wandering_persian

Which of the hotels eligible for the premium stopover stands out of the rest in term of facilities, quality and location? Any advice?

traveldaddy1

I have stayed at the Jumeriah, and can recomend that one.

Think the rosewood looks great,

But its all a mattter of personal taste and preferences, so you should just do a search and read.

dchen2

I second this.

The Jumeriah Etihad Towers and Rosewood in my opinion stand head and shoulders over the other "Premium Stopovers" hotel choices.

Keep in mind what you want to do during the stopover since the 2 hotels are located on opposite sides of town.

I prefer the tranquility and more boutique feel of the Rosewood but it is on its own island East of downtown Abu Dhabi called Al Mariah Island. Al Mariah is still being developed and at this time has just the recently opened Galleria luxury mall and Cleveland Clinic on the island.

Jumeriah Etihad Towers is next door to Emirates Palace on the West Side. IMHO, you can't go wrong with either hotel.

wandering_persian

Thanks very much!
I have a full day in AUH on my way to JFK from IKA in december. I have never been there. What would you reconnend me to do?
Cheers

FlyDUS

Hello guys,

I just booked succesfully a trip from ARN to BKK with a 2 days (1 night) stopover in AUH. From the current available hotels what would you prefer in terms of being something extraordinary? I am on honeymoon trip so the trip should start pretty nice :-)
Would you recommend visiting Dubai as well? We are landing Sunday morning 6:35 am and will depart next day at 11:40 pm.

Any thoughts are welcome!

Dubh

What are the currently available hotels....?

FlyDUS

Those are the hotels to chose from in Abu Dhabi.

• Anantara Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa 5*
• Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Hotel 5*
• Jumeirah at Etihad Towers 5*
• Shangri La Hotel, Qarat Al Beri 5*
• The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal 5*
• The Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi 5*
• The St. Regis Abu Dhabi 5*

My favorites so far are Jumeirah, St Regis and Ritz Carlton.
Any thoughts for a newbie in Abu Dhabi?

Dubh

Would tend to agree with your 3 choices. Maybe add the Viceroy but it is out of town (but close to the Yas Mall)

jasondc

These are all good options. I love the Anantara Eastern Mangroves - it's on an idyllic setting overlooking the mangroves. Great pool with views, and they do good (but expensive) massages. Good food overlooking the mangroves. But you need to take a taxi everywhere.

Avoid the intercontinental. It's an old abu dhabi legend. but tired.

I LOVE the St Regis Abu Dhabi. It's a BEAUTIFUL hotel, the food is really really good at breakfast, it's attached to a mall with a few good food options (I love Leopold's of London for great salads, coffee, lunch, etc), and it's near eveyrhting on the cornice. Beautiful views of either city or beach. and the beach club it's attached to is great too. I've spent many an afternoon in that pool at the beach club. it's amazing. Rooms are beautiful, the bathrooms are simply outstanding, beds are comfortable. I'd probably recommend this hotel.

haven't stayed at the Shangri-La, but it is good for its location. it's on the canal, with great views of the mosque - especially at sunset. It's attached to a mall - the Souq - which has lots of great food options and nightlife options. Good pool, etc. Go to the restaurant pearls and caviar for great views of the mosque at sunset.

Ritz Carlton is good too - it's on the same canal as the Shangri la, but on the opposite side. amazing Friday brunch if you're there for it. pleasant enough man made beach but beautiful pool.

Overall, I'm torn between the st regis and the Shangri la. the st regis is great because you can go walk on the corniche, which is beautiful and you really get a sense of the amazing mix of people living in Abu Dhabi. and the hotel is gorgeous. really gorgeous.

Let me know what else you need to know. with the short amount of time you have I'd recommend not going to Dubai. Just luxuriate in Abu Dhabi. Wherever you stay, you SHOULD check out / go on a tour of the mosque. it really is amazing.

Have fun - I love it there.

+

Cheetah_SA

Excellent information, jasondc! :-:

My problem with the stopover hotels is that only entry level rooms are available. So, for example, a room in the Shangri-La overlooking the mosque is not an option. And sometimes entry level rooms can be quite small and/or unappealing - even in very grand establishments.

So based purely on the quality of the entry-level rooms, what would your top picks be?

jasondc

Interesting Cheetah SA - did not know that these rooms might be not the best.. .but still, the Shangri-La is still good as the whole complex overlooks the mosque, so it's pretty at sunset -whether you're in a lobby restaurant, the beach, at pearls and caviar, etc.

Still, for rooms alone, I'd have to say the St. Regis. They're just amazing, all of them. and the beach club there is fantastic. And breakfast is delicious and abundant, and the mall attached to it has some great places as mentioned, and the walking to/ access on the corniche... etc etc etc.

FlyDUS

Thank you so much for all of those helpful insights :-)
As I will be on honeymoon trip - has anyone got experience in contacting the hotel and ask for a (paid) upgrade to a better room? I assume that status with Shangri La (complimentary from AMEX Plat) will not get you any upgrade for that stopover?

Cheetah_SA

Thanks, jasondc. ^

Dubh

We live about 5 minutes from the Eastern Mangroves. Agree on the great massages. They do a special couples massage (OP is honeymoon). Don't make my mistake when I was asked how hard I wanted the massage and I replied "yeah like a medium to hard". She proceeded to beat the s@#/ out of me.....while my wife was on the massage table next to me.

Flyingbiker

A couple of questions about an F trip up to LHR from AKL next year that we are planning. I understand that the stopover hotel is only available one way on this trip for 2 days. Is AUH worth 2 days. We are not much into shopping malls. Are the hotels fully inclusive of meals or just b & b? Do people think that 0715 until 2215 is too long for the first lounge in AUH?