“Sex and the City 2” sends its heroines to Abu Dhabi for a week of partying. This wealthy city is the capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Its glitzy neighbor to the north, Dubai, is actually a better-known party city. Nevertheless, quieter Abu Dhabi offers an enjoyable Middle Eastern travel experience.
For fans of SATC2, Abu Dhabi has surprises in store. SATC2 was actually filmed a thousand miles away, in land-locked Marrakech, Morocco, while Abu Dhabi lies on the tranquil Persian Gulf. This means that in addition to luxury hotels, shopping and desert safaris, the city has sailing marinas, sandy beaches and a long, seaside Corniche for evening strolls.
Abu Dhabi’s Luxury Hotels
One setting of SATC2 is a luxury hotel. Abu Dhabi is known for some of the most sumptuous hotels in the Middle East, and in fact, the world. One of the city’s major landmarks is the Emirates Palace, a colossal hotel overlooking the Persian Gulf.
When the Emirates Palace finished construction in 2005, it was the most expensive hotel in history to build, costing around 3 billion U.S. dollars. The hotel is so large (almost two-thirds of a mile long) that guests can borrow bicycles to tour the gardens. The hundreds of rooms include six “head-of-state suites” for kings and presidents. Like a medieval Islamic palace, the building has numerous fountains and domes. Like a European palace, marble and gold dominate the décor.
Outside, two large, irregular-shaped swimming pools wind through acres of gardens. The “relaxation pool” has a swim-up bar and Jacuzzis, and the “adventure pool” has waterfalls and water slides. The hotel also provides activities that include snorkeling, sailing, wind-surfing, sea-kayaking, tennis, spa treatments and camel rides on the mile-long private beach.
The Emirates Palace houses over a dozen restaurants and bars, from casual poolside cafes, to a champagne and caviar bar, to a trendy nightspot where DJs spin till three in the morning. The kitchens are famous for decorating chocolates and desserts with real gold leaf—guests consume a grand total of 11 lbs (5 kg) a year of edible gold.
Not surprisingly, a stay at the Emirates Palace is costly. Luckily, visitors who aren’t staying there are welcome to visit the restaurants and lobbies (other areas are off-limits to provide security to high-profile guests). A visit to the Palace is recommended for any visitor to Abu Dhabi. Its vast scale powerfully illustrates the U.A.E.’s oil wealth.
Abu Dhabi contains many other notable hotels that attract a cosmopolitan crowd. Le Royal Meridien has a roof-top rotating restaurant with magnificent views of the city. The Beach Rotana Hotel has good swimming and diving facilities. Two other large hotels, Le Meridien and the Intercontinental, have particularly up-to-date amenities, but there are many others besides these four.
Shopping the Abu Dhabi Way
Movie fans beware! Abu Dhabi has plenty of shopping, but it doesn’t have anything to compare with SATC2’s exotic, medieval souks (traditional markets). Most of Abu Dhabi was built since the discovery of oil in the U.A.E. in 1958. The city can’t offer medieval souks like those in Marrakech where SATC2 was filmed.
Abu Dhabi does offer interesting shopping in the Bedouin craft centers. A good place to start is the Cultural Foundation. This complex includes a workshop and store called the Heritage Corner. Visitors can watch Bedouin craftswomen make palm-frond baskets and colorful weaving and embroidery. Female travelers can also get a henna tattoo using traditional methods.
For a taste of today’s oil-rich U.A.E., travelers should visit Abu Dhabi’s glitzy shopping malls. Wealthy Arabs come here from all over the Middle East to shop for luxury goods like gold jewelry and Louis Vuitton bags.
Arabian Desert Safaris
Just as SATC2 shows, Abu Dhabi offers good access to the desert. It’s close to the most forbidding part of the Arabian Desert, a region so hostile to life that it’s called the Empty Quarter. Luckily, travelers can see the sands of the Empty Quarter in relative comfort on a short “desert safari.”
These four-wheel drive trips leave Abu Dhabi in the late afternoon. First, they explore the desert sand dunes, with the possibility of some sand-boarding for those who are interested. Then, a sunset camel ride. The day ends with a campfire, an Arab-style barbecue feast, and music and belly dancing under the stars.
Other unique Abu Dhabi experiences are the camel races (located about 30 miles outside Abu Dhabi), falconry demonstrations and the ornate Shaykh Zayed mosque. Soon Abu Dhabi will also boast a branch of the Louvre museum.
The Abu Dhabi Travel Experience
In many ways, the flashy, modern city of Abu Dhabi is very different from its SATC2 stand-in, the ancient city of Marrakech. But it’s a popular travel destination for its sunny winter weather, fine hotels and contemporary Middle Eastern culture.
Abu Dhabi officials have objected to the portrayal of their city in "Sex and the City 2."
References:
"Cultural Foundation," VisitAbuDhabi.ae (accessed May 18, 2010).
"Facts and Figures," EmiratesPalace.com (accessed May 18, 2010).
Frommer’s Dubai and Abu Dhabi Day by Day. John Wiley and Sons. 2010.
Walker, Jenny et al. Lonely Planet: Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula. Lonely Planet Publications. 2007.
Jessamine Price - Jessamine Price is a writer, educator and world traveler who holds a Master of Philosophy in history from the University of Oxford (2000). ...
