Circumnavigating the Globe: A Park Hyatt Honeymoon
Aug 6, 2015, 4:22 pm
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Etihad First Class Washington DC Dulles (IAD) - Abu Dhabi (AUH)
After a great time in the Etihad Lounge it was time to board our flight to Abu Dhabi!! I had been excited about this flight for a while but there was just a slight touch of disappointment when we first saw the plane and noticed it had Etihad's old livery. The reason this was important is that this flight was suppose to be on their new Boeing 787 and sadly I knew immediately when seeing that livery that they had switched the plane. It turns out it was changed to a 777-300ER due to them needing a larger capacity for that weekend. Regardless it was still a great flight! Here we go!
As I mentioned in our Etihad Lounge Review, you can board the plane directly from the lounge, so when it was time for boarding, the wonderful ladies in the lounge came around and told us boarding had started and we were welcome to board whenever we were ready.
After going down the jetway we entered to the plane near seat 6C and turned left through a small separate business class area and into first class (the majority of the business class seats are to your right when entering this door).
Airline: Etihad Airways
Route: EY130 IAD-AUH
Cabin: F
Plane: 777-300ER
Seats: 1D and 1G
Flight time: 13 hours
Window Seat 1A
Window Seat 1A
We were seated in row 1, seats D and G which are the middle two seats on this 777-300ER. The first class cabin is set up as two rows of a 1-2-1 layout for a total of 8 First Class seats. Unlike the other first class flights I have been on, this cabin had all 8 seats full. This did not come as much of a surprise to me since I knew Etihad was very aggressive at getting people to pay for upgrades at check in time and frequently have fairly full premium cabins by the time of departure.
Our Seats to Abu Dhabi!
Our Seats to Abu Dhabi (the other end)
Immediately upon sitting in our seats we were given glasses of champagne, dates, a welcome letter and a warm, refreshing towel.
Welcome to the plane
Some champagne and dates to start the flight
Welcome Letter
After we had relaxed with our warm towel and champagne, the pajamas, Bose noise canceling headphones, slippers and amenity kits were distributed. The pajamas were good but not great, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines are certainly better. The slippers were really pretty uncomfortable.
Pajamas in bag
Male PJs
Male and Female PJs
Next Job: Airline Pajama Model
All comfy and ready to fly!
Bose Headphones
Bose Headphones Case
Men's Amenity Kit
Women's Amenity Kit
Amenity Kits
Contents of Men's Amenity Kit
The Seat
The seats on Etihad first class are very wide at 29.5 inches and have a foot rest/visitor seat at the opposite end. Your carry on bag can easily be placed under this ottoman. The best part of the seat of course is that it reclines into a fully flat bed with sheets and a blanket being added by the Etihad staff when ready.
The one extra special thing about First Class on Etihad is that the seat has a door and therefore can become an enclosed suite. If you are at a window seat you can have your own little room or if you are in one of the middle seats you and your partner can have your own BIG room or you can put the divider up for more privacy if traveling alone.
Katie has plenty of room
Our nice big private room
View of 1A, the suite next to me with doors open
Seat 1A, Window
View down the aisle
Ottoman/Visitor Seat
Ottoman with blanket, PJs, slippers and amenity kit
Ottomans and Screens
My seat view
With Divider Up
I see you!
With the suite doors closed with Katie sleeping
My seat turned into my bed!
Watching The Hobbit before a good night sleep
Katie was so comfortable she fell asleep and I had to wake her up to get her to turn her seat into a bed!
Doors closed before landing
Exploring around the seat we find a large center divider which can be used for drinks and snacks and holds the fold out table. The suite control panel which controls the seat, lights and has a massage function is found right next to you as well as a magazine storage area, power outlets and your controller for your entertainment system.
How to control your suite
Seat controls
More seat controls
Massage Function
Magazines
Controller and power outlets
There is also a little mini bar at the far end of the suite near the TV screen and a small closet. The mini bar is nice to have but not super useful since it is not refrigerated so the drinks are warm. Now to the closet. When I say "small closet," I mean, REALLY small. It was so narrow that I had to really push to squeeze in my clothes which I had placed on the hanger and all I had on it was a polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants!
Mini Bar
Contents of Mini Bar
Small Closet
Finally, the ambiance around sleeping in this seat was great because of the soothing lighting and the starry night sky above (Katie and I loved the stars). We had no problem sleeping 6 hours on this flight and I honestly could have slept even more but I wanted to get up and keep trying new things on the flight! (And we were getting there at night and could just go to bed again at the hotel).
Soothing lighting before bed time
Stars are starting to come out as we finish dinner
Sleeping under the stars
As an extra, here are the business class seats
The Entertainment
Now that we have talked about the awesome seat/suite let's discuss what to do (besides sleeping and eating). The entertainment system on this plane is really top notch, with a lot to choose from between movies, TV, games, music, etc. It also has map functions and cameras to outside of the plane. To go along with that the screen is really large (it almost needs to be because it is so far from you in the big suite), I didn't measure it but it has to be over 20 inches.
