Travel

Abu Dhabi-Shoppers Paradise

Activities/ Recreation:

1.Shopping :
The Abu Dhabi Shopping Festival held every year in the month of March attracts visitors from all over the world. Abu Dhabi is a shoppers paradise with several luxury malls, shops and boutiques, international retail outlets and food courts and kid’s corners.Gold is very competitively priced with Madinat Zayed Gold Market having a large number of gold and jewellery outlets. The range of products are wide and the prices in Abu Dhabi tend to be very competitive, and there is no tax. The main shopping malls include:
The Abu Dhabi Mall: This Mall is a three story shopping mall located in Tourist Club Area, adjacent to the Beach Rotana Hotel.
The Marina Mall: located in the Water Breaker area near the magnificent Emirates Palace which has a spectacular musical fountain.
However there are other shopping malls such as Liwa Center, Abu Dhabi Co-operative society.Al Ain also has some good shopping complexes like Al Ain Mall and the Al Jimi Mall.
Apart from these luxury malls there are Traditional Souks which are small independent shops where one can get authentic artefacts, carpets and jewellery and antiques.Here the visitor has a chance to bargain and get things at a much lower price.

2.Golf:
Abu Dhabi’s ideal weather conditions has made golfing one of its major sports practice with several golf clubs offering excellent world-class golfing facilities.The Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club is a flood – lit grassy 9-hole golf course set within a race track in the heart of the city.The luxurious Abu Dhabi Golf Club by Sheraton situated near Umm Al Nar, 10 min from the Abu Dhabi International Airport, features two international 18-hole grass golf courses The National Course and the floodlit Garden course appealing all level of golfers.The club has recently opened a Golf Academy to train amateurs.The Abu Dhabi Airport Golf Club is a lovely 18-hole golf course full of “browns”created by compacting rolled and treated sand to give a real putting surface.All these clubs are open to visitors and provide coaching by professionals as well.Other facilities on offer at these clubs include health clubs, swimming pools, tennis and snooker, as well as a range of eating and drinking options from casual sports bars to fine dining restaurants.

3.Water Sports:
With the warm, clear waters of the Arabian Gulf on one side and the year-round sunny weather, there is a tremendous increase of water sports being pursued in Abu Dhabi. The resorts / clubs provide well deveveloped sporting facilities / infrastructure for such adventure sports as scuba diving, power boat racing, water skiiing, wind surfing, canoeing, jet skiing and sailing.For the more adventurous ones however there is the much popular sport called wadi bashing which is unique to Abu Dhabi. A wadi is a dry and rocky riverbed, which follows the course of seasonal streams and rivers through rocky valleys naturally carved out by floodwaters. Wadi is found in plenty in the deserts around Abu Dhabi. The twisted routes are perfect for four wheel driving.

4.Local Sports:
Traditional, local sport such as camel racing is very popular in these Arab countries.There are racetracks specially created for such sports namely the Al Maqam Camel Racetrack, just 45km outside Abu Dhabi, and at Al Ain Camel Racetrack, where visitors can watch races from close quarters. Another traditional sport is falconry which is quite popular among the “sheikhs”.Horse Racing in Abu Dhabi has become increasingly popular as it is the home of the Arabian horse,. Both the Arab horse, bred for its stamina and power and its speedier descendant, the thoroughbred, are bred and raced during the winter months.

5.Safaris And Cruises:
Desert Safaris on Camels and land cruises on A/C vehicles are arranged. The traditional Dhow cruises with/without dinner are also very popular at Abu Dhabi. A Dhow is a traditional sailing boat made of wood used by merchants sailing the waters of the Arabian Gulf and furthere. However the Dhows of today meant for tourists have modern amenities such as satellite navigation and bathrooms.
There are camping Tours which include an evening barbecue and camping out under the clear desert sky will remain in the memory long after leaving Abu Dhabi.

6.Fishing:The clear, tranquil Gulf waters are teeming with exotic marine life and big game fish such as sail fish, barracuda, queenfish, shari, kingfish, dorado and the local favourite hammour. There are regulations in place to protect fish stocks so it is advisable to arrange a trip through a licensed tour company Organized fishing excursions by tour operators or hotels may even include a romantic evening barbecue on a deserted beach where the days catch is on the menu.

7.Sand Skiing: Sand skiing on a standard board on the dunes of Liwa has also become an immensely popular adventure sports in Abu Dhabi today.

8.Entertainment And Nightlife:
There are a number of pubs and nightclubs, some attached to the hotels others with restaurants.These cater to varied age groups and musical preferences.While some clubs offer western music but for a more traditional experience there are also Arabic venues featuring Middle Eastern bands and the ever-popular belly dancers.International Concerts, opera, and other stage and dance programs are also always happenning at Abu Dhabi.

9.Eating Out:The Corniche has some good places to have local food. Sea Food dishes form an important part of any menu in this region. Besides, there are a large number of restaurants, which offer cuisines of various nationalities, worth a try. Hojreh Jazz Bar and Dining, Trattoria/Pizzeria Del Centro, Hojreh, Petrov, Chez Jacques, Western Steak House, Le Rabelais French Gastronomique Restaurant, Grill Room, Al Sayyad, and Chez Jacques are some of the most famous eating joints in Abu Dhabi.

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