p18 ttg_lux_suites_eats 4/3/10 12:37 Page 18
MORE WAYS TO
WOW IN ABU DHABI
1
Palatial grandeur:
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates
Palace hotel is as
opulent as any royal
palace with its lavish
decor of marble, gold leaf
and Swarovski crystal. The 302 rooms are also
spacious and well appointed. It is just a mile
and a half from the city centre but its spa,
beach and pools are enough to keep anyone
from ever leaving (emiratespalace.com).
2
Fast lane:
Formula One fans
will love the sleek
Yas Hotel, which straddles
Abu Dhabi’s new F1 race
circuit on Yas Island. The
Yas opened in November for the inaugural
Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix and has spectacular
track views from its 499 rooms, rooftop pool
s
ABU DHABI
and many of the 10 restaurants. Its spa is due
to open in April (theyashotel.com).
a
t
Big plans are afoot for a whole world of luxury and culture in Abu
Dhabi – but the two new Anantara resorts already offer a rich 3
Just deserts:
Recommend that
clients staying at
slice of desert life and natural beauty, says Abigail Cattell Qasr al Sarab take the
Surrounded by the breathtaking sand dunes of the Liwa Desert and a sunset camel trek into the
two-hour drive from Abu Dhabi, Qasr al Sarab is a remarkable five-star desert. With nothing but
hotel to wow even the most widely travelled. Owned by the dunes for miles, the stillness of the air fills
government’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) you with peace as you ride along the valley
and opened in October by the UAE’s president, Sheikh Khalifa, the Anantara Desert Islands floor, admiring the beauty of the towering
resort is run by top Thai hotel company Anantara. Resort & Spa dunes. At a designated spot, you dismount
Guests arrive via a thrilling drive along a road lined on both sides Abu Dhabi’s ruling family has a your camel and enjoy a glass of bubbly as the
s & e
with shifting red-tinged sands – although there is also a helipad for palace on Sir Bani Yas Island, sun sets over the horizon (anantara.com).
those wanting to make more of an entrance. The hotel has been where this hotel has been
designed to resemble an ancient Arabian fort and its pale, sand- converted from the Sheikh’s
coloured walls blend seamlessly into the surrounding dunes. former guesthouse into a
Golf carts whisk guests to the spacious rooms in calming, earthy spectacular beachfront retreat 4
Sky-high style:
Suggest clients
start the trip with a
hues with intricate silver chandeliers and gilded mosaics. They boast with sumptuous, airy rooms dash of panache – with
baths big enough to swim in, rain showers and a generous helping of overlooking the freeform pool Etihad business-class
Elemis products. The 154 rooms, 42 villas and 10 royal villas all have and sea beyond. The Anantara flights. Door-to-door limo
hypnotic dune views – from a balcony, a brilliant strip of lawn or, in the Spa is housed in a separate service and smart lounge facilities which
case of the romantic villas, from a private garden and plunge pool. building a short walk through include a Six Senses spa treatment, plus a
s
u
i
t
e
Three restaurants offer a choice of traditional Middle Eastern and manicured gardens, but the real flatbed once onboard, makes the flight part of
Arabian cuisine, or gourmet French and international dishes in Suhail, attraction is the island’s 15 a relaxing luxury break (etihadairways.com).
the sumptuous rooftop bar and grill. square miles of wildlife park,
Traditional hotel facilities abound, from the spacious freeform where guests can get close to Sunset Faraway Holidays offers a five-night
swimming pool to the luxurious Anantara Spa. But recommend clients indigenous creatures such as stay from £1,180pp at Qasr Al Sarab Desert
enjoy an authentic Arabian experience – riding camels, watching Arabian Oryx, gazelle and eland. Resort and Desert Islands Resort & Spa,
majestic falcons take to the air or enjoying a tented Bedouin feast. Tel: 00971 2801 5400, including flights on Etihad and private
Tel: 00971 2886 2088, qasralsarab.anantara.com desertislands.anantara.com transfers. Tel: 020 8774 7100, sunset.co.uk
my kind of luxury...
“It is the luxury of time, especially taking
the time to anticipate a beautifully created
dish which you experience with your senses
of smell and imagination before tasting it.
Luxury is also using homegrown or locally
s
sourced ingredients when preparing a
18
vier Lambour
Xa meal or dining.” Alain Ducasse, chef
in the know
spring 2010 ttgluxury.com
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64