Also, there is paid WiFi offered on-board which could be really nice on a long flight during the day. Since we were leaving at 10pm I knew that I would be sleeping half the flight and not make use of it. You can see the prices below and it seems like the Flight Pass would certainly be the best deal if you were planning to use the WiFi a lot on the flight.
Our large screen TVs
Main Menu
I watched The Hobbit
Movies
Our Route
Live TV
TV Episode
Almost there!
Prices for the WiFi on my phone
The Food
One of the reasons that Katie and I did not eat a lot in the lounge before we left is because I wanted to try as much food as I could on the flight!
Etihad has an "Inflight Chef" that will make you anything on the menu whenever you want which is awesome. They have general courses that you can choose items from like other airlines but they will also make you anything on-demand! Here is a link that has what the chefs need to qualify for the position. After boarding the chef came to our seat to get our dinner order and introduce himself. He was very friendly and helped us pick out the best wines to go with our meals.
We started out by trying the different champagnes they offered, which were really good (but I preferred the Krug on the way home ). We then moved on to wine and snacks before starting our four course meal!
Some snacks of nuts, fried veggies and olives
Our two champagnes which were equally good I thought
Yum!
Champagne and Whites Menu
Reds and Dessert Wine
Liquor (didn't have the Johnny Walker Blue this time)
Soft Drinks, Coffee
Our Red Wine with dinner
Ready for dinner
I have to say I really like the new plates and bowls used by Etihad now. This was changed several months ago and they just looks really classy. Anyway, for my dinner I started off with the Arabic Mezze, then a watermelon juice tuna dish, followed by a Beef Tenderloin and finally a dessert taster! I would post the rest of the menu here as well but apparently I forgot to take pictures of it...oops.
Arabic Mezze
Watermelon Tuna
Watermelon Tuna
Beef Tenderloin
Katie's Main Course: Chicken Superme
Dessert Taster
I can't remember exactly what they are, but the middle is cheesecake haha
The Arabic Mezze was OK but actually a bit disappointing. I know that it used to be very good but they have changed it over the last year and it is not the same. Following that we had a watermelon juice tuna which sounds strange but actually really works and was delicious. Next, I had a great beef tenderloin (better than the one I would have later on Cathay Pacific) and Katie had chicken which she really liked. Finally, we had the dessert taster which I can't remember exactly, but there was cheesecake and a raspberry dessert and all 3 were good.
After this big meal I watched a movie and fell asleep. When I awoke it was time to try more food! We both ordered a smoothie and I ordered a Steak sandwich that was DELICIOUS and Katie ordered some breakfast pastries. The staff then brought us a special dessert that wasn't on the menu to celebrate our honeymoon which was great! I followed all that up with a cappuccino (I love when planes have espresso machines on them).
My steak sandwich
Strawberry Smoothie
Pastry Breakfast with smoothie
Cappuccino
Katie with our special dessert!
The Service
I had heard in the past that the service on Etihad was good but not as good as some of the other airlines like Singapore, Cathay Pacific, etc. where they are just always there the moment you need something. At the start of this flight it appeared that what I had heard was correct. About 20 min after sitting down, I really wanted a glass of water and kept waiting and waiting for someone to come by. I finally had to hit the call light (which I hate doing) to finally get a glass. Then after changing into my pajamas there was no help offered with hanging my things or getting them in the closet (which was a struggle). I was a bit worried this was a harbinger of things to come, but thankfully I was wrong.
The problem appeared to be that there were 2-3 passenger that brought the equivalent of 3 suitcases (EACH) worth of duty free items on board and the attendants were trying to figure out where they would put all that stuff! Thankfully, after that was resolved and we were in the air, our service was excellent. Our purser, Brigitta, was fantastic and really made us feel special during the flight, especially with the dessert they made for us. It may not be the best First Class service I have had (Japan Airlines was SO GOOD), but it was close.
And now, here are random pictures of the First Class bathroom:
CONCLUSION
This was a great flight! Was the service and attention to detail the best I have had? No. Was the food and champagne the best I have had? No. Was it the best seat? Maybe, the seat is great and door makes a difference.
Although I don't think they were the best in any single area, they excelled in ALL of them and there were no real let downs (except the slippers of course, those things were terrible haha). We had a FANTASTIC flight and I hope I get a chance to fly this cabin again in the future!!
NEXT UP: ETIHAD ABU DHABI ARRIVALS LOUNGE!!
As I mentioned in our Etihad Lounge Review, you can board the plane directly from the lounge, so when it was time for boarding, the wonderful ladies in the lounge came around and told us boarding had started and we were welcome to board whenever we were ready.
After going down the jetway we entered to the plane near seat 6C and turned left through a small separate business class area and into first class (the majority of the business class seats are to your right when entering this door).
