Claret147

Background

Travelling is one of my biggest passions and sad as it may be, the actual being at the airport/flying is often the bit I look forward to most about my holidays! I often go on little trips at the drop of a hat just for the sake of being in a plane and flying.

I have spent the last 6 months or so anonymously reading and very much enjoying FT (mainly the BA board) but recently I decided to try and get involved. I thought I would write about my latest adventure to the Middle East and I hope you enjoy it. All images were taken on a Samsung Galaxy S5.

Back at the start of the year I found out that I had secured a place in the 2nd prudential ride London 100 event (cycling). I knew I would be tired after and rather than going back to work on Monday I decided the best way to recover would be to go on holiday and relax properly. I visited Dubai last year and absolutely loved it so I took advantage of the luxury world sale in March and bought a holiday to Abu Dhabi with First class flights. I flew a few times in club world last year but ever since I saw the new First cabin I just had to try it.

Although I was excited about flying First for the first time and have read about it many times, I decided to take on others advice and go into the trip with zero expectations so I could not be disappointed.

I usually stay at the airport the night before a flight so I know I’m there and very little can go wrong, no traffic/late trains etc. For this trip I took advantage of the deal on lastminute and booked a room at the Sofitel T5 for £89 all thanks to the thread on FT I might add!

Monday August 11th 2014

My car promptly arrived at 1pm to take me to the Sofitel and I arrived around 2.30pm. As I was checking in the lady informed me they were having problems with their IT and my key cards would not open my door which was really annoying as every time I returned to the hotel I had to be escorted to my room by a member of staff so they could let me in. The room was very nice and everything I had expected it to be.





The staff were very friendly and helpful. I went over to T5 to pick up my travel money that I had reserved on the Travelex website and then jumped on the tube to Hatton Cross to do a bit of plane watching as they landed over the petrol station. It was raining heavily so you couldn’t really see anything until they were right above you!

After half an hour or so I went back to the hotel for some dinner and I chose a restaurant called Vivre. It was very good and not too busy. I still needed to re fuel after the bike ride so I went for the chicken jalfrezi with all the trimmings and a pint of cobra to wash it down. The meal was good quality and bread and water were also supplied. I followed this with a chocolate cheesecake but I was very full and I couldn’t manage it all. I headed back to the room for an early night.







Tuesday August 12th 2014

Flight number: BA73

Aircraft: G-VIIL

Seat: 1K

I woke up around 6am and got showered and dressed. The hotel does have an express check out facility where you put your key cards and details in an envelope and post it in a box but at such an early time of the morning there wasn’t anyone around so I just checked out at the desk.

I used the rather long walkway to get to the terminal and with 3 bags and a set of golf clubs it seemed much longer than the day before! I went over to the first class check in area and although it was busy I didn’t have to wait and the lady that checked me in was the same one that checked me in last November for my flight to Sydney. I did mention it to her but unfortunately she did not remember me! I also noted no questions were asked about my baggage at all. Do they not do the security questions anymore?





After dropping my clubs at oversize baggage I went through fast track security and saw no evidence of the new security measures around electronic devices they had been banging on about for weeks before. Is it just for flights to the US? Turning right I made my way through the doors to the Concorde room and the staff at the desk explained to me where everything is. I sat down in the booths for breakfast and ordered some orange juice and the English breakfast. The juice was nice but I have had better fry ups down my local café to be honest but I’m not too fussy so ate the lot!



I headed out of the Concorde room and went looking for a case for my tablet. I found a few but they were so ridiculously priced I thought I would just stick with my tea towel wrapped around it! After a brief walk around I went back to the Concorde room and sat on the outside terrace. One member of staff approached me and I ordered myself a nice glass of champagne whilst watching a few episodes of Alan Partridge.







Loosing track of time I quickly made my way over to gate B48 and arrived just before boarding began. Strangely they made no announcement for First, just club so I joined the line. I was expecting to be on one of the old 777-200’s as the seat plan had been showing 17 seats but when I arrived at the gate I could see G-VIIL sat there. This aircraft has 14 seats in First but only 6 were taken including me.

