Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Washington Dulles (IAD) Lounge Hopping
United Airlines 777-200 Global First Washington to London
United Arrivals Lounge London
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge London
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment Abu Dhabi to New York
American Express Centurion Lounge LGA
The drive from the airport to the Park Hyatt took about 25 minutes. There was no one on the road given the combination of the late hour and the weather in Abu Dhabi. We picked Abu Dhabi because a) we wanted to see it b) we wanted to relax on the beach and b) Etihad First Class Apartments. Abu Dhabi was expected to see some torrential rainfall. We're talking 11 inches of rain in 4 days, high winds, thunderstorms, and even hail. In the middle of the desert. And they say global warming isn't a real thing?
Everything predicted turned out to be true as we experienced very little sun, low temperatures and near constant wind and painful during our stay. So we didn't get to relax on the gorgeous beach or see much of Abu Dhabi. At least we got 1 out of 3. That said, it was certainly a unique experience to be there for such a crazy weather event. We loved the hotel and will most certainly be back...now back to the review.
We arrived at nearly 3AM and there was actually a line to check-in. We were still on London time (11PM) so we were doing fine. Our check-in was processed in a few minutes and we made our way to the room.
The hotel is exceptionally well done. In true Park Hyatt style, it is minimalist without being too bare. Shades of black, white, and grey seem to be a consistent theme throughout the Park Hyatt's we've visited and Abu Dhabi's outpost was no exception.
The public areas featured super high ceilings with some amazing art on the ground and on the ceiling.
We arrived at our room and tried to snap a few pictures for the blog. For whatever reason all of the camera pics turned out blurry so sorry for the low quality iPhone images.
The room featured a super comfortable king sized bed.
Enclosed water closet with sink.
Giant backlit closet and entry,
Double vanity with Le Labo (our favorite) toiletries.
A balcony with great views (in theory) of the Persian Gulf.
And a Mecca Pointer.
It rained hard for most of the night. We woke up around 8AM to howling wind and decided to keep sleeping. Same thing at 10AM. Around 11AM we woke up and headed outside. Everyone (staff and guests) were surveying the damage. At this point, the storm seemed to have subsided but it was still cold and windy.
Dozens of trees were knocked over, pool cushions strewn all over the place, and debris in the pool and on the beach.
But you could see how this place could be absolutely stunning in nice weather.
So much for a relaxing day under the sun. We made the best of it and grabbed a taxi into town.
We returned in the late afternoon to relax in the room. We later grabbed dinner and cocktails at the hotel although things were a bit of a mess given lots of leaks and flooding from the storm. At 11PM we checked out and received a text that our Etihad Chauffeur was on his way. Soon enough we were headed back to AUH for our second Etihad First Class Apartment Experience!
Final Thoughts:
While we didn't love our stay, we loved the hotel. The Park Hyatt is close enough to town (~15 minutes) and to the airport (~20-25 minutes) that you can get the Abu Dhabi experience while essentially staying at a beach resort. We missed out on many things we wanted to see in Abu Dhabi during this trip (notably the Sheikh Zayed Mosque which was closed due to weather) so we will 100% be back to Abu Dhabi and the Park Hyatt.
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