Hands up if you’re ready for the weekend – we’re practically jumping up and down.
And we’ve got some – six to be precise – super things for you to do in Abu Dhabi this weekend with the kids.
Make the most of family time with loads of sporty activities, delicious dining options for foodie families, new films, and cultural activities. Whatever you’re looking for this weekend we’ve got you covered.
Watch Spirit Untamed at the cinema
Looking for a family-friendly film that the kids will love? This new animated film could be perfect. Featuring friendship, horses, and baddies with lassos (aka the best kind of baddies) this movie is about a young girl who leaves her home in the city to live in a frontier town. Her life is changed forever when she meets a wild mustang named Spirit. The film releases Thursday August 5 and is rated G.
Visit the robot waiter at Dolci & Capricci
If your kids love gelato, pasta, and robots (who wouldn’t?) then we’ve got the perfect spot for you. Dolci & Capricci is a casual authentic Italian restaurant downtown. With high ceilings, colourful artwork adorning the walls and a robot waiter who sometimes makes an appearance to assist with the ordering process, this place is a guaranteed hit with the kids. Take them for gelato, get stuck into an Italian pastry, or take the whole family out for dinner.
Open daily 9am-midnight. Unlicensed. Al Istiqlal (02 631 1030).
Get fightin’ at Emirates Karate
Karate is a great sport for building kids’ confidence and sportsmanship. Why not take a swing this weekend? Established in 1984, this Abu Dhabi hub for all things martial arts remains at the top of the karate game in the emirate. The centre offers karate, kung fu, kickboxing and yoga classes as well as events for students and even those not affiliated with the centre. With some of the best and most qualified instructors anywhere in the world, you’ll be kicking yourself for not taking the family sooner.
Timings, locations and prices vary. (02 626 7674).
Visit the brand new pool at Hilton Yas Island Abu Dhabi
Fancy having a family swim at a brand-new hotel? This cool new spot on Yas Island opened earlier this year, and now’s the perfect chance to take a dip for less. A pool day pass will cost Dhs100 per person during the week and Dhs150 on the weekends, and is running daily between 10am and 6pm. Kids between the ages of six and 12 get in for half price. Advance booking is required so get out that diary.
Take a family road trip to the salt lakes
There’s nothing like a road trip to bring a family together. The Al Wathba long salt lake is found alongside the Al Ain highway, close to Al Bihouth. Distinct rock formations make this area of natural beauty a real hotpot for nature fanatics, but it certainly warrants the attention. It’s characterised by mushroom-esque pillars strong enough to stand on and delicate flakes of salt that give the illusion of snow. Magical. Find it at co-ordinates. 24.1589, 54.5025.
Looking for more cool desert lakes? Check out this list.
Treat them to a taste of Parker’s Matilda cake
Get ready for some giddy kids (it’s worth it, we promise). The Matilda Cake at Parker’s has reached legend status, and nobody would love it more than a kid who goes nutty for chocolate. This towering slice takes its inspiration from the classic scene in the movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, where dessert thief Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to take on an entire chocolate cake in front of the whole school. But your kids won’t need Ms Trunchbull to make them dig into this mighty chocolate fudge fantasy.
Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi.
