Best of Abu Dhabi

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Fancy a coffee with camel milk? Gold bar from a vending machine? The United Arab Emirates capital is here to please ... and amaze

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Fueled by petrodollars and ambition, Abu Dhabi is a young gun and wise uncle rolled into one charming if slightly schizo personality.
It's split between the original city on its crowded island nub, some 200 other islands and a slew of emerging mainland communities and attractions.
Before the city’s urban planners gussy up the United Arab Emirates’ capital beyond all recognition, a sojourn in the city still provides an Arabia-meets-Metropolis experience, merging a half-century of achievement with a 3D Technicolor vision of the future.
Sea, sand and skyline. Abu Dhabi's diversity surprises many visitors.Arab expats and Emiratis in traditional garb vie with suited Western consultants for café tables, while international A-listers and sports stars motor, sing, putt and pose their way through a packed social calendar of festivals and tournaments.
While the vibe is more relaxed than its nearest neighbor, Dubai, there’s still ample opportunity to “live large."
And even though the city feels like it’s fast approaching a cultural turning point, if you scratch beneath the surface you’ll catch a glimpse of the best of Abu Dhabi.

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Luxury

Emirates Palace
www.bestwayfinder.comAt your service, wherever, whenever. A sprawling cupola-covered homage to opulence fronted by a 1.3-kilometer-long private beach, this US$3 billion bastion of hospitality is the haunt of royalty, oligarchs and awestruck tourists passing through on the pretense of visiting the permanent Saadiyat Island Cultural District exhibition.
Larger than life in every respect, trekking the 1,000 meters from East to West Wing is the perfect way to walk off dinner.
If your credit card limit doesn’t quite stretch to a US$15,000 a night Palace Suite you can still take home a little bit of luxury from the hotel’s own gold bar vending machine.

St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort    wwww.bestwayfinder.com

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"Sure, I think we can hang out for a while."There’s not a lot to do on Saadiyat Island -- Abu Dhabi’s much-vaunted cultural hub -- until the first of a quintet of world-class museums opens in 2015. Until then the new St. Regis delivers a splendid excuse for simply lounging around in five-star style.
Overlooking the popular golf club and a sea turtle conservation area, and landscaped to within centimeters of its life, indulgent relaxation is the name of the game with on-call pool butlers proffering iced towels and spa therapists to pummel the body beautiful to perfection.
Saadiyat Island; +971 2 4988 881; from 1,212 dirhams; www.stregissaadiyatisland.com