This will be my last wrap up post about Abu Dhabi for now, because I am officially not living there anymore. This post will show you a few places you could check out on a visit (other places I have already described in previous posts):

• Desert Safari,
• The below sights are all contained in one post:
  • Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
  • Saadiyat Public Beach
  • Emirates Palace
  • General View of Abu Dhabi
• Falcon Hospital
• Ferrari World

Yas Island at sunset, Yas Mall, Manarat Al Saadiyat and the Observation Deck at 300 are the last locations I will show you.

Yas Island at Sunset

Yas Island is one of my favourite places in Abu Dhabi to take visiting friends. The views are gorgeous, especially at sunset.

The best places to park are either at the Marina or at Yas Viceroy Hotel, however, if you’re not planning to eat or drink at the Viceroy it’s best to park for free at the Marina. If you’re not visiting in the hot months; it’s nice to walk from the Marina to Viceroy and back. That’s what I had done for the purpose of taking pictures.

Apparently, you can rent bicycles at the Marina. I haven’t seen anyone cycle yet, but it’s a nice idea since there are no dangerous roads in the area.

Stars ‘n Bars is one of my favourite restaurants at the Marina. You can sit outside and enjoy their delicious burgers. This is where I went to watch the World Cup as well.

Cipriana is a fancy-pants place which I haven’t had the opportunity to visit.

I’ve only visited Diablito for drinks; it’s a great place to sit on the top deck to enjoy the views.

The F1 is hosted on the race track around the Yas Viceroy hotel. Tickets for this event are insanely expensive. If you’re lucky you get to witness the F3 or amateur racing, like I did on the day I visited to take pictures.

The most famous sight of the area is the Yas Viceroy hotel itself and it’s especially great during a sunset.

If you’re a big fan of yacht spotting, you can’t skip Yas Marina.

Yas Mall

One of the many malls which recently opened in Abu Dhabi, is Yas Mall. It’s a gorgeous mall with a lot of different shops, entertainment facilities and restaurants. It’s right next to Ferrari World, which I described in a previous post and from some of the restaurants you can actually see the rollercoasters (not to mention the restaurant with its own rollercoaster service).

I have taken a few photos of the mall to give you an impression. If it wouldn’t have been so far away from where I was living, this would’ve been my favourite mall in Abu Dhabi.

Manarat Al Saadiyat

Everyone is getting ready from the transformation of Saadiyat Island into an island full of world renowned museums: Guggenheim, Louvre and a National Museum are already in the plans and some more museums are on the way as well. The construction of all these museums and readying the landscape from desert to lush forested and built areas will take until at least 2017. In order to show the visitors what will happen, a temporary museum called Manarat Al Saadiyat has been opened.

Every so many months there will be an exhibition with pieces that will also be on display once the museums are finalized.

What’s even more important is the model of what will happen to Saadiyat Island. I can’t help but be awed at the prospects. My memories of Saadiyat Island are barren, desert like wasteland. I can’t wait for it to look like this (especially the Zayed National Museum looks insane!):

The museum is small, but it’s all the more worth a visit due to the lovely restaurant Fanr. When I visited it was too hot to sit outside, but the area looks great for winter days.

These tiles look like my favourite Iznik tiles in Istanbul.

Observation Deck at 300 – Jumeirah Hotel

My last tip for visitors of Abu Dhabi is to check out the awesome views at the Observation Deck at 300. The number arises from the fact that you’re 300m above ground on the 74th floor. When you buy an entrance ticket you also get some credits to buy a coffee and a cake. The views are truly spectacular – unfortunately you can only look through glass there is no open area to view the area.

Marina Mall

Emirates Palace Hotel

Conclusion

For all the people who have visited the United Arab Emirates and restricted themselves to Dubai. Be ashamed, be very ashamed! Abu Dhabi is gorgeous in its own right. It excels at being more accessible and travelling from one place to a next is so much easier. Dubai does deserve some of its fame, but it’s time Abu Dhabi steps out of the shadows to claim some of the limelight. I will definitely visit the city again once Saadiyat Cultural District has been finalized, something exciting to look forward to!