Once boarded I approached my seat 1K and the first member of crew I met noticed that I was wearing a Burnley FC jacket and he mentioned he is a Blackpool fan so we had a nice discussion about the new season and all of their problems compared to very few for my team. He brought me a glass of champagne and I took my seat. As it was a day flight I was not expecting much amenity wise but he brought me everything! I got an amenity kit including lip balm and moisturiser etc. eye shades, socks, slippers, and a set of pyjamas.







Then a menu was brought round as well as Arabic coffee and dates. I tried the coffee but I did not like it much. The CSM introduced himself and we had a brief chat but I did not need to speak to him at all for the rest of the flight as I was looked after extremely well by a female flight attendant. I forgot her name so I will refer to her as Olivia for the sake of this report. Although you are sat back and away from the window if you lean forward slightly you can get a view that’s not too bad and I managed to see a bit of take-off. I wish there was a better view though like you get in club world where I took this photo from 11A last year.



Shortly after take-off I placed an order for lunch to be served at 12.30. I put on a film and sat back and relaxed. I do really like the first class suite but it’s not quite as good for lounging about watching IFE. It just doesn’t support your legs as well as the club seat does and I had to constantly shuffle about as my knees and ankles were getting sore. Compared with other seats in the cabin, I think the wardrobe works well in 1K with plenty of room for any clothing and shoes you may have. 3A for my return flight had a lot less room. I chose a glass of OJ and still water to drink until lunch time.



Right on time Olivia appeared to set up my table for me. Lunch started with an amuse bouche which was a small salad with feta cheese and water melon. A selection of warm breads was brought over for me to choose from. For a starter I went for a mezze plate. The main shortly followed and I went for the beef with vegetables and potato. It was served with some gravy and I also asked for some mustard. I was given English and whole grain in separate pots. The beef was slightly dry but still very edible and fine by me although it was nothing compared to what was in store for me at the Fairmont in Marco Pierre Whites Grill house. Red wine was my choice to go with the beef. I then ordered my dessert which was a white chocolate croissant pudding. Olivia said it would be 10 minutes. After a while I was wondering where it had got to. Maybe 20-25 minutes passed and my dessert was finally brought to me. Olivia apologised and said she had got caught chatting with another passenger and couldn’t get away! It was quite all right though as I needed time to let my dinner go down.











I finished watching my film and with about 1 hour of the flight to go I was asked if I wanted any afternoon tea. I went for a coffee and some warm scones with cream and jam. I also tried a Kir Royale for the first time. It was very nice.









We arrived right on time and started the long taxi to the terminal. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed it. My luggage was the first off the carousel but I did have to wait for my golf clubs as oversized luggage is brought up separately in an elevator. After they arrived I headed for the exit where the taxis await.

I have only arrived back this morning and im feeling pretty tired so i shall try and finish this in the next couple of days. I have a lot more to write about and images to come. I hope you have enjoyed it so far.

I exited the terminal and jumped into one of the fairly new black Mercedes taxis. They are very big and spacious and more than comfortable enough for the short trip to the hotel. I think it was about 20 minutes or so and I could spot the lights of the Fairmont close by. The hotel is set back from the road and has a fairly long driveway up to the entrance.

My luggage was removed from the taxi for me and I was given a token and told my possessions would be brought up to my room shortly. I did not have to wait at reception and check in was quick and efficient. I was on the 2nd floor and soon I was in my room. True to their word within a couple of minutes of being in my room there was a ring at the door and a member of staff was there with my bags.

I was really impressed with the room. Considering I had a standard room, it was huge and had all the features you could need. It had a large, comfortable bed, a sofa, desk and 2 chairs, and the toilet, shower room, and double sinks were all separate from each other. I unpacked my things and went down stairs for a light dinner.