Airline: Etihad Airways
Route: EY130 IAD-AUH
Cabin: F
Plane: 777-300ER
Seats: 1D and 1G
Flight time: 13 hours
Window Seat 1A
Window Seat 1A
We were seated in row 1, seats D and G which are the middle two seats on this 777-300ER. The first class cabin is set up as two rows of a 1-2-1 layout for a total of 8 First Class seats. Unlike the other first class flights I have been on, this cabin had all 8 seats full. This did not come as much of a surprise to me since I knew Etihad was very aggressive at getting people to pay for upgrades at check in time and frequently have fairly full premium cabins by the time of departure.
Our Seats to Abu Dhabi!
Our Seats to Abu Dhabi (the other end)
Immediately upon sitting in our seats we were given glasses of champagne, dates, a welcome letter and a warm, refreshing towel.
Welcome to the plane
Some champagne and dates to start the flight
Welcome Letter
After we had relaxed with our warm towel and champagne, the pajamas, Bose noise canceling headphones, slippers and amenity kits were distributed. The pajamas were good but not great, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines are certainly better. The slippers were really pretty uncomfortable.
Pajamas in bag
Male PJs
Male and Female PJs
Next Job: Airline Pajama Model
All comfy and ready to fly!
Bose Headphones
Bose Headphones Case
Men's Amenity Kit
Women's Amenity Kit
Amenity Kits
Contents of Men's Amenity Kit
The Seat
The seats on Etihad first class are very wide at 29.5 inches and have a foot rest/visitor seat at the opposite end. Your carry on bag can easily be placed under this ottoman. The best part of the seat of course is that it reclines into a fully flat bed with sheets and a blanket being added by the Etihad staff when ready.
The one extra special thing about First Class on Etihad is that the seat has a door and therefore can become an enclosed suite. If you are at a window seat you can have your own little room or if you are in one of the middle seats you and your partner can have your own BIG room or you can put the divider up for more privacy if traveling alone.
Katie has plenty of room
Our nice big private room
View of 1A, the suite next to me with doors open
Seat 1A, Window
View down the aisle
Ottoman/Visitor Seat
Ottoman with blanket, PJs, slippers and amenity kit
Ottomans and Screens
My seat view
With Divider Up
I see you!
With the suite doors closed with Katie sleeping
My seat turned into my bed!
Watching The Hobbit before a good night sleep
Katie was so comfortable she fell asleep and I had to wake her up to get her to turn her seat into a bed!
Doors closed before landing
Exploring around the seat we find a large center divider which can be used for drinks and snacks and holds the fold out table. The suite control panel which controls the seat, lights and has a massage function is found right next to you as well as a magazine storage area, power outlets and your controller for your entertainment system.
How to control your suite
Seat controls
More seat controls
Massage Function
Magazines
Controller and power outlets
There is also a little mini bar at the far end of the suite near the TV screen and a small closet. The mini bar is nice to have but not super useful since it is not refrigerated so the drinks are warm. Now to the closet. When I say "small closet," I mean, REALLY small. It was so narrow that I had to really push to squeeze in my clothes which I had placed on the hanger and all I had on it was a polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants!
Mini Bar
Contents of Mini Bar
Small Closet
Finally, the ambiance around sleeping in this seat was great because of the soothing lighting and the starry night sky above (Katie and I loved the stars). We had no problem sleeping 6 hours on this flight and I honestly could have slept even more but I wanted to get up and keep trying new things on the flight! (And we were getting there at night and could just go to bed again at the hotel).
Soothing lighting before bed time
Stars are starting to come out as we finish dinner
Sleeping under the stars
As an extra, here are the business class seats
The Entertainment
Now that we have talked about the awesome seat/suite let's discuss what to do (besides sleeping and eating). The entertainment system on this plane is really top notch, with a lot to choose from between movies, TV, games, music, etc. It also has map functions and cameras to outside of the plane. To go along with that the screen is really large (it almost needs to be because it is so far from you in the big suite), I didn't measure it but it has to be over 20 inches.
Also, there is paid WiFi offered on-board which could be really nice on a long flight during the day. Since we were leaving at 10pm I knew that I would be sleeping half the flight and not make use of it. You can see the prices below and it seems like the Flight Pass would certainly be the best deal if you were planning to use the WiFi a lot on the flight.
Our large screen TVs
Main Menu
I watched The Hobbit
Movies
Our Route
Live TV
TV Episode
Almost there!
Prices for the WiFi on my phone
The Food
One of the reasons that Katie and I did not eat a lot in the lounge before we left is because I wanted to try as much food as I could on the flight!
Etihad has an "Inflight Chef" that will make you anything on the menu whenever you want which is awesome. They have general courses that you can choose items from like other airlines but they will also make you anything on-demand! Here is a link that has what the chefs need to qualify for the position. After boarding the chef came to our seat to get our dinner order and introduce himself. He was very friendly and helped us pick out the best wines to go with our meals.
We started out by trying the different champagnes they offered, which were really good (but I preferred the Krug on the way home
). We then moved on to wine and snacks before starting our four course meal!Some snacks of nuts, fried veggies and olives
Our two champagnes which were equally good I thought
Yum!
