Day 30 - Wednesday 24th June

Thankfully we had a good night's sleep after the long day we'd had yesterday. It was a very comfortable bed and it was easy to adjust the air conditioning to the temperature we wanted.

At about 9am, we went down to the restaurant on level 3 for breakfast. The breakfast was just as impressive as everything else about this hotel. There were several displays offering a wide variety of options to choice from - all laid out with style and elegance.

The adjacent eating area was just as elegant and tasteful. On one side was the door to the outdoor pool and on the other side was a grand staircase to a higher level. The waiters were attentive and friendly.

Fortunately, there was a good selection of fruit as well as pastries, cold meats, hot food, etc. After my serving of fruit, I ordered an omelet from the chef behind the counter. I hadn't been feeling too well this morning and so I didn't eat as much as I might have otherwise.

After breakfast we decided to have a look around the hotel. Rather than walking all the way along the corridor back to the lifts, Suzy found a fire stair that took us directly down to the beach area outside our wing of the hotel.

We walked past a set of villas that are used by long-stay guests and down to the sandy beach. There were plenty of chairs lined up on the beach by no customers - just three staff seeking shelter from the heat under palm trees.

Along further we came to the hotel pool which was temporarily closed for maintenance. At the canal end of the pool I noticed several workmen repairing the stonework next to the canal. I don't know how they would manage to work all day in this heat - especially since they are not allowed to drink anything today.

However, it could have been worse. Apparently last week the temperature got up to 50C whereas today's forecast was only 38C.

Suzy suggested that we explore the nearby buildings including the Sook shopping centre next door. She found there was a service where you could get a boat ride along the canal that runs between the buildings. The driver took us to the end of the canal and then turned back to drop us off at the Sook centre.

We were not sure if the shops would be open because of Ramadan. However it turned out that most of them were open and Suzy strolled past looking at the items for sale in each little shop. She didn't buy anything at the other shops because she thought they were overpriced

Finally we bought some food at the supermarket so we could have something to eat for lunch. Because I wasn't well, Suzy insisted that we get dry biscuits for me and then we headed back to the Horizon Club where she said I had to drink black tea, lemonade and honey on toast. I told Roy that I always do what I'm told.

Roy, our concierge, was on duty in the Horizon Club and Suzy asked him about tours and shopping malls. Originally we'd planned to go to the Grand Mosque this afternoon but decided to postpone it hoping I'd be feeling better tomorrow.

We were the only people in the Horizon Club and we'd been just about the only people in the shopping centre earlier. Roy explained that most people avoid visiting Abu Dhabi during Ramadan.

Roy did some investigations and found that the Grand Mosque is only open in the morning during Ramadan. So he booked us on the hotel shuttle for 9am tomorrow and 4pm tomorrow for Suzy to go to the Yas shopping mall (just by herself without me tagging along looking bored).

I went back the room to lie down at at about 1:30pm, Suzy set out to catch a taxi to another set of shops.

Mid-afternoon, a woman rang on the room phone and asked me if we were happy with the hotel and if there was anything more they could do. The poor woman then had to endure me telling her what a wonderful hotel it was and how happy we were.

I almost ran out of superlatives as she giggled in appreciation. I imagine she gets this response all day. What a job - having to ring people who then rave about the service you provide.

Suzy got back at about 5:30 with an armful of shopping bags. It turns out she had been to the Yas shopping mall and had ended up taking a taxi in each direction.

As she went through what she bought, she admitted at one stage that she might have overdone it. She'd been planning to check in one of our backpacks (in addition to our big bags) on the flight back to Sydney from Abu Dhabi to bring back things she'd bought overseas. It will be interesting to see if it all fits.

As the sun set over the Grand Mosque, Suzy suggested I should have a look from the balcony. It was a great sight and I took photos progressively until the sun finally disappeared behind the mosque. After sunset, the mosque is illuminated with a soft blue light.

Suzy had researched all the places to go for dinner. The plan was to go to the Horizon Club (in our hotel) for the happy hour and then go to a restaurant in the Sook next door.

The Horizon Club had people there this time enjoying the free wine and nibblies. Some were sitting on the balcony but that seemed to be too hot for us and so we sat at a table near the door looking out towards the mosque.

The red wine was an Australian wine Wolf Blass Eagle Hawke Merlot - very nice. The food included mini beef skewers (I had lots), prawns, dessert, etc. The staff kept on filling up our glasses and offering to help with our food. They were very friendly and chatty.

When I took photos of the buffet, the staff volunteered to pose for my photos. Later I met a customer relations manager from Hungary who only started here a couple of months ago. The staff here are wonderful. It seems that Roy wasn't on duty tonight.

We decided that we didn't need to go on to a restaurant because we'd managed to fill up on the food and drink in the Horizon Club. We were back in our room soon after 9:30pm.