I was half board so breakfast and dinner was included. These meals are served in a restaurant called CuiScene on the lower level under the main entrance floor. Internet access is charged at 75 AED for 24 hours access which I think is a bit expensive so after using it for the first 24 hours I went without for the rest of the trip.









Here are a couple of pictures i took of the impressive looking mosque from the lift on level 2





Wednesday August 13th

I woke up fairly early in the morning and went to CuiScene for breakfast. There was a large spread on every morning including fruit juices, breads and pastries, fruit, cereals, and a hot choice which changed slightly from day to day but usually included beans, hash browns, and sausages.

It was a very hot day and I went down to the pool to relax for an hour or 2. Just before you get to the pool there is a small building and the attendants gave you a clean towel and as much cold bottled water as you wanted.



I wasn’t sure if there were any shops nearby so I decided to try the room service. The menu was very big and you could also order from all the other hotel restaurants. I went for the chicken burger and chips. It arrived quickly and I sat at my table to enjoy my lunch. The burger was nice but the chips were covered in salt which spoilt them some what.





In the evening i went for a walk to the private beach and took a couple of pictures at sunset before heading to Abu Dhabi golf club for a night round.







Ok, so I had a tee time booked for Wednesday evening at 7pm. This was a ‘must do’ for me as it’s not every day you get to play golf at night and I thought I should take advantage of the facilities. I jumped in a taxi around 5.30 and went to the club. Taxis in Abu Dhabi are very cheap, it cost me about £3 each way from my hotel to the golf club.
Abu Dhabi is a really great golf club and if I lived out there I would definitely join! When you arrive your clubs are taken from you and once you have squared up in the pro shop and changed your footwear, you are re-united with them when you collect your buggy. The changing rooms are also top notch with fresh towels and showers available as well as lockers.







I stepped out of the club house and although the sun was going down it was still very hot! I drove to the practice facilities (which are superb) to warm up. There is a large putting green, a grass range with an unlimited supply of balls, and a short game area for pitching and bunker shots.









After hitting 10-20 balls I was dripping with sweat and was starting to feel a little un-comfortable. I hit a few putts and sat back in the buggy to try and cool off. The buggies are great and include cold towels, an ice bucket with complimentary water, and a GPS screen for yardages. Throughout the round they also supply ice lollies and iced towels.




Any way it got to 6.50 and I was starting to feel a bit better. I’m a believer of a strict dress code for golf and I would never wear shorts or anything casual, but I did spend a few minutes with my trousers rolled up above my ankles to let some air in.

I headed over to the 19th tee and chatted to the starter. He was a young English guy like me, I’m not sure if he was doing his PGA or just a summer job. I asked to see his start sheet and it was full up! Believe it or not people do still play all through the hottest part of the day.

I was paired with to other people who are both members. There’s no feeling like a well struck golf shot and pulling out my 2 iron, I was relieved when my ball flew high, straight down the middle of the fairway and I was off.

It’s a lot easier to see your ball at night and I really enjoyed it. There are some annoying little white birds that tend to sit on the fairways so they can have you driving in the wrong direction to locate your ball!












I shot 37 for 9 holes (19-27) which is +1. I had 2 birdies and a pretty solid round. It could have been a lot better but I struggled to read the greens and there were a lot of subtle breaks. Once finished I headed back to the hotel for some dinner.


There are 3 main restaurants at the Fairmont. CuiScene, Frankie’s, and Marco Pierre White’s steak and grill house. Frankie’s is a collaboration between the jockey Frankie dettori and Marco Pierre White.

On Wednesday evening I went to CuiScene. They usually have a different theme every night and I think it was Asian food that night, Thai and Indian to name a couple. They also have a chocolate fountain for dessert along with lots of other nice individual treats.


Thursday August 14th


On Thursday I decided I would go and check out Yas Water world on Yas Island. It was about a 20-25 minute taxi ride away and again didn’t cost much.

