The drive to the Emirates Palace hotel took less than 30 minutes and I chatted with the chauffeur for most of the way. For those who are curious about details, car was a Mercedes S Class, so super comfortable.
My luggage stayed at the airport for the connecting flight at night, while I brought only my carryon. Arriving at the hotel, there was the usual need of the larger carryon going through the security X-ray on the back door.
Check-in took a little longer then usual. The Residence guests normally get a Khaleej Suite, but I was informed I was upgraded to a Palace Suite. I don’t know if this was on Etihad (maybe because of the inconvenience of all the schedule change) or on the hotel itself.
I enjoyed the upgrade, if anything because the Palace Suites are on the main building, while the other rooms and suites are on the wings, which are a trek from the main building.
The Palace Suites also come with butler service, which I think is unnecessary. The guy was super nice, but the intro to the room and all the functions was painfully long. I asked for some carrot juice, which was promptly delivered and freshly squeezed for sure. Yummy!
The room itself was huge, and probably had the highest ceiling of any other hotel I have ever stayed at. There was a living room, separate bedroom, huge closet area and enormous bathroom. And an ocean front balcony, where I could watch a show by the French airforce, which was pretty cool.
I took a nap and woke up to get breakfast/lunch at the buffet. It seems like the hotel has materially expanded the buffet restaurant footprint. The ocean front area was full, so I chose a side porch which was quiet. Food was ok but nothing remarkable, to be honest. There were lots of little birds, so cute. But they were making a mess and the waiters were not happy about that!
After breakfast, I went back to the room and worked again for a few hours, before taking yet another nap. I then had a proper shower (great water pressure!) and shortly after received a call from the concierge informing that my chauffeur was ready to take me to the airport for the Sydney flight. There was some seriously mood lighting going on in the car!
All in all, I have mixed feelings about the hotel. The grounds are beautiful and the service very attentive. But it is definitely not my decor style. I am not sure I would stay there if I had to pay for it. Probably I would go across the road to the Jumeirah, which is where I stay when I travel to AUH for work once a year.