
Must visit to Kempinski Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Must visit to Kempinski Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Just a 30 minute drive from Abu Dhabi airport, this is a real ‘one-of-a-kind’ hotel. It is huge, over 1,000,000 sqm but only has 394 rooms so you get a real sense of space. The hotel is set within 100 hectares of landscaped grounds. The attention to detail is incredible, the gardens, beach & pool area are spotless.
The building is a mix of Arabian opulence and contemporary design. I was welcomed with a cool, refreshing towel along with a fruit juice. Service here is fantastic, I expected it to be rather stuffy but actually the staff got it spot on. Everyone was incredibly friendly.
Each room comes with it’s own butler service – very handy when you are craving chocolate at 1 a.m. The rooms are beautiful and very comfortable, unless you are staying in a suite, the rooms are 55 sqm and come complete with huge bathroom with swimming pool-sized bath (ok not that big but very large). Everything is controlled from a pad (touch screen multi-media system) by your bedside, it took me a while to work out how to turn the t.v on & to pull the curtains. My top tip is to let the butler show you how the room works instead of pretending (like me) that you know everything !
There are 2 pool areas; 1 quiet pool (East Wing) and 1 family pool complete with lazy river and waterslides (West Wing) You can call a golf buggy to take you between pools as they are a 10 minute walk from each other but if it’s not too hot, it’s nice stroll along the beach. The beach is beautiful & private. It’s over 1.2 km’s long with ample loungers and a bar service.
The dining options are superb including the michelin-starred Hakkasan restaurant.
This hotel is really great for families. The kids are well looked after, there is a daily activities programme to keep them entertained as well as the waterpark, camels on the beach, a playground which may have been revamped with a Wetpour Surface, and much more. The hotel thinks of everything – if you are travelling with children, they will even provide child-sized bathrobes and slippers, special children’s shampoo and a nightly bedtime milk drink plus cookies.
Abu Dhabi is more laid back than Dubai although if you fancy a daytrip – why not try Ferrari World with the world’s fastest roller coaster (I’ll give that one a miss) or Yas Waterworld with over 40 rides and slides. For some culture, visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – it stands over 107 metres tall and has 82 domes.
I can highly recommend Abu Dhabi & the Emirates Palace as a stand alone holiday or part of a twin-centre combo.
Don’t delay – book today !