It's easy to only think of the 5 star luxury resorts on offer in the capital, with their sandy beaches, holiday vibe and relaxing nature. But what if you want a less extravagant stay that's also easy on the pocke? The hotels dotted within the city might be another option for you.
We recently stayed at Grand Millennium Al Wahda which is much more than a hotel located at the centre of town.
Three point review:
1 - #location of the property is very well placed. Attached to Al Wahda Mall, which boasts over 350 brands including a cinema, supermarket and lots of high street stores, the hotel is the perfect place if you want to shop. It's also not far from a number of local attractions, so if sightseeing is your thing, it won't cost you an arm and a leg to get there.
2 - #facilities of the hotel are varied. Included in the 840 rooms of the property are serviced apartments and suites. We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment which was very practical and would be suited to families - some have views across the city, and some look over the inside of the hotel and dont offer much daylight. When it comes to recreation, they have a pool located at the top of the building and a gym for the fitness lovers. We also visited Zayna Spa which is a lovely retreat in the middle of a busy city. We tried out the "Everything Chocolate' treatment which, as a dessert lover, was such a treat. A foot soak, chocolate sugar scrub, white chocolate milk bath and a hot chocolate massage was on the menu and it was 2 hours of pure bliss with a drink, fruit and chocolates included too!
3 - #food options are plentiful and all venues are casual dining. We tried out the Porter's Brunch which costs AED 175 for soft drinks and AED225 for unlimited house beverages. The brunch would be best suited to groups who want to make the most of the unlimited beverage options. As a vegetarian my options were extremely limited (think ravioli and roasted vegetables, all afternoon) and even asking three chefs, if anything else could be made, we were met with a blank stare or a straight no. The band played lots of greatest hits from 2.30pm. Breakfast was in Portabello which was buffet style but the best meal we had was in Sky Lounge Thirty One which consisted of a mainly Arabic menu with a few international dishes thrown in.
#ADRfave - Zayna Spa is lovely and the team are very experienced in their field.
#ADRtip - For the treatment is you prefer to have you massage last, please make that clear, as ours was given first and we felt it was a waste of oil after having the milk bath as there was no cream or anything offered after it, and we felt quite dry.
Contact information:
Grand Millennium, Al Wahda
Hazza Bin Zayed Street Al Wahda Complex Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 107080
+971 2 443 9999
Check-in: 14:00 - Checkout: 12:00 noon