The Palace

We've arrived! The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi is a five star hotel and built for luxury. We spent some time out front taking photos, making Instagram vids, and laughing––why not?!

The weather was slightly overcast, but still sunny enough to enjoy being outside. That called for a selfie. This is how we do!

Below are a few shots as seen from the front lawn. More beautiful images of Etihad Towers can be seen here.

Let's take a tour of the palace interior, shall we? Press play on the videos below for a taste of luxury!

 

A gold dispenser? Well, of course!

Aside from seeing the grandeur of the hotel, one of our main goals was to get to the beach for a drink. We prepared ourselves to carry "We know what we're doing and where we're going" attitudes and made our way downstairs from the lobby. We were stopped in our tracks!

One we reached the doors to the beach, the hotel security guard informed us that it was private. (It's accessible only by hotels gusts, hence the aforementioned attitudes). And while I'll save you from the back and forth dialogue, I will share the money phrase that we pounced on: "You're going to the BBQ restaurant?" Immediately Stik said, "Yes!" I had no idea what he was talking about, nor did I want BBQ, but I knew that this was our ticket! And that's how we ended up on the private, white sandy beach of the Emirates Palace overlooking an incredible view.

View from our seats at BBQ Al Qasar

This structure may be reserved for the Sheikh, or President.

After watching the video above, you'll agree that it was completely serene. Since we were there early, only one other party (two girl-friends like us!) were on the dining/bar platform. Meaning to say it was quiet! Stik and I were able to enjoy our drinks while we reflected on how crafty we were to get on the beach, the stargazing opportunities around us and, most importantly, how blessed we are!

As the sun set, the dinner rush started to make their way on to the platform filling our area of the beach with multiple voices and scents of sweet-flavored shisha.

xo | din

din's Travel Notes
Stik and I could have given both our arms, legs, and first borns to stay at the Emirates Palace. Instead, we accessed it like the locals would and took advantage of the free aspects of the beautiful estate. The main interior (lobby and bar/restaurant) are open to visitors, as well as the front entrance area (lawn, steps, fountain). Although the beach is private, go with confidence to the security and tell them you're headed to (give name of your preferred beach restaurant). You're allowed to go only for restaurant purposes, so it would also help if you already have a reservation!