the famous Abu Dhabi "Corniche" (the road of skyscrapers going along the waterfront).
We checked out the Abu Dhabi Mall which had a Tim Horton's with a patio right out front (we went there twice for breakfast during our stay). The Abu Dhabi Mall was quite large but definitely no Dubai Mall, which is the largest in the world.
The highlight of the weekend was visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Dedicated to the former Sheikh, it was finished being built in 2007, and cost around $545 million USD to construct. The mosque was very beautiful with white marble floors outside inlaid with semi-precious stones, and the carpet inside is the largest in the world. The mosque also contained the largest chandelier in the world as well. We joined a free tour of the mosque and learned that Muslims pray five times a day and there is a huge clock showing the times of the "call to prayer" times during the day.
To visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque you need to be wearing proper clothing. John was fine wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt, but women had to cover their heads, arms, and ankles. I had to rent an "abaya" which is the black robe that you see many women in the UAE wearing. It was free to rent and made the experience a bit more authentic, haha.
After visiting the mosque we made our way to the famous 7-star hotel called Emirates Palace, which was situated on the Corniche. We had lunch in the cafe. John got a camel burger and I got an "Oriental wrap" with the famous "gold cappuccino" which actually had real gold flakes on it. It was so nice I didn't want to drink it!
Overall it was a fun weekend in Abu Dhabi and I hope to go back again one day soon!