I was originally going to buy tickets online before I went but I’m glad I didn’t. On Thursday it is ladies night and the park shuts early around 4pm. Instead of the usual 240 AED I was only charged 180 AED. I also paid a small fee to rent a locker for my valuables and you can also add funds to your wristband so you don’t have to carry any cash for drinks and lunch. Any money you don’t spend can be refunded back to you at the end of your day. I added 100 AED and after lunch and a lolly I still had 40 AED left which I used for my ride home!

As there is obviously a lot of water around, unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the park but I can assure you it is a very fun place to spend a few hours. There are many drinking water fountains around the place too to keep you hydrated.
There are many different types of rides catering for all the family. My first ride of choice I think was called Jebels drop. As I was climbing the stairs I could see the slide next to me and I’m sure it is not far off a vertical drop! My heart was racing as I looked out over Yas Island but I knew if I did not do it I would regret it a lot so I just went for it. As I went over the edge my heart felt like it was in my mouth but within seconds it was all over and after a massive adrenaline rush I ran back up the stairs to do it all again!

At about 3pm I decided I would leave so I could beat the rush for the exit and I did not have to wait for a taxi. I snapped a few pictures from the taxi but not great ones I’m afraid. You can see the F1 track and Ferrari world.









In the evening I again went to CuiScene and they had an amazing sea food buffet on. I had some prawns, blue crab, and other bits with a large selection of fresh salads on offer.

After dinner I went to Frankie’s for a drink. I sat in my chair with a nice pint of beer looking at my photos from the day. There was a guy playing the piano and singing but unfortunately he was not very good. There were also a lot of people smoking, and being a non-smoker I couldn’t put up with it so unfortunately, although I quite fancied another beer, I cut my stay short.

For Friday evening I thought I would treat myself to something a bit more special so on my way back to my room I stopped in the steak house to make a reservation for 7pm.



My alarm went off at 5am on Friday morning so I had plenty of time to get washed and dressed. I only had a small breakfast (something I would later regret coming to the end of my round) and I headed down to reception to get a taxi.

After a short journey to the club I realized I was far too early for my 07.10 tee time, so after hitting a few balls I had to go back to the club house to cool off as even at 6-7 am it’s still very hot!

They do look after you very well though, bringing round plenty of iced towels and lollies to cool you down, you also get complimentary water in a handy ice bucket built into the buggy.

I was paired up with 3 members, a man from Korea, a lady from Thailand, and an old man from Germany. The first two were fine but the old guy was an absolute digger who could barely get the ball airborne!





Some of the holes on this golf course are stunning, here is a picture from the 9th tee looking towards the club house:




It looks quite short in the picture but I can assure you its not!

I managed to par the first 8 holes but after pulling my drive left into the water I ended my front 9 with a double bogey 6.


The rather unique club house:





Then we approached the hole I was really looking forward to, the superb par 3 12th. I really is a great looking hole and probably ADGC's most famous. It has a large green but is rather challenging and surprisingly we all made par!






Towards the end of the round I was really running out of energy and getting rather burnt and to be honest I just wanted to get in and have a nice shower.

We got to the 18th hole which is a par 5 and I was completely drained. I somehow ripped my drive straight up the middle of the fairway which left me in prime position to attack the green in two. After waiting for the green to clear I pulled out my 2 iron, took my stance and to my horror, completely fatted it about 100 yards to the right and into the rough! I was so embarrassed I just picked my ball up and didn't finish the hole.









It was a very good experience to play at ADGC. The design and layout is really great and fun to play but to be honest I was a bit disappointed with the condition of the course. They obviously use the summer months to carry out huge amounts of work and repairs and it was just not as special as I thought it was going to be. I think they should charge subsidised rates during these months, I paid 500 AED.

After golf I went back to the hotel to chill out. I did have another round booked for Saturday morning at Yas Links but I decided to cancel it last minute as I didn't fancy another 5am start. I do kind of regret it now but its something to go back for I suppose!

There is a walkway from the back of the hotel which runs alongside the water, past the Traders hotel that brings you to a shopping mall. There is a handy little super market in there which I used to buy some water and other snacks to eat in my hotel room between meals.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Fairmont hotel and would definitely recommend it to anyone. The staff are superb and can’t do enough for you without being too OTT. The rooms and other facilities are also very good.

