FA_COR_YYZ

Fairmont Abu Dhabi Creek will offer 369 rooms and suites
http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article33811.html

tcook052

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs....NESS/709069884

The first Fairmont hotel in Abu Dhabi is due to open at the beginning of next month, adding to the capital’s portfolio of luxury hotels.

The 369-room Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel, in the “between the bridges” area, will include the first Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill outside the UK, and a Frankie’s Italian Restaurant and Bar, a concept created by Marco Pierre White and the jockey Frankie Dettori.



Both restaurants are scheduled to open at the end of next month. The hotel will also have a chocolate artisan shop and cafe.

Philip Barnes, the regional vice president and general manager of the Fairmont Dubai, said: “We look for tourism gateways, important heritage or historical sites and coveted destinations.

“As such, with Abu Dhabi as an emerging cultural icon within the United Arab Emirates and a number of named attractions to come on stream in a few years, we saw this as an opportune time to debut our first property in the capital.”

holtju2

Just had a really nice one night stay at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi. You can find the around 70 photos and the video of the suite I had at http://bit.ly/babalbahr.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the stay and the upgrade that I received, when I used an upgrade cert that was about to expire on top of the free night I had.

Back in March, I was spending a day in UAE. I was flying in/out on Emirates in First and the service provides a complimentary transportation both ways within the United Arab Emirates. I have been to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi many times before. As a matter of fact, when I am writing this, I am on my way to Dubai yet again.

The ride from Dubai to Abu Dhabi takes about two hours. If you take a regular taxi, the fare is about 200 dirhams or so. There is some kind of bus service between the cities as well, but I have not personally used it.

In all fairness, I am not claiming to be a Fairmont expert. I had only stayed at one other Fairmont property before the Fairmont Peace hotel in Shanghai, where I had equally fantastic stay. I have, however, stayed at a number of properties in Abu Dhabi including Park Hyatt, Hyatt Capital Gate, Sheraton Abu Dhabi Resort, Westin Golf Resort, Le Meridien, Le Royal Meridien, Sheraton Khalidiya, InterContinental Abu Dhabi, and few others.

Location

The location of this hotel is somewhat out of the city center. It is halfway between the center and the airport. Approximately 8 miles from the city center of the Abu Dhabi.

Check In

I was using my yearly free night certificate and a suite upgrade certificate in top of that. The free night and the upgrade were both confirmed about a day before my stay.

The check in was fairly smooth. There was confusion about something. The President’s Club guest relations manager was going to escort me to my suite. I learned that he had previously worked for IHG’s Priority Club in Mania.

Suite 953

(You probably get the best idea by watching the video and photos I took)

The suite was absolutely fantastic. It had a rather large living room and one of the best chocolate and fruit amenities that I have ever come across on my hotel stays.

The suite had a view of the hotel’s beach and the mosque on the other side of the creek.

The living room had a guest toilet, Nespresso machine that even I knew how to use, and rather large tv.

There was a spacious walk in closet with a vanity area between the living room and the bedroom.

The work desk was on the bedroom.

Beach & Pool

There was a large private beach with plenty of sun chairs on the sand and around the pool area.

The day, when I was there, the weather was actually so cold that I had to wear a jacket. One of the pools was warmed, however, and there were handful of people in there.

The beach & pool area was probably the nicest that I have seen in Abu Dhabi.

Fitness Center

This was not the highlight of the hotel. I am not sure if the fitness center setup was temporarily. It is on the far end of the building and you need to access it from outside. They do have lockers there, but not sure if they even had showers etc. Certainly they didn’t have any saunas or Jacuzzis etc. that are very common in the fitness centers in the area.

Food & Beverage Outlets

My stay at the hotel was relatively quick overnight, and I had a car picking me up early in the morning. I didn’t have time to check out any of the numerous outlets.

Conclusion

This was a fantastic hotel and wouldn’t hesitate to visit again. I will most certainly do at some point when I am back in Abu Dhabi.

The only possibly negative thing could be the location depending what is the purpose of your visit in Abu Dhabi. On one hand it is good to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but at the same time the location is inconvenient to just pop into the city center especially if you don’t have a car. The taxes are very affordable in UAE though.

The architecture of the hotel was very interesting and obviously a lot of money had been spent on it. The beach and pool area of the hotel is excellent, and I could see that someone could just go there for a short getaway.

The service overall was very good. I didn’t experience any problems during my stay.

terminalfive

Great review - thanks^

NoY

Does anyone have experience of using Platinum Dining Certs. here? It seems that no participating restaurants are listed on fairmont.com. Mistake? We have a stay coming up next week & between us we have $125 certs to use! Thanks.

Jasper2009

I have no experience with this hotel, but afaik there is no list with participating restaurants. There´s a short list of excluded restaurants, and if the restaurant isn´t listed there, you should be able to use your dining certs.

NoY

Well, I didn’t make it up

http://www.fairmont.com/promotions/p...g-restaurants/

Jasper2009

My apologies - seems like Fairmont has changed the way it displays the T&C. Up until last week there was a list of excluded restaurants on the limited access page.

pazza2000

Staying here next month. Wondering for those who have visited if the pool area is chilled and shaded? This will be close to the warmest time of the year however the pool and beach area does look very appealing. Also, how easy is it to walk to the Shangri La complex? It's next door although photos indicate that there's not much of a footpath between the two.

Thanks

NoY

There are shades by the pool & yes, as with most pools here, it is temperature controlled. You can walk to The Shangri-La but, just like many U.S. locations, “side-walks” are not a priority, as the mighty car rules the roost!

pazza2000

Would a property such as the Fairmont have metered taxis? (I understand in AUH there are metered & non metres taxis). If metered, then I suspect the journey to the Shangri La would be a pittance and worth forgoing the walk, albeit only next door, in the Summer heat.

NoY

It so close to the Shang its laughable & a taxi may well say no. Its not that bad, even in Summer Official taxis have a metres. Many other “taxis” are in fact private Lexus etc & many of those also have metres too although do not often switch them on. Nevertheless they are preferable from a equality perspective. We use one of these guys in Dubai (reliable, clean cars etc) for nicer events/teats. They are only 10-20% more than regular cabs.

AMRivlin

There is a beautiful creekside pathway that connects the Shangri La to the Fairmont, about 30% is indoor.

There is also an hourly free shuttle to the Shangri La and onwards to the Grande Mosque.

NoY

Good to know.

pazza2000

Very helpful. I assume the pathway is easy enough to find. The shuttle is a nice touch also. Thanks