Champagne and Whites Menu
Reds and Dessert Wine
Liquor (didn't have the Johnny Walker Blue this time)
Soft Drinks, Coffee
Our Red Wine with dinner
Ready for dinner
I have to say I really like the new plates and bowls used by Etihad now. This was changed several months ago and they just looks really classy. Anyway, for my dinner I started off with the Arabic Mezze, then a watermelon juice tuna dish, followed by a Beef Tenderloin and finally a dessert taster! I would post the rest of the menu here as well but apparently I forgot to take pictures of it...oops.
Arabic Mezze
Watermelon Tuna
Watermelon Tuna
Beef Tenderloin
Katie's Main Course: Chicken Superme
Dessert Taster
I can't remember exactly what they are, but the middle is cheesecake haha
The Arabic Mezze was OK but actually a bit disappointing. I know that it used to be very good but they have changed it over the last year and it is not the same. Following that we had a watermelon juice tuna which sounds strange but actually really works and was delicious. Next, I had a great beef tenderloin (better than the one I would have later on Cathay Pacific) and Katie had chicken which she really liked. Finally, we had the dessert taster which I can't remember exactly, but there was cheesecake and a raspberry dessert and all 3 were good.
After this big meal I watched a movie and fell asleep. When I awoke it was time to try more food! We both ordered a smoothie and I ordered a Steak sandwich that was DELICIOUS and Katie ordered some breakfast pastries. The staff then brought us a special dessert that wasn't on the menu to celebrate our honeymoon which was great! I followed all that up with a cappuccino (I love when planes have espresso machines on them).
My steak sandwich
Strawberry Smoothie
Pastry Breakfast with smoothie
Cappuccino
Katie with our special dessert!
The Service
I had heard in the past that the service on Etihad was good but not as good as some of the other airlines like Singapore, Cathay Pacific, etc. where they are just always there the moment you need something. At the start of this flight it appeared that what I had heard was correct. About 20 min after sitting down, I really wanted a glass of water and kept waiting and waiting for someone to come by. I finally had to hit the call light (which I hate doing) to finally get a glass. Then after changing into my pajamas there was no help offered with hanging my things or getting them in the closet (which was a struggle). I was a bit worried this was a harbinger of things to come, but thankfully I was wrong.
The problem appeared to be that there were 2-3 passenger that brought the equivalent of 3 suitcases (EACH) worth of duty free items on board and the attendants were trying to figure out where they would put all that stuff! Thankfully, after that was resolved and we were in the air, our service was excellent. Our purser, Brigitta, was fantastic and really made us feel special during the flight, especially with the dessert they made for us. It may not be the best First Class service I have had (Japan Airlines was SO GOOD), but it was close.
And now, here are random pictures of the First Class bathroom:
CONCLUSION
This was a great flight! Was the service and attention to detail the best I have had? No. Was the food and champagne the best I have had? No. Was it the best seat? Maybe, the seat is great and door makes a difference.
Although I don't think they were the best in any single area, they excelled in ALL of them and there were no real let downs (except the slippers of course, those things were terrible haha). We had a FANTASTIC flight and I hope I get a chance to fly this cabin again in the future!!
NEXT UP: ETIHAD ABU DHABI ARRIVALS LOUNGE!!
Aug 7, 2015, 10:04 pm
#17
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 56,441
Aug 8, 2015, 8:25 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Aug 9, 2015, 8:25 am
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Etihad Arrivals Lounge Abu Dhabi (AUH)
After our awesome flight over in Etihad First Class we took one last look back at our great suite and it was off to passport control and customs. We had been given "Fast Track" passes to go through the expedited passport line but it was "fast" in name only, as it still took us about 30-40 minutes to get through.
One last look!
Our "Fast Track" passes
Once we were finally through passport control and customs it was time to find the Etihad Arrivals Lounge.
Straight ahead from baggage claim and then turn right for the lounge
We proceeded straight down the hall from baggage claim and immediately saw signs for the Arrivals Lounge directing us to the right and it was there in front of us before the escalators!
Entrance
Front Desk
The lounge can be accessed by arriving First and Business Class customers. It is small but perfect for what it is; a place to get a snack, a drink and freshen up before leaving the airport.
When entering there is a main seating area with a couple large TVs in front of you with a food station and refrigerator with drinks to your left.
Main Seating Area
Snacks
Sandwiches
Full view of Buffet and Drinks
A cappuccino, some hummus and pita bread for my snack
Once you are seated there is a server who will bring you any drink you would like or food from the buffet. I was still waking up from the flight so I ordered a cappuccino.
Just behind you to the left when facing the main room is a small business center with an Mac computer. To your right is another small seating area with large TV and bag check station. When we first came in the lounge an attendant took our bags to the bag check for us.
Small Business Area
Smaller seating area
Directly behind you when facing the main room is another hallway which parallels the one you walk down to enter the lounge. Down this hallway you will find bathrooms, showers and a shaving station where you can get a free shave! Someone was getting a shave at the time so I decided to not take a picture of it.
Nice bathroom
Your options for a FREE SHAVE!
Another nice aspect of this lounge is that it has a separate exit that leads you directly to the chauffeur desk. As I talked about in my Park Hyatt Washington DC review, if you are flying in Business or First class you get a free chauffeur service to and from the airport. We took advantage of this in DC and then on arrival to get to the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi.
It was a short 2-3 min walk down the hall to the desk where our reservation was found immediately and we were asked to step to the waiting area. After about 1 minute in the waiting area our car was ready and we were off in an Audi to our hotel!
Overall I think this was a really great lounge experience. It isn't big but it is really perfect to just take a breath, grab a snack, drink and maybe even a shower and a shave before continuing on with your day. This is especially nice when you just stood in line at passport control for 40 min and have a 30 min ride to the hotel still. On top of that, it has a direct hall to the chauffeur desk with the great perk of an Audi ride to anywhere in the UAE!
NEXT UP: PARK HYATT ABU DHABI
One last look!
Our "Fast Track" passes
Once we were finally through passport control and customs it was time to find the Etihad Arrivals Lounge.
Straight ahead from baggage claim and then turn right for the lounge
We proceeded straight down the hall from baggage claim and immediately saw signs for the Arrivals Lounge directing us to the right and it was there in front of us before the escalators!
Entrance
Front Desk
The lounge can be accessed by arriving First and Business Class customers. It is small but perfect for what it is; a place to get a snack, a drink and freshen up before leaving the airport.
When entering there is a main seating area with a couple large TVs in front of you with a food station and refrigerator with drinks to your left.
Main Seating Area
Snacks
Sandwiches
Full view of Buffet and Drinks
A cappuccino, some hummus and pita bread for my snack
Once you are seated there is a server who will bring you any drink you would like or food from the buffet. I was still waking up from the flight so I ordered a cappuccino.
Just behind you to the left when facing the main room is a small business center with an Mac computer. To your right is another small seating area with large TV and bag check station. When we first came in the lounge an attendant took our bags to the bag check for us.
Small Business Area
Smaller seating area
Directly behind you when facing the main room is another hallway which parallels the one you walk down to enter the lounge. Down this hallway you will find bathrooms, showers and a shaving station where you can get a free shave! Someone was getting a shave at the time so I decided to not take a picture of it.
Nice bathroom
Your options for a FREE SHAVE!
Another nice aspect of this lounge is that it has a separate exit that leads you directly to the chauffeur desk. As I talked about in my Park Hyatt Washington DC review, if you are flying in Business or First class you get a free chauffeur service to and from the airport. We took advantage of this in DC and then on arrival to get to the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi.
It was a short 2-3 min walk down the hall to the desk where our reservation was found immediately and we were asked to step to the waiting area. After about 1 minute in the waiting area our car was ready and we were off in an Audi to our hotel!
Overall I think this was a really great lounge experience. It isn't big but it is really perfect to just take a breath, grab a snack, drink and maybe even a shower and a shave before continuing on with your day. This is especially nice when you just stood in line at passport control for 40 min and have a 30 min ride to the hotel still. On top of that, it has a direct hall to the chauffeur desk with the great perk of an Audi ride to anywhere in the UAE!
NEXT UP: PARK HYATT ABU DHABI
Aug 12, 2015, 7:50 am
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Aug 12, 2015, 9:35 am
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
After our spectacular flight and a stop at the lounge with a free Audi ride, we were finally at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi! As you pull up to the hotel you are greeted by an impressive entrance and 2 fire torches (if it's at night). Once our car got to the entrance a bellman immediately helped us out of the car and took our luggage which they kept for us as we went to the check-in desk.
Once in the door there is an awesome lobby with check-in desks to your right and concierge desks to your left. Directly forward you have a small decorative pool and behind that a seating area and the steps down to the 1st floor with restaurants and the pool. Walking around the rest of the lobby you encounter more decorative pools, unique art structures and a just generally beautiful entrance.
After going to the front desk to check-in we were greeted by Asad Masood who is the assistant manager and was fantastic during our entire stay. I had emailed the hotel before arriving to let them know it was our honeymoon and he told us that they would like to give us a bottle of champagne to celebrate! We could either have it that night or with dinner at the hotel another night. We decided to take it the next night because we were planning on eating at The Beach House the following night.
Once check-in was complete, we were led to our suite! As we walked to our room the bellman told us all the features of the hotel and was just a generally nice guy. We had a Park King Suite and I have to say, I was really really impressed!
THE ROOM
374
PARK SUITE
Regular Price: $450/night
Our Booking: Points+Cash (10K points + $125/night)
When walking in you have a small hallway with a half bath on your left, a door to the large walk-in closet on your right and another door to the bedroom on your right. Going further into the room you find a bar area to the left with an espresso machine and a mini bar as well as a large living space with TV, desk, sofa, and lounge chair. At the far end of the room there are sliding glass doors and huge balcony with a beautiful view of the rest of the hotel and the beach! On the balcony are seats, a table and a lounge couch.
After looking around our living room we found that there were a few welcome gifts! The first was our Diamond Welcome Amenity which were some nuts, chocolate, a fresh fruit bowl and wine! But, to go along with all that was a box of chocolates and macaroons! We saw later that this box was from The Library in the hotel and I believe each guest room gets this great leather feeling box with awesome treats! We were very impressed to say the least with how many treats we received just for checking in!
As if this wasn't enough, it turned out the assistant general manager (Asad Masood) decided that we shouldn't have to wait until dinner tomorrow to celebrate and sent a bottle of champagne up to our room! And we still got a bottle with dinner the next night!
After all those goodies it was time to check out the bedroom, where we found another surprise, a bedroom balcony, a huge bathroom with separate tub and shower as well as a huge walk in closet!
The Pool, Beach and rest of the Grounds
After a wonderful Diamond breakfast in The Cafe the next morning, it was time to soak up some sun and enjoy the beautiful outdoor areas of the hotel.
There are a couple ways to get outside, but the way we went the first day was to go back out to the lobby, down the stairs (where breakfast is located) and out the glass doors.
Once outside there is a beautiful pool stretching out toward the beach lined on either side with little cabanas with beds to lounge on.
TIP: If you want to spend time in the little cabanas try to skip the first 2 on each side. After the first 2 there is a much better breeze which keeps you a bit cooler as these first 2 on either side are blocked by the buildings.
As you head down the left side of the pool The Cafe is on your left followed by 2 other smaller pools and the The Beach House. When you reach the end of the pool there is a separate deeper section that looks like it is just a continuation of the main pool from afar.
On the right side of the pool are some lounge chairs and a little stream looking pool and scattered hot tubs with a green lawn beyond.
When reaching the end of the pool area you have the outside seating area of The Beach House, a lone hammock and a walking path down to the beach.
Another, cool aspect of the resort is a kids area they call Camp Hyatt. We were there on our honeymoon but this resort seemed to have young couples, older couples and families all there together. With the separation of the pools you really aren't bothered at all by the kids or families if you want to have a nice quite day by the pool.
As you might imagine, it is VERY HOT here, but don't worry about getting dehydrated. There are coolers all over the pool area filled with bottles of water that you can continually get for free while there and our room was also stocked multiple times a day with lots of water bottles.
DINING
There are several dining options at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi including The Cafe, The Beach House, The Park Bar & Grill, The Library and The Beach House Rooftop. We were able to try several of these during our stay.
The Cafe
This is just down the stairs from the main lobby and runs on the left side of the main pool. The Cafe is where we were able to get our free Diamond breakfast which was FANTASTIC!
As you walk in you immediately encounter a glass wall with the kitchen on the other side. Continuing to your right the hall opens into a beautiful dining area with fresh baked pastries and bread on your right and a buffet including hot items, fresh fruits, cold meats, juices and more!
The dining area is beautiful with high ceilings and interesting decorations, which included a nice outside seating area over looking one of the smaller pools.
There was everything you could really want for breakfast and the food was really delicious. The price was around $30-40 a person that I don't think I would have paid for more than one morning, but you really are getting a very large, fresh, delicious spread for that price. It's not to the level of the Park Hyatt Seoul, but at least close to the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome.
Directly across from The Cafe is the fine dining restaurant at the resort, The Park Bar and Grill. We did not eat here but did look inside what appears to be a very nice, fine dining restaurant.
Directly upstairs from these two restaurants (almost above The Cafe) there is a tea lounge called The Library.
The Library
This lounge area is decorated like a nice personal library and has pictures of Paris all over the walls. They have a large selection of teas, coffees, pastries, light fare and chocolates as well as boxes of macaroons and chocolate you can buy, similar to what we had in our room. As noted on the website it was voted "Best Afternoon Tea" by Time Out Abu Dhabi.
We didn't end up eating or having drinks here but it would be a beautiful place to have afternoon tea (had we not gone to Emirates Palace).
Finally, there is the Beach House and the Beach House Rooftop Bar!
Once in the door there is an awesome lobby with check-in desks to your right and concierge desks to your left. Directly forward you have a small decorative pool and behind that a seating area and the steps down to the 1st floor with restaurants and the pool. Walking around the rest of the lobby you encounter more decorative pools, unique art structures and a just generally beautiful entrance.
After going to the front desk to check-in we were greeted by Asad Masood who is the assistant manager and was fantastic during our entire stay. I had emailed the hotel before arriving to let them know it was our honeymoon and he told us that they would like to give us a bottle of champagne to celebrate! We could either have it that night or with dinner at the hotel another night. We decided to take it the next night because we were planning on eating at The Beach House the following night.
Once check-in was complete, we were led to our suite! As we walked to our room the bellman told us all the features of the hotel and was just a generally nice guy. We had a Park King Suite and I have to say, I was really really impressed!
THE ROOM
374
PARK SUITE
Regular Price: $450/night
Our Booking: Points+Cash (10K points + $125/night)
When walking in you have a small hallway with a half bath on your left, a door to the large walk-in closet on your right and another door to the bedroom on your right. Going further into the room you find a bar area to the left with an espresso machine and a mini bar as well as a large living space with TV, desk, sofa, and lounge chair. At the far end of the room there are sliding glass doors and huge balcony with a beautiful view of the rest of the hotel and the beach! On the balcony are seats, a table and a lounge couch.
