Marriott Al Forsan in Abu Dhabi guide

1 Welcome Abu Dhabi’s newest hotel
The Marriott has just opened its doors Hotel Al Forsan. This 400-bed, five-star hotel offers skyline views, comfort and plenty to do. It has indoor and outdoor event spaces, six food and drink outlets and is one of the very few hotels in the country that is situated on a sports resort. General manager Richard Bleakley describes the hotel as “a unique experience”.

2 It’s all about the sports facilities
The hotel is situated right in the heart of the Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Khalifa City, which is host to world-class leisure facilities. Spread over the 1.6 million-square-foot site, there are (take a deep breath) football and rugby pitches, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, an equestrian centre, a flight simulator, a polo field, a 50-metre heated outdoor lap pool, as well as a leisure pool. Expect to see more projects come to fruition over the next few years, too. The Al Forsan resort is part of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 city plan, which aims to use oil revenues to develop the emirate into a reliable economy. The facility is the first of its kind in the UAE, and the Marriott’s goal is to create a space where tourists, business travellers, staycationers and locals alike can make the most of it.

3 If you want to go a bit more extreme
That’s not all for sporting options at the impressive nearby facility. If you like your activities with a hint of danger there are also two indoor paintballing arenas, a professional karting circuit, an off-road buggy race track, and hunting facilities. There is also a lake with a water-ski and wakeboarding cableway system, which is another first of its kind in the region. There are even shooting facilities offering activities such as archery and a sniper range. Later this year, the sports resort will also be hosting shooting championships and a wakeboarding world cup.

4 There is plenty of room for horsing around
Al Forsan means “the knights” in Arabic, and horses are a big theme running through the hotel. For the true equine enthusiast, the sports resort’s equestrian centre has an 800-seat, eco-friendly indoor arena, 169 stables and 39 English and Irish-bred horses available for lessons. Back in the hotel, there is a mural, on the ground-floor level, of a horse emerging from splashes of water. Entertainment bar Appaloosa is also named after a native American horse breed known for its colourful spotted coat pattern.

5 While we’re on the topic of entertainment…
The Al Forsan’s six hospitality venues cater for every taste and mood and all of them have both indoor and outdoor areas. The Lobby Lounge offers teas, coffees and mocktails as well as light bites at the heart of the hotel. With a large indoor and outdoor area, it is a place for business or a catch-up with family and friends.
Khayal is an all-day dining restaurant (with indoor water features!) offering international food. It offers an interactive dining, with tasting portions of appetisers, salads and desserts, prepared at live cooking stations. Their brunch also includes live cooking stations and you are invited to cook your own food exactly how you like it, if you’re that way inclined. Plus, Splash offers poolside finger food and cold beverages, while stylish bar Couture has its own exclusive bubbly that comes in regular, rose and vintage varieties. They also sell tapas and small plates.

6 Then there’s The Grill…
Offering contemporary cuisine and, in their own words, “the best steak in town”, The Grill has an open kitchen in full view of the restaurant so you can watch as the chefs do their thing. The Outlet is reasonable, too, and the idea behind it was to have a restaurant that would be open to the community and affordable, not a treat you have to save up for. It’s most unique feature, however, is that they offer take-home meat orders. If you’re, say, having a barbecue, you can place an order with them for beef, chicken or fish and they will not only provide you with the choicest cuts, but also marinade it for you. We won’t tell your friends the secret to your amazing garden party if you don’t…

7 It’s not all go though, there is also plenty of space to relax
The hotel has a Kids Zone with an outdoor splash and adventure playground, as well as an indoor kids’ club, with a TV room, Xbox consoles, a reading room and an interactive area. Busy kids means parents can take a proper break and actually relax, which is supposed to be what vacations are for. There are plenty of ways to relax those tired muscles after a day’s sporting action. The range of wellness options available at the hotel’s fully-equipped Saray Spa & Health Club – “saray” is Turkish for palace – means you can treat yourself like royalty. The spa also has a traditional marble hamam for traditional Turkish and
Moroccan treatments.
Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi (02 201 4000).