From day to day there were nice little touches from the cleaning staff like placing your slippers and water by your bed and laying out local information like weather forecasts for you to see.






At about 18.45 I made my way down to the restaurant for dinner. The Marco Pierre White steak house and grill has a real feel of quality to it and even if you are not staying in the hotel I would recommend you visit for a meal to remember. It’s not cheap but quality never is!

They bring you over 3 choices of bread and you can choose 1 of each. To go along with it they also bring you out 3 types of butter. Salted, garlic, and one other I forget. Following that was a water melon starter.

For my main I went for a 300g rib eye Waygu steak. There were many to choose from and I didn’t go for the most expensive one, just the middle priced marble score 5+. For sides I chose chips and onion rings and a pepper sauce. All 3 are must haves with steak in my opinion!














I'm no food critic so I am not going to be able to describe it to you in great detail but it was probably the best steak I have ever had.

The staff were excellent and made pleasant conversation between meals. I also signed up to the presidents club but im yet to read up on all the benefits.

I was so full after the main course that I could not manage a dessert so I just went with a coffee. All in all a very nice way to spend my last full night at the hotel.




For the last day I did not get up to much. I just spent the day laying by the pool and swimming and generally doing nothing! I had to have one day of relaxing. I managed to get a nice little tan going.

My flight back to London left Abu Dhabi on Sunday 17th at about 2.25am. When you book a holiday package with BA they book you in for an extra night which I know some people don’t like but I actually really like it. It just makes me feel more relaxed knowing I can stay at the hotel in my room until the last minute just before leaving for the airport rather than checking out and having to hang around with nowhere to go.

I went down to reception to check out about 23.00 and asked for my bill. I looked through the items and I’m not sure what happened but I had been slightly under charged for some things.

I jumped into a taxi and was off to the airport. There is a separate entrance for First and Business class passengers. As you go in the first thing you come to is a security check that you have to put all your bags through.

Once past that I was the only one at the BA check in and had no wait at all. I was escorted through the airport by a member of staff and within no time I was in the lounge area. I was a bit early so I went into the main part of departures to look round the shops. The duty free is very cheap and I got my friend 200 B&H for about £14.

Once again I was on the hunt for a case for my tablet but once again I was UN successful! There were a few other shops to look around but I only had a little bit of cash left.

I went back to the lounge to sit down for a bit before the flight. It is a bit of an odd shape with lots of little rooms. It’s not great in my opinion and not very relaxing. There is a bar but no self-service; however there are floor staffs that do bring drinks over. My biggest problem with it is that it absolutely stinks of that bloody awful shisha. It really gave me a bad headache and I had to leave in the end because I couldn't take it any more. Not a great way to start a journey.
I had a rather embarrassing moment. Just before leaving for the gate a visited the toilet and only on my way out did I realize I had left my boarding pass and passport on the shelf inside. Just my luck that someone had gone straight into the cubicle after me so I had to bang on the door to get it back! Luckily the guy was English and very understanding!

I would advise you to get to the get early as in my experience boarding was an absolute farce! It is just one long line all the way down with no priority boarding for premium passengers. By the time I got there I joined the back of the line behind roughly 40-50 passengers and it felt like an age before I finally reached the bridge.

I could feel a DYKWIA moment coming on but I just swallowed it, after all the plane wasn’t going to leave without me right? It didn’t help that there was another security check before boarding which was very slow.

When I finally got to the front I had a look out of the window and saw G-ZZZC waiting for me. This aircraft has 17 seats in First and I think 12 were taken including myself.








Once in my seat the member of staff assigned to looking after me came over and introduced herself. I asked for some water and orange juice and it was promptly brought to me. The usual amenities were given and I was asked which size sleep suit I would like so I went with a medium. The sleep suits are very nice and comfortable but I think the sleeves are too short and the legs are too long!