After looking around our living room we found that there were a few welcome gifts! The first was our Diamond Welcome Amenity which were some nuts, chocolate, a fresh fruit bowl and wine! But, to go along with all that was a box of chocolates and macaroons! We saw later that this box was from The Library in the hotel and I believe each guest room gets this great leather feeling box with awesome treats! We were very impressed to say the least with how many treats we received just for checking in!
As if this wasn't enough, it turned out the assistant general manager (Asad Masood) decided that we shouldn't have to wait until dinner tomorrow to celebrate and sent a bottle of champagne up to our room! And we still got a bottle with dinner the next night!
After all those goodies it was time to check out the bedroom, where we found another surprise, a bedroom balcony, a huge bathroom with separate tub and shower as well as a huge walk in closet!
The Pool, Beach and rest of the Grounds
After a wonderful Diamond breakfast in The Cafe the next morning, it was time to soak up some sun and enjoy the beautiful outdoor areas of the hotel.
There are a couple ways to get outside, but the way we went the first day was to go back out to the lobby, down the stairs (where breakfast is located) and out the glass doors.
Once outside there is a beautiful pool stretching out toward the beach lined on either side with little cabanas with beds to lounge on.
TIP: If you want to spend time in the little cabanas try to skip the first 2 on each side. After the first 2 there is a much better breeze which keeps you a bit cooler as these first 2 on either side are blocked by the buildings.
As you head down the left side of the pool The Cafe is on your left followed by 2 other smaller pools and the The Beach House. When you reach the end of the pool there is a separate deeper section that looks like it is just a continuation of the main pool from afar.
On the right side of the pool are some lounge chairs and a little stream looking pool and scattered hot tubs with a green lawn beyond.
When reaching the end of the pool area you have the outside seating area of The Beach House, a lone hammock and a walking path down to the beach.
Another, cool aspect of the resort is a kids area they call Camp Hyatt. We were there on our honeymoon but this resort seemed to have young couples, older couples and families all there together. With the separation of the pools you really aren't bothered at all by the kids or families if you want to have a nice quite day by the pool.
As you might imagine, it is VERY HOT here, but don't worry about getting dehydrated. There are coolers all over the pool area filled with bottles of water that you can continually get for free while there and our room was also stocked multiple times a day with lots of water bottles.
DINING
There are several dining options at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi including The Cafe, The Beach House, The Park Bar & Grill, The Library and The Beach House Rooftop. We were able to try several of these during our stay.
The Cafe
This is just down the stairs from the main lobby and runs on the left side of the main pool. The Cafe is where we were able to get our free Diamond breakfast which was FANTASTIC!
As you walk in you immediately encounter a glass wall with the kitchen on the other side. Continuing to your right the hall opens into a beautiful dining area with fresh baked pastries and bread on your right and a buffet including hot items, fresh fruits, cold meats, juices and more!
The dining area is beautiful with high ceilings and interesting decorations, which included a nice outside seating area over looking one of the smaller pools.
There was everything you could really want for breakfast and the food was really delicious. The price was around $30-40 a person that I don't think I would have paid for more than one morning, but you really are getting a very large, fresh, delicious spread for that price. It's not to the level of the Park Hyatt Seoul, but at least close to the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome.
Directly across from The Cafe is the fine dining restaurant at the resort, The Park Bar and Grill. We did not eat here but did look inside what appears to be a very nice, fine dining restaurant.
Directly upstairs from these two restaurants (almost above The Cafe) there is a tea lounge called The Library.
The Library
This lounge area is decorated like a nice personal library and has pictures of Paris all over the walls. They have a large selection of teas, coffees, pastries, light fare and chocolates as well as boxes of macaroons and chocolate you can buy, similar to what we had in our room. As noted on the website it was voted "Best Afternoon Tea" by Time Out Abu Dhabi.
We didn't end up eating or having drinks here but it would be a beautiful place to have afternoon tea (had we not gone to Emirates Palace).
Finally, there is the Beach House and the Beach House Rooftop Bar!
Aug 12, 2015, 9:45 am
#25
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi (Part 2)
Beach House
On our first full day at the hotel we actually had lunch and dinner at this restaurant. We chose it for lunch since it was right next to the pool and we sat inside (it was really really hot) and for dinner we sat outside. As I mentioned earlier, it is located right near the walkway to the beach and has a great outside seating area.
For lunch I had the Ceviche and Katie had a Quinoa Salad dish, and we split the Gazpacho. I thought each of these were good but nothing overly special considering the premium price that we paid at a resort, beach-side restaurant.
For dinner we had our bottle of champagne (bottle #2) that was a gift from the hotel for our honeymoon to go along with my local white fish and Katie's pasta. Again, I thought the dishes were fine, but nothing special. Especially for the price. I did however love the location for our first dinner there! Food I give it at 7, but atmosphere I give it a 10!
