Simply Abu Dhabi VIII

W e’re lucky enough to live in an Emirate that’s famed for its fabulous hotels. And what’s more, we’ve had the chance to experience our fair share of the sumptuous elegance and luxury that they offer. We’ve visited many of the magnificent establishments located in Abu Dhabi – but there has always been one gap that we were waiting to fill. Although it’s been open since 2007, we had never visited the wonderful Shangri-La Hotel in the Qaryat Al Beri resort. So when we recently had the chance to spend a long weekend there, we were completely over the moon. Overlooking the Gulf between Abu Dhabi and its islands, the Shangri-La Hotel is breathtaking to view, even from a distance. And when you arrive, it’s even better. The hotel is situated on a gorgeous 1km stretch of beach, with brilliant views across the strait over to the stunning Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It’s surrounded by 8.5 acres of magnificent land, too. The gardens are astonishingly attractive and clearly designed by the finest landscape artists. They include no less than four swimming pools – and there’s also a captivating replica ‘souk’, which has a superb diversity of shops selling traditional artefacts, paintings, jewellery and clothes. The shops are joined together by a pretty waterway that’s full of picturesque Arabic gondolas – known as abras. When you arrive at this hotel, it really is like stepping into another world. The reflection of the glorious golden-white main building of the hotel in the water of the swimming pool is simply stunning. Our senses were completely beguiled by the Shangri-La’s magnificent architecture. Its beautiful Arabic décor is full of charming organic textures, and uses a wonderful warm-toned palette. As we strolled around the glorious hotel complex, our fascination only increased. We stopped and gazed at the winding waterway and its beautiful abras. It was an immensely charming and inspiring scene. We visited some of the charming shops in the souk, and then walked along the private beach just in time to catch the sunset. Fabulous orange rays were bathing the glittering ocean in their soft light. It was a moment that I don’t think we will ever forget. So by the time we arrived at the hotel’s wonderful lobby to book into our suite, the tone of pure style and class had been set. You might think that such a fantastic setting would be hard to beat – we certainly did – but the amazing thing was that from here on, our Shangri-La Hotel experience simply got better and better! The Shangri-La Hotel has an incredible range of rooms and suites – all of the very highest class. There are 214 in total – and all of themhave balconies and stunning canal views. For this stay, we wanted to experience the very height of luxury, so we booked into one of the hotel’s two – yes two! – presidential suites. When we opened the door, we were absolutely delighted with what we saw. The rooms had been decorated with exquisite taste – blending the traditional with the contemporary, and clearly incorporating rich Arabian cultural influences. The two beautiful bedrooms were just the start – beyond this, there was a large seating area and a sumptuous dining area. And let’s not forget the peaceful study, the inspiring gallery, the wonderfully spacious bathroom, and – last but not least – a fabulously relaxing sauna. All in all, our majestic presidential suite covered a total of 400 square metres. The weather – of course – was glorious, so we were also delighted that our suite had a shady covered patio and access to a shared rooftop garden. We spent hours here simply gazing over the magnificent scenery surrounding us, and pinching ourselves to make sure that it wasn’t all a dream!

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjIwNDQ=