If you’ve got a comfy flat, a nice big television set, high speed internet, a full fridge and air conditioning we understand why you might spend entire weekends indoors.
In fact we (guiltily) do it ourselves all the time. In a city where everything’s delivered, from laundry to groceries, it can seem like there’s really no point sending yourself out into the big bad city – the traffic’s bad, the bins smell and there’s not even much to do, right? Wrong! From picnicking in parks to exploring mangroves by kayak, spotting Hawksbill turtles or playing golf, the capital has an abundance of al fresco activities. To make it easy for you to get inspired, we’ve rounded up the best of the city’s outdoors zones. Pick one and visit this weekend!
Zone: Saadiyat Island
It may have seemed like it was being developed forever, but Saadiyat Island is finally open for exploring. At the moment it’s more famous for what it hasn’t got yet than what it has, meaning the off-again on-again Louvre and Guggenheim (currently slated for 2015 and 2017, respectively).
The rest of the island’s construction will gradually be transformed into The Performing Arts Centre, the Zayed National Museum and more exhibition spaces that will eventually make up the Saadiyat Cultural District. For now, visitors may be limited to visiting swanky hotels, beach and golf clubs, but exploring Saadiyat isn’t all about relaxing in expensive surroundings. There is an abundance of nature to enjoy there too – humpback and bottlenose dolphins can be spotted in the sea, mountain gazelles populate the golf course, and green and Hawksbill turtles nest in the sand dunes at certain times of year.
Check out some Hawksbill turtles
Hawksbill turtles return to the beach every year for the nesting season, March to June, and make their fragile hatching sites among the sand dunes. As soon as the baby turtles hatch, they instinctively head straight for the sea, and make a home in the coastal shallows off the shore of Saadiyat Island where they feed off sponges and mollusks. You can see the turtles in their natural habitat while snorkeling or diving off Saadiyat Beach, or use the carefully constructed raised walkway on the Park Hyatt’s beach to view the little critters without the risk of crushing them underfoot.
Lie on the beach and soak up the sun
Mingle with the city’s most fabulous sun worshippers at the new beach clubs that have opened on Saadiyat Island, all of which are rather pricey to join, we’ll admit, but you get the benefit of pristine white sands, glorious unspoiled views and being kept away from the rest of us hoi polloi that can’t afford to fork out for membership. First to open on the island was the Monte-Carlo Beach Club, named after it’s infamously stylish Monaco parent. The club boasts sophisticated, understated, Riviera-style décor – an ideal place to lounge by the pool, soak up the rays on the sands, work out in the airy gym or eat at one of the newly-opened eateries, Le Deck or Sea Lounge. Of the two new hotels, St Regis and Park Hyatt, only the latter currently offers day passes to the beach. These sure ain’t cheap – you’re looking at Dhs800 for use of a Park King Room from 10am to 6pm which includes access for up to four people to the hotel’s beach and the spa’s wet facilities.
Monte-Carlo Beach Club (02 656 3500) www.montecarlobeachclub.ae, Park Hyatt (02 407 1234).
Play golf
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is, by all accounts, a pretty exhilarating place to play. The Gary Player-designed course has views of the Gulf waters as well as rolling greens, sand dunes, lagoons, you name it, there’s something spectacular to look at while you play. They offer ‘member for a day’ packages, so even if you’re not keen to take up full membership this year, you can still visit, practice your swing and take in the amazing scenery. What a way to spend time outdoors.
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (02 557 8000).
Zone: The Parks
Sure, they aren’t exactly acres of lush cool greenery, but Abu Dhabi has many more parks than you probably realise. And certainly they might be kept alive with grids of water pipes and less than environmentally friendly sprinkler systems, but who’s complaining? For a bit of greenery, not us.
Have a picnic
Public Garden: There are plenty of places to spread out a blanket and a meal in the city, but one of our favourites has to be the green zone behind the Hilton hotel. It’s always busy at weekends in the cooler months, and with good reason – numerous trees provide shade to sit in (or play games in if you’re one of the younger members of the family) and there’s always a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. There are a limited number of stone pavilions if you get there early enough where you can lay out your food or set up a barbecue.
Fun, games and yoga
Khalifa Park: Khalifa Park is just the place to bring kids to run wild. Heaps of playground equipment, sports facilities and even a mini fairground by the entrance should keep them busy, and if that doesn’t the small water park might just do it. Green space is a little limited but there are still plenty of patches of grass to rest or play on. And it’s even easy to refuel without leaving the park, snack stalls and vending machines are there if your kids can’t wait until dinnertime. There are often entertainment programs held there too – keep an eye on the website for outdoor movie screenings and sports sessions. For the grownups, Bodytree Studio has just launched a new yoga class which takes place in Khalifa Park four times a week. All you need to do is show up with your own mat (classes are held near the main gate in a shaded and secluded area).
Every Saturday morning from 11am-12 noon and on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6pm-7pm. Registration is by punch card / pre-payment through Bodytree Studio www.bodytreestudio.com (02 667 6579).
Bring the kids to the playground
Capital Garden: If you’re a downtowner and don’t want to venture too far from home, bring younger kids to Capital Garden. Surrounded by high-rise buildings, the children’s playground is crammed with swings, slides and other toys, and there are spacious stretches of grass to spread out a picnic blanket. A couple of picnic pavilions are available too, although you’ll have to arrive early to nab them, and we can think of much more serene places to set up camp.
Zone: Mangroves
You’ll probably have driven past Abu Dhabi’s mangrove forests on the Eastern Ring Road at some point or other, without realizing that this fragile ecosystem is home to many species of wildlife, from tiny purple sesarmine crabs to foxes.
These mangrove forests are very valuable to Abu Dhabi, they prevent coastline erosion as well as being home to creatures that could not survive elsewhere, but they have been negatively impacted by the development in the area. There is another area of mangroves on Saadiyat Island which is being supported through planting new mangrove saplings and ensuring that developers keep to strict environmental regulations to prevent them being damaged further.
Go kayaking
While you can take jet skis into both mangrove areas, this is a very bad idea if you’re in any way environmentally conscious, because it disturbs the wildlife and damages the plants. Instead, book a kayaking tour with Noukhada Adventure Company, which includes an hour and a half of guided paddling through the mangroves forest by the Eastern Ring Road. You can go at sunrise or by moonlight with torches, and either is a thrilling journey with the chance to check out lots of wildlife and really see a different side to Abu Dhabi.
Tours are dependent on tides and weather so check availability on www.noukhada.ae. Dhs150 per person.
Zone: Corniche
The snaps you send home to show your parents where you’re living? The first place you bring visitors for a seeing-the-sights stroll? The view you want if you’re planning a fancy dinner out? The Corniche is the obvious place for all these things and more, and is arguably Abu Dhabi’s prettiest area. The long road extends approximately 7km miles along the sea front. Small gardens, flood lit fountains and wide walkways stretch the length of the road, making it a popular place for families and couples to come and stretch their legs. Numerous hotels have opened in this area, from the Hilton, which was one of the first buildings in the area, to the just-opened Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.
Eat out
For the lazy person’s way of enjoying the great outdoors, book a table at an outdoors restaurant. Vasco’s is sensational for a Continental, leisurely lunch vibe. Sit on the patio while looking out over the Hiltonia beach club and the Arabian Gulf waters beyond. Meanwhile Le Boulanger is the spot to visit if you’re more about evening shisha and snacks. Tables at the water’s edge are like gold dust – so visit early if you want to nab one. The food here may not be inspirational but the shisha is smooth and the views, particularly at night when you can see the capital’s skyline illuminated, are matchless.
Sunbathe
The public beach at the Corniche is an absolute snip to get into, at just Dhs10. It’s filled with soft and stylish loungers for sun worshippers to relax on, and the sands are kept beautifully clean. If you want some privacy at the beach you can hire one of Bake’s spacious curtained cabanas which are ideal for families or larger groups of friends. Beach stores at gates 2 and 6 sell sunscreen, inflatable toys, swimsuits and any other beach essentials you might need.
Bake at Abu Dhabi Public Beaches, Corniche Road, email info@bakeuae.com or visit www.BAKEuae.com.
Play team sports
Duplays run Abu Dhabi Beaches Sports Park, where you can go to take part in all sorts of social beach sports, from Frisbee, netball 7s, volleyball and boxing to yoga and aerobics sessions. They’ve even got a regular ladies-only night starting soon on Mondays.
Sign up for classes at www.duplays.org.
Run, rollerblade or cycle
If you’re more of a solo exerciser, the Corniche is also an extremely popular spot for rollerblading, running and cycling, as there’s an uninterrupted pathway that extends about 7km from end to end – a very respectable distance to cover! Hire a bike for Dhs25 per hour at the Byky stand where Corniche Road meets Breakwater Road and spend an hour pedaling along the Corniche track (watch out for the annoying four-seaters) or just lace up those trainers and run it. Both offer a perfect way to enjoy the fresh breeze by the water.
Go swimming
Of course you can go for a splash about anywhere you like along the public beaches (within the restricted areas) but if you want to improve your technique, invest in a set of lessons from one of Hiltonia’s instructors, available for both adults and children.
Try out some water sports
Indulge your inner adrenaline junkie by taking part in some water sports at the Corniche. Empros offer a whole range of water sports service from the gentle, such as kayaks and family pedal boats, to the extreme, such as parasailing and high-speed rides on inflatable boats. There are also a range of water sports facilities offered at the Hiltonia Beach Club, which you can take advantage of if you’re a beach club member, a guest at the hotel, or you’ve bought a day pass to the club.
Empros (050 781 2312), Hiltonia Beach Club (02 681 1900).
Zone: Urban downtown
While the rest of Abu Dhabi seems to get flashier, more expensive and more glamorous by the day (we’re looking at you, swanky Saadiyat Island) the heart of Abu Dhabi remains resolutely the opposite. Old polluted buildings, sprawling mazes of backstreets, dodgy cracked pavements and shabby shops that haven’t updated their stock since the 1970s – even the grocery shops. Why hang out here? A good question, particularly if you’re female (you’ll be outnumbered about 50-to-one in this area if so). Well, you’ll see a whole different side to Abu Dhabi life, and this is where the people that arguably keep the city ticking over hang out. Groups of guys stand around on the pavements chatting, drinking tea from Styrofoam cups and unwinding after work. If you ever find the merry-go-round of ultra-pricey bars, restaurants and facilities in smarter parts of town a bit wearisome, this area is a refreshing change.
Wander the backstreets
Clearly, we recommend you do this between December and March. Any other time and you’d have to be absolutely crackers to take a stroll in these areas – the trapped heat from all that concrete make the Tourist Club Area feel like an inner-city sauna, and the bad-tempered driving and smell of bins only add to the unpleasantness. But in the cooler months, i.e. now, you can stroll around the mazes of streets anywhere from the Madinet Zayed area to Hamdan street to discover all sorts of unexpected pockets of shops and restaurants.
Eat from street stalls
Lots of the backstreet restaurants serve delicious snacks over the counter, ranging from Indian fried treats to shawarmas at the Arabic cafes. Our favourites include pani puri, which look like an oversized Rice Krispie, with a mixture that usually includes some combination of onions, coriander, chili, tomatoes, chickpeas, potato and tamarind. These are available from Evergreen Vegetarian Restaurant. For the spiciest samosas in town, visit Chhappan Bhog, who do a deliciously oily and satisfyingly heavy version. As for the shwaramas, these are usually only available in the evenings, but follow your nose to the shawarma hatch at Automatic, where they serve ultra juicy wraps.
Chhappan Bhog, Ground Floor, Hot Bread Bakery building, Zayed 2nd Street (02 677 8869) Evergreen Vegetarian Restaurant, Electra Street (02 676 7361). Automatic, behind Al Mariah Mall (02 676 9677).
Go shopping
Admittedly, shopping isn’t particularly outdoorsy. But it is probably the best way to get to know the downtown area, and if you have a bunch of stuff to get done – hems altered, shoes re-heeled, DVD players fixed, specialist honey to buy, then here’s the place. You name it, there’ll be a guy in a tiny shop selling it for a fraction of the price you’d pay in malls.
