A smiling man in a traditional dress welcomed me with a small cup of hot tea. Just what I needed after surviving a Dubai-Abu Dhabi drive that included 30 minutes of “getting lost” in the city. I graciously accepted the teacup and took a sip. Moroccan mint tea. Lovely.
I was at the entrance of the Shangri-La hotel Qaryat Al Beri, a five-star, beachfront hotel in the capital. I felt like I had just stepped into someone’s hyper-modernised version of a local mansion, with marble interiors and things that glittered. A row of 1940s type of telephones in the lobby caught my attention. I picked up a handset while posing for a selfie and was surprised to hear a telephone operator’s voice on the other line! And I thought they were just props!
The room
The dimly lit corridor lights were a bit melancholic for me, but stepping into my hotel room picked me up right away. The room was lit up by a flood of sunlight streaming in from the balcony, which had a wonderful view of the canal and the grand Shaikh Zayed Mosque.
The interior was spacious, with tasteful touches of Arabic—from the wooden furniture to the brass lighting fixtures on the walls. The first thing I did was walk over to the wooden entertainment display cabinet to shut the TV away. I was not going to spend the next 48 hours being glued to the boob tube. Then I placed my phone on top of the wooden chest in a corner and collapsed on one of the soft beds while my companion checked out the huge bathroom. “Wow, they didn’t forget to leave two of everything,” my companion said, happy with the staff’s obvious attention to detail. When we check in anywhere, there’s usually something missing, like an extra toothbrush, soap, comb or towel even though the room reservation is for two. This time, we did not have to call reception to ask for anything.
Another detail that I love is how I always come back to a clean room in the evening, with the beds made and ready to be slept on and there is always a cute bookmark on top of the duvet, with a quote from Lost Horizon, a 1933 novel by James Hilton. In my book, that’s an A-plus (and I’m a bookworm!).
What to do
The hotel has its own private beach that stretches about a kilometre, which means there’s plenty of space for water activities. There are also ample beach chairs and umbrellas in case you want to sit back and relax. When we arrived in the morning, the beachfront was busy, with quite a lot of people out and about. A lovely couple was playing beach volleyball while staff members were busy inflating a giant play castle for children.
Those who don’t like the beach can always enjoy the temperature-controlled pools. In fact, that was were I spent most of my time, after trying a dip in the beach and finding the water too cold.
The adjacent The Souk is also worth a visit. “Is that an abra?” I asked my companion as we stared at what looked like a small boat making its way through the winding waterway lit by warm, incandescent lights. A flash of light went off, and as the boat got closer I realised it came from one of the camera-weilding tourists onboard what was indeed an abra.
The modern, two-storey souq houses shops, restaurants, a grocery store and even a Starbucks. And those abras? Well, they travel through those water canals to ferry hotel guests from the Shangri-La to various locations.
Where to eat
Lunch at the award-winning Bord Eau was a real treat. The French fine dining restaurant really emits class—from the chic interiors down to the beautifully plated food.
We decided to go al fresco at their terrace and chose the table with the best view of the infinity pool. They have a lunch special for Dh150, which includes a three-course meal. For starters, I had an appetizing Cesar salad: crisp greens tossed with black tiger shrimp and corn-fed chicken. My main course was a slab of juicy grain-fed rib eye with sautéed mushrooms and extra creamy mashed potatoes on the side. I loved every bite. We ended the delightful meal with a dessert tray of yummy petit fours, including some macarons and canapés.
For dinner, I tried the Dh226 buffet at Sofra bld, their lively, all-day dining restaurant. Definitely worth every dirham. The restaurant takes up an entire floor and is better accessed down the grand staircase from the lobby. There are live cooking stations and well-stocked counters for a variety starters, mains and desserts.
The grilled lamb was worth the wait and the slice of steak was delightfully well done. I ended up with another plateful, breaking my diet for the week. I also frequented the seafood corner, which had a good stock of fish and prawns, and asked the chef for some freshly grilled prawns. My companion, on the other hand, went gaga for sushi, steamed dumplings and unlimited fresh oysters. I’ve never seen fresh oysters served buffet style before so it was quite a rare treat. The dessert counter was a delight, with all kinds of sweets, cakes and pastries, including some Arabic sweets. I had my eye on the homemade ice cream (there were 10 flavours to choose from) and asked the chef for a bowl of mango and peach ice cream. I would definitely dine in Sofra BLD the next time I feel like going on a tasteful binge.
Getting there
From Abu Dhabi International Airport:
• Follow signs to Abu Dhabi/Mussafah Bridge for 20km
• After the second Adnoc gas station, move into the right lane and take the Abu Dhabi Gate City exit
• Turn right towards Third Street
• Turn left at the roundabout and go over the blue bridge
• Turn left at the next roundabout and drive straight - the creek should be on the left
• Drive straight through the next two roundabouts
• Approaching the second roundabout (The Souk), Shangri-La Hotel will be seen on the left, make a U-turn and go up the ramp to the hotel entrance
From Dubai:
• On Shaikh Zayed Road, follow the signs to Abu Dhabi for 150 km
• Take the exit going towards Mussafah/Maqtaa Bridge and follow the signs to Abu Dhabi/Maqtaa Bridge
• Before crossing Maqtaa Bridge, move into the right lane and take the exit following the “Tourism Information” sign
• Make a left turn and follow the road past the fort on your left, driving underneath Maqtaa Bridge
• Continue following the road until you come to the first roundabout and turn right.
• Shortly after the fourth roundabout (The Souk), go up the ramp to the hotel entrance
From Abu Dhabi city centre:
• Follow the signs for Maqtaa Bridge and stay in the right lane along 2nd Street (Rashid Bin Saayed Al Maktoum Street), known locally as Airport Road
• Immediately after crossing the bridge, follow the Royal Jet Sign on your right and drive straight
• Shortly after the fourth roundabout (The Souk), go up the ramp to the hotel entrance
For reservations, call 02 509 8888 or email slad@shangri-la.com
