I treated Mrs BTR to a weekend away so headed to the capital, Abu Dhabi. We have done the tourist bits such as the Grand Mosque etc. so this was all about relaxing and chilling the heck out.......because you know how tough Dubai life can be?! LOL!
Arrival and Hotel Grounds – As you arrive at the hotel you drive through a large arch and up a long beautiful driveway until you reach the hotel entrance. We were met by the valet staff who were very polite and helped unload our bags and enter the hotel. The hotel entrance holds 3 stunning chandeliers in the hotel lobby and oozes quality as you enter and check in. The staff were excellent during check in and very attentive throughout, with one lady escorting us to our room whilst chatting to us. The hotel grounds are overall beautiful, and you can take a short walk to the Venetian Village which is part of the hotel, to the right of the beach, where there are some more restaurants and a bar – similar to Souk Madinat, but on a far smaller scale. The reception area and others that we experienced whilst walking to the pool and dinner were great, no issues, with everything being clean and looking beautiful – including the large marble staircase leading down to the pool and restaurants.
Room - We were located on the 8th floor – room 2844 – which did not disappoint at all. The room was a great size and had a beautiful view over the pool and canal. Bed was super comfy, bath had sliding windows so you could view the room, TV and balcony – so I obviously enjoyed a nice long soak! The balcony had a small table and chairs which we enjoyed breakfast on – which was very well presented and delicious. Only small issue was that you could hear your neighbours or the door slam quite prominently……but for us, this is not something to moan heavily about and did not ruin our experience.
Pool – At BTR we love big pools, with great views, shallow areas to relax in and any other perks a hotel can offer……and Ritz Calrton Abu Dhabi does pretty well with their pool. Its nice and big and opens out towards the beach – although you can not see the beach due to the bushes. I loved the shallow area near the beach where you can lay whilst staying cool from the water, and also the shallow area towards the hotel where steps mean you can sit and relax. The only minor complaint (which didn’t hinder our experience but think needs maintaining soon) is that some of the tiles on the pool were missing; meaning you have to be careful not to scratch your back or stomach when laid there. The staff around the pool were excellent and very attentive to serving our drinks and happy to keep our free iced water topped up. We had some lunch at the pool - the tikka wrap and beef burrito getting a big thumbs up!
Restaurants (Li Jiang) – We had a dinner reservation that I had made weeks in advance, and had requested a table with a good view of the Grand Mosque whilst sat outside………Sat outside we were……..View of the Grand Mosque we had…….But I was disappointed to see that another couple had a table made up the other side of the wall and therefore an unobstructed and beautiful view of the mosque. I just wish they had gone to this effort for myself due to asking weeks in advance. Anyhow, our waiter ‘Pyea’ was fabulous throughout our meal, he was friendly, attentive and regularly topped our water and asked if we wanted more drinks. The Food was good….and ok! The steamed Dim Sum that we had for starters were very good, good portion size. However Mrs BTR ordered the Soft Shell Tempura Crab salad for her main dish……and found that the batter was over powering and there wasn’t much crab, or salad. I enjoyed a green curry with sticky rice, which was flavoursome and thoroughly enjoyed! The staff had been notified of our special occasion and brought out a small cake for desert which was a very nice touch.
Overall – Our experience at The Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi was excellent! The hotel is beautiful, pool is great, yet its greatest asset is the staff – credit to them as they are so positive, friendly and helpful. In addition to this the concierge team / hotel staff provided a VERY tasty white chocolate cheesecake upon returning to our room after the pool to celebrate our anniversary – not only was this a great touch but also DELICIOUS! Mrs BTR and I have other Emirates to visit, but when we return to Abu Dhabi I will definitely be checking the availability at The Ritz Carlton.
Check out our first BTR video review below - hope you enjoy!