A return to Abu Dhabi

Flying Etihad to Manila we had the option of a two night stopover in Abu Dhabi. That seemed a good way to break up a very long flight, and even though we splurged on the rather good hotel I’d stayed in on a previous visit (for work) it was far less expensive than flying business class. It also offered more comfort (a real bed!) and a chance for some sightseeing.

Our flight was at 9.00 which sounds reasonable but factoring in time at the airport for bag drop, security etc, plus the Tube journey there, and we had a rather early start, leaving home around 6.00. Once we’d cleared security there was time for a coffee and pastry before boarding. We took off just a little late, with thick clouds and a seat over the wing making photos close to impossible. However I enjoyed watching the take-off from the live camera view on my seat-back screen.

I decided to pay the very reasonable $9.99 for wifi access on board so in addition to reading I was able keep up with emails, message friends and more.

Lunch was served quite soon after take-off - a dull quinoa salad, an OK lamb casserole with rice and a very good passionfruit cheesecake. The latter was unfortunately rather small, but I lucked out because Chris didn’t want his!

I read for a while and did a couple of suduko puzzles. As we crossed the Balkans the clouds cleared, and I could see and photograph snowy mountains below.

Later a slice of rather dull pizza was served as a snack. But apart from the rather unexciting food I couldn’t really fault the flight. The economy seats had a relatively generous amount of leg room, the service was friendly and, although the range of films was quite small, we could also watch some live TV such as BBC news and the first half of Newcastle’s match against Manchester City. The latter was a mixed blessing however as we were already 3-0 down at half-time when our arrival in Abu Dhabi put us out of our misery!

The airport was very glitzy and seemed quite quiet but the queue for passport control was long and slow. But once through we found our bags already delivered. I'd pre-booked a transfer to our hotel which went very smoothly. The Bab Al Qasr hotel was as attractive as I’d remembered it, although unlike last time we didn’t get an upgrade and the view, while good, lacked the wow factor.

By now it was after ten and we were still full from the food on the plane, so we just stretched our legs with a stroll around the hotel, then retired to make the most of our room and catch up on messages before bedtime.