Originally Posted by
vivrant
Really excited I was able to secure two seats for the wife and I in the First Apartments, all the way through from JFK-AUH on the 380 and then AUH-SIN on the 787..
We do have a ~11 hr layover while in AUH which we don't really mind since I'm reading that there is a gym, food is great, showers are nice and there is a spa. But not sure if we want to stay in the lounge the entire time...
I agree with the others who have answered your question. You definitely have time to get out of the airport. Hiring a taxi, car & driver or simply renting a car are all good options. We rented a car from Budget for $30 for the day that allowed us to go anywhere we wanted without having to wait for the next cab or Uber driver to show up. Driving there is very easy, despite what you'll read if you Google.
Your mid day arrival is perfect for spending the afternoon around town and still leaving enough time to go enjoy the lounge. For storing your luggage, you have a couple of options. We had 21 hours, so we had also grabbed a room at the Premier Inn at the airport and left our bags there. If you rent a car, just throw them in the trunk. Otherwise, you could just go through security after arrival and head to the lounge (rather than going straight through immigration & customs). Just after the reception desk is a locker room with large individual lockers. They're meant for leaving your bags while you're in the lounge, but I don't think you'd have a problem leaving them there for a few hours while you're out exploring.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a must. There's a tour at 2:00pm if you're there on a Sat, otherwise 4:45pm would work for your schedule. If you're adventurous, head to the Mina fish market for lunch first. It's not fancy, or a sit-down restaurant, but you'll get a good taste of the real Abu Dhabi and some great fresh seafood! There's a few photos and a brief description here:
A Day in Abu Dhabi Necessary Indulgences