Abu Dhabi in November a Pre-Christmas Treat.

Morning, thanks for stopping by today.

Well I've only got 6 days to go until my holiday, which means 6 days to avoid getting Covid!

I have to test on Saturday before flying on Sunday, keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. 🤞

With so much red tape and tests before taking a holiday it's easy to see why people would be put off.

I was in the same situation back in November before I went on my trip to Abu Dhabi. But honestly it was worth the tests and form filling just to have a break in the sun.  If I promise to not make you to jealous, can I tell you a little bit about my holiday?

It was all a bit last minute really, deciding to travel after my daughter had her baby.  So when our grandson arrived we set about booking our trip.  

We booked a hotel we were familiar with, as we tend to be creatures of habit the Beach Rotana in Abu Dhabi was our first and only choice! So with all the details booked we then set about sorting out all the paperwork.

Flights were with Etihad Airways and we had to get a fit to fly certificate in order to check in.

We booked PCR tests at our local Express Test center in Bluewater (they have sites all over the place too). Costing a whopping £70 per person, we hoped that would be all we would need!  Not true as you will see.

We received the negative results the next day so then we could complete our Alhosn app (similar to the NHS app) with all the details of our previous vaccine certificates and our PCR result.  We could also check-in for our flight the following day!

The flight was smooth and worry free, a full plane which didn't worry us as we were engrossed in the films that were showing.  Food included on the flight was very acceptable as were the complimentary drinks.

Airport Ready.

Upon arrival at Al Bateen airport we had to undergo another lateral flow test, it was quick and easy, but I did feel a little anxious as hubby and I had to go into separate areas - I kept looking over to where he was to make sure he was still there.  Once the tests were done (these were electronically uploaded to the Alhosn site too) we made our way to find the car to take us to the hotel.

View from the Hotel.

The journey through the busy roads took about 40 mins and by now the time was nearing 9pm local time (they're 4 hours ahead of BMT).  So once we arrived at the Beach Rotana we showered and made our way to our favourite of the 9 dine around restaurants. The Rodeo Grill serves tasty steaks, grilled chicken and burgers - let me tempt you even more by guiding you to the dine around menu.

Delicious Food Every Night in Rodeo Grill.

Our Last Night - Surprise Dessert from Rodeo Grill.

Brauhaus - German Restaurant.

Here's a list of the other amazing dining venues.

  

Finz - Seafood Restuarant, Bar and Lounge.

Trader Vic's - French Polynesian Restaurant and Bar.

Prego's - Italian Restaurant.

Brauhaus - Authentic German Bar and Restuarant.

Indigo - Indian Restaurant.

Rodeo Grill - Fine Steaks and Grills (my personal favourite).

Benihana - American-Japanese Restuarant.

Al Shorfa Lounge - Outdoor Shisha Lounge.

Bay View - Beach & Pool Bar.

The Garden at Bay View - Healthy Grills.

Essence - International Buffet Restuarant.

Cafe Columbia - Lobby Cafe.

So much choice you can imagine I wanted for nothing.

Hubby and I settled into life at the hotel with ease.  

We had to wear a mask whilst inside the hotel which wasn't too much of a problem, I just had to keep  checking my lipstick hadn't smudged - but this is much the same at home.

We'd paid extra from club rooms which lived up to their title.  They were spacious, fully equipped and the bedrooms looked very chic and elegant. Also included in the Club status was a separate lounge area serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres which made a lovely start to our  evenings before dinner in one of the above pre-booked restaurants. 

Club Lounge.

Benihana Baby!

We only ventured outside the restuarant to visit the pharmacy down the road to have our lateral flow tests on day 6 and 9, not much to report about the streets, although they were very clean there wasn't a lot else going on.  The hotel did have a big shopping mall inside that you could get to via escalators in the foyer - that was brilliant and I took full advantage of that on a couple of occasions.  I had to show my Alhosn pass whenever I entered, and the app made that really easy to do.

I came home with three shirts from Zara and H & M, which I'll be showing on the blog soon, I do like to come home with a little reminder even if I could have got them at home! 😂

Trader Vic's Dessert!

Prego's Meal.

Both David and I had a brilliant holiday, relaxing in the sun and taking full advantage of the waiter service and excellent food.  This is one I'd return to in a heartbeat.

The hotel had a lovely pool big enough to swim a couple of lengths in, not that I did - however I did manage to swim right up to the swim-up-bar, how clever of me! 😜 There was also a man-made beach which I dipped into a few times.  It was lovely, not too cold and it was nice to swim in at the end of the day whilst hubby took a beer.  

The hotel offered paddle boarding lessons and I did want to have a try, but for one reason or another just didn't happen!  I did get a Christmas gift of a lesson at the local beach here - I'll save that one for the warm Summer months I think.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, I much appreciate your support. Have a super week, do stop by on Thursday as I'm sharing another blogger pal on my At Home With ... series.

Have a super week my friends.

Bye. X

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Holiday, TK Maxx. Fashion Over Fifty. Abu Dhabi.