I went and got changed and looked at the menu for the night’s flight. After a painfully long taxi, we took off on time and we were on our way back home!

There were 2 families of 4 on this flight. I was in 3A and one of the families was in the front 4 middle seats. I’m normally pretty easy going but they were actually very annoying. The dad kept getting up and walking around the cabin, taking pictures of everything and anything with the flash on, opening the overhead locker, then sitting down, then up again back to the locker over and over.

The cc explained to me I could have whatever I want whenever I wanted etc etc, and she had noticed I had been looking at the menu. She asked me if I would like anything and seemed genuinely disappointed when I only asked for a hot chocolate and cookies!








I wanted to get as much sleep as possible hence the brief service so I got up and went to the toilet to clean my teeth. When I returned to my seat it was no longer a seat, it had transformed into a bed and looked very comfortable. The cc brought me over a bottle of water and I asked to be woken with enough time to enjoy some breakfast. I laid down and within minutes I was fast asleep.








I had a UN disturbed night sleep of around 5 hours. I always sleep really well on planes, I’ve managed 8 hours solid before! I was woken as asked and I placed my order for breakfast. I went for the fruit smoothie and the English breakfast with toast.
The breakfast was nice enough although the veal bacon was rather tough and certainly not a highlight. There were also breads and pastries available. After breakfast I went to get changed back into my clothes and freshen up and when I returned to my seat all the bedding had been cleared away for me to sit back and enjoy the rest of the flight.











Once we landed I headed to the border and was really annoyed when I was turned away from fast track security as apparently they were only using it for non EU passports. Anyway, through with the masses and my bags were among the first off the belt and I headed for the arrivals lounge.

I dropped my bags off and went straight to the showers. They always feel great after a long haul flight and I can report they were their usual noisy self. It sounded like it was trying to suck me down the drain hole!

After freshening up I went to the Concorde breakfast room to wait for a family member who was picking me up. I had some more toast and juice. I didn’t spend too much time in there as my chauffer had arrived.






All in all, a great well-earned holiday and a satisfied customer. I really enjoyed the first class experience and am planning to use my Avios next year for another go.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Claret147

stu1985

Great report so far. The food looks not too bad at all which is good to see!

kaidus

nice! I'm interested how the hotel is... it's next to the mosque right?

Claret147

Thanks! Yes i really enjoyed the food. The dessert was particularly good but i ate it all before i could take a picture!

Claret147

The hotel was superb. I have some nice images to upload. The mosque is just over the river but is very visible from the hotel especially from level 2+

Betteronacamel

Nice job so far.

I was in AUH in February and it was ideal for golf weatherwise - isn't it too hot in August for anything other than lying in an airconditioned room with the curtains closed?

fly747first

So none of the 17F configuration 777-200s are fitted with the new F product?

DanielW

Looking forward to pics of the UAE Capital.

Maybe under lights at night?

http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/sport...f-in-abu-dhabi

BA5E

Enjoying the first part of your TR, myself and other half off to AUH beginning of Oct, so was interested to read what you had to eat, and the fact that it is lunch served rather than a late breakfast. Have 2A and 3A booked, have used those seats before so am aware of the wardrobe space, just have to negotiate hanging up the clothes and putting the shoes in the bottom. Will also look forward to the return journey back.^

SAtraveller

Thank you for an enjoyable and well balanced report of BA F. I really enjoyed it!

Jenzo

No all 777's have new first.

fly747first

That's what I thought but then the OP implied that he was supposed to be on a 17F confi 772 which didn't have the new first.

I mean, BA would have to be crazy to deploy the old config to the Middle East when even its new F product can't compete with EK and EY's.

themapelligroup

Very nice trip report! How did you survive the UAE in August?

Claret147

I have to admit it was rather warm for golf! A good base layer is recommended to help feel a bit more comfortable. I did play at night though and it was quite pleasant.

Claret147

You obviously skimmed through that part, i don't think i implied that at all. Old plane yes, not old cabin.