Hotel Review: The Fairmont reflects the new Abu Dhabi
Posted on 28 December 2010 with no comments from readers
Between the two bridges that access Abu Dhabi from the main Dubai highway and overlooking the magnificent white Sheikh Zayed Mosque lies The Fairmont, only open just over a year and one of a crop of new hotels that are defining the new face of the UAE capital.
Abu Dhabi is keen to be seen as modern, chic and not to be shy about it, wealthy. The Fairmont achieves these objectives with its long glass facade fronting a sheltered inland sea area with a small beach that is safe for swimming all the year round, as well as a large swimming pool.
Modernist masterpiece
Inside the hotel is super-modern with glass, metal and marble giving its soaring public spaces an air of opulence. A giant staircase sweeps you from the lobby down to the restaurant level. Here the choice is considerable with Lebanese, an international buffet and two fine dining restaurants: Frankies and the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse (click here).
It’s actually a great option for a weekend away, or for a relaxing haven when on business in Abu Dhabi. Stay on the Gold floor with its club lounge for the finest rooms and a full range of additional services from a complementary bar to sumptuous television lounge and breakfast area.
The rooms are spacious and ultra-modern in design. There is a glass-enclosed wet room with a bath and rainfall shower and marble-floored lounge area with complementary Wi-Fi and Nespresso machine. Your bed is huge and extremely comfortable. Staff are always on hand to provide every service.
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
If you take a sea view then you will also have the gleaming white Sheikh Zayed Mosque framed by your window. This monument is perhaps to Abu Dhabi what the Sacre Coeur is to Paris or the Taj Mahal to Agra.
This hotel is also only 15 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport or under an hour from New Dubai, so its location is very practical. There are other construction projects in front and to either side of the property, also a feature of the new Abu Dhabi, but this does not produce any intrusive noise.