After dinner we went up to the rooftop bar to have a couple more drinks, which were reasonable, strong and delicious! The bar was actually pretty full with music playing and great views of the rest of the hotel.
SERVICE
On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the service here at a solid 11! Not only did we have the amazing welcome, and a bottle of wine with dinner the next night, to our surprise, on our 3rd (and final) night there was a knock at the door and a THIRD bottle of champagne was delivered to our room!! However, the champagne aside, we were just treated incredibly special during our entire stay and it made this a really great stop on our honeymoon.
How do I get there?
We arrived from our free chauffeur via Etihad First Class, but you could easily get here via a taxi cab which is suprisingly cheap. We took several 20-30 minute cab rides during our time in Abu Dhabi which only cost about $20. It may be more from the airport but I doubt it.
Any restaurant suggestions?
Although I liked the food at all the dining options at the hotel I really can't say I would recommend them for the price. However, one really fun thing that we did while in Abu Dhabi was have High Tea at Emirates Palace! It was about $65-70 for the two of us to each have a hot beverage (tea or coffee) as well as more finger foods, pastries and dessert than we could possibly eat. And when else do you get to drink gold flakes in your cappuccino!?
Cost of 3 nights:
This hotel is a category 5 Hyatt which means that is would cost 20K points, but we decided to book with Points+Cash costing us 10K points and $125. This allowed us to use one of my Diamond Suite Upgrades which I think provided great value as our suite went for around $450 a night. For a regular room at 20K points I also think it hold some value but at around $250 a night, I don't know if it provides as much. That being said, I would still book with points or even cash as this is a fantastic place that is well worth $250.
Conclusion
We had a really great time at this resort and the service was above and beyond! With great pools, a really nice beach and tons of dining options there is all you need at the resort. Although we didn't use it, there is also a 18 hole golf course as well. The one negative aspect of this hotel is that it is out on Saadiyat island which is a wonderful location but a good 20-30 minute ride from a lot of the major attractions like the Grand Mosque or Emirates Palace. Bottom line, this was a GREAT stay and I would happily stay here again!
Up Next: Abu Dhabi!
On our first full day at the hotel we actually had lunch and dinner at this restaurant. We chose it for lunch since it was right next to the pool and we sat inside (it was really really hot) and for dinner we sat outside. As I mentioned earlier, it is located right near the walkway to the beach and has a great outside seating area.
For lunch I had the Ceviche and Katie had a Quinoa Salad dish, and we split the Gazpacho. I thought each of these were good but nothing overly special considering the premium price that we paid at a resort, beach-side restaurant.
For dinner we had our bottle of champagne (bottle #2) that was a gift from the hotel for our honeymoon to go along with my local white fish and Katie's pasta. Again, I thought the dishes were fine, but nothing special. Especially for the price. I did however love the location for our first dinner there! Food I give it at 7, but atmosphere I give it a 10!
After dinner we went up to the rooftop bar to have a couple more drinks, which were reasonable, strong and delicious! The bar was actually pretty full with music playing and great views of the rest of the hotel.
SERVICE
On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the service here at a solid 11! Not only did we have the amazing welcome, and a bottle of wine with dinner the next night, to our surprise, on our 3rd (and final) night there was a knock at the door and a THIRD bottle of champagne was delivered to our room!! However, the champagne aside, we were just treated incredibly special during our entire stay and it made this a really great stop on our honeymoon.
How do I get there?
We arrived from our free chauffeur via Etihad First Class, but you could easily get here via a taxi cab which is suprisingly cheap. We took several 20-30 minute cab rides during our time in Abu Dhabi which only cost about $20. It may be more from the airport but I doubt it.
Any restaurant suggestions?
Although I liked the food at all the dining options at the hotel I really can't say I would recommend them for the price. However, one really fun thing that we did while in Abu Dhabi was have High Tea at Emirates Palace! It was about $65-70 for the two of us to each have a hot beverage (tea or coffee) as well as more finger foods, pastries and dessert than we could possibly eat. And when else do you get to drink gold flakes in your cappuccino!?
Cost of 3 nights:
This hotel is a category 5 Hyatt which means that is would cost 20K points, but we decided to book with Points+Cash costing us 10K points and $125. This allowed us to use one of my Diamond Suite Upgrades which I think provided great value as our suite went for around $450 a night. For a regular room at 20K points I also think it hold some value but at around $250 a night, I don't know if it provides as much. That being said, I would still book with points or even cash as this is a fantastic place that is well worth $250.
Conclusion
We had a really great time at this resort and the service was above and beyond! With great pools, a really nice beach and tons of dining options there is all you need at the resort. Although we didn't use it, there is also a 18 hole golf course as well. The one negative aspect of this hotel is that it is out on Saadiyat island which is a wonderful location but a good 20-30 minute ride from a lot of the major attractions like the Grand Mosque or Emirates Palace. Bottom line, this was a GREAT stay and I would happily stay here again!
Up Next: Abu Dhabi!
Aug 16, 2015, 11:35 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: AA Platinum, DL Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 174
Don't worry, Kev wrote it after the honeymoon ^