Abu Dhabi: Hugh
Where am I – stopping over (for a few nights) in Abu Dhabi, on the way to explore the Middle East and Europe.
Where we stayed – At the very refined St Regis Abu Dhabi.
There are two St Regis branded properties in town; we were in Downtown/ and the other has a more ‘resort’ vibe on Saadiyat Island - which could be worthwhile if staying on a little longer.
Highlight(s) – I think for me it would have to be the Abu Dhabi Louvre; only the second branch of the famous museum, designed by the Pritzker Prize winning French architect Jean Nouvel. It’s made up of a collection of white ‘boxes’ which are modeled like ancient Arab medinas, encased in a striking mesh dome. I’ve never been to such a well curated museum - we loved the way they presented a small number of items in each gallery space, all tied together by a central theme but each from a different period of history. Such a clever way to tell an engaging story and see the development of ideas across the world at different moments in time.
And my other highlight, of course the pristine Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Built with white marble inlaid with precious stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian, and mother of pearl.
Must do - Just next door to the Louvre is the teamLab Phenomena, a fascinatingly engaging space for all ages (and also the perfect air conditioned venue to while away a few hours in the heat of the middle of the day!) The first room was the most amazing cavernous temple of shape shifting lights and sound. Other rooms featured balloons, lasers, and water - the last chunk of gallery space is submerged, and you do need to take your shoes off / and get your feet wet to experience this!
Rounding off the cultural precinct at Saadiyat Island (and not yet open when we visited in August 2025) are the Guggenheim, Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Another great thing to do is a visit to the Qasr Al Watan (Presidential Palace.) Opulent doesn’t come close to describing it! The marble and mosaic bedecked Great Hall is a sight to behold. **As with a visit to the Mosque - it’s a condition of entry that your knees and shoulders are covered (if you’re not appropriately dressed, you can borrow something to pop on.)
The St Regis – the only place to stay! They have perfected service here; friendly, kind and super attentive. We had two butlers (!!) which is a signature aspect of this very traditional luxury brand. We didn’t really trouble them too much, as we were out and about quite a lot - but it was super to have freshly brewed coffee (in a silver jug of course) delivered each morning.
The hotel is situated on the Corniche, so it would be possible to stretch your legs and walk along the beachfront - not that we could do this when we were there, in the heat of summer. Conveniently, they have an air conditioned tunnel underneath the road which connects the hotel (and a small attached shopping mall) to their very own beachclub - with pool, restaurants and a lovely stretch of private beach.
We also popped in next door to the Emirates Palace Hotel (managed by Mandarin Oriental.) The gardens are incredible, and the structure itself pretty mind blowing. Apparently it cost $3 billion to build (!) We preferred the more intimate scale and personalised feel of the St Regis - and were very happy to return there - but it’s worth a visit, with all the restaurants and bars open to outside guests (we had some casual drinks at their NYC theatre-inspired bar Broadway.)
We flew with Emirates, Melbourne direct to Dubai. From here, it’s a convenient 1.5hr drive to the neighbouring Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Once you’ve cleared immigration on arrival to Dubai - there are no more formalities to cross the ‘border’ in to Abu Dhabi.