So we got into our rental car and drove around the city a bit more, happy to have woken up to a prettier day!
We made our way to the Burj al Arab (the Sail Hotel) and checked it out and then Stella announced that she wanted to see the beach, which, if you know Stella, that ought to shock you. This child has hated the beach since she was a tiny thing!
So we made our way to the public beach and found we were right across from the Sail! It was a beautiful day and the water in the Gulf is so pretty and clear!
Keep in mind... its February here. And while, yes, its not a thousand degrees like it normally is, its still considered winter! It was warm and beautiful and the beach was pretty busy for the winter.
We were treated to beautiful gulf views, a bright, clear blue sky, the sun shining on our faces, and.... more freaking speedos than I care to count! And yes... I snapped a picture.
We moved away from the mass of speedos and enjoyed dipping our toes in the water!
Lo and behold, the child who hates the beach has suddenly had a change of heart and she LOVED it! She had to be coaxed into the water at first but once she dipped her toes in, she was in up to her butt and loving every minute of it!
After walking around the beach and dipping our toes in the Gulf, which was surprisingly warm for February, we grabbed a fresh coconut and drank the water and headed towards Abu Dhabi!
We got back into the car and headed to Abu Dhabi! Its about an hour and a half drive from Dubai, which wasn't too terribly bad at all! As built up and busy as Dubai is, literally 15 minutes outside the city there is absolutely nothing but desert! I knew there would be a difference, but I wasn't quite expecting it to happen so soon!
After a nice car nap by everyone but Christopher (the driver) and Stella (who never sleeps), we arrived in Abu Dhabi! I booked us a hotel on Yas Island, which is a little ways from the city proper, but it had great reviews and looked really gorgeous!
We checked in and dropped our bags off and grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hotel and then let Stella play at their playground for a little bit before we got ready for dinner out on the town!
Before dinner we went to the gold souk and wandered around looking at all the pretty jewelry! We didn't buy anything but its fun to look.
After a few minutes of browsing, we headed to our dinner reservations. It took us a while but we decided on a Lebanese place that had great reviews called Li Beruit. We arrived at the hotel it was located in, The Jumeirah, and were blown away! It was absolutely stunning-- the lobby and interior were just gorgeous and the chandelier hanging in the middle changed colors. The walls all throughout were different rocks, minerals, or fossilized wood. It was over the top, but really gorgeous!
This was the elevator! It was so pretty!
The lobby had a little cafe that had these amazing cakes and macaron displays!
We found our restaurant and were treated to a gorgeous view and the best weather! It wasn't too hot or cold outside and there was a breeze coming off the water. It was perfect!
Dinner was delicious! We ordered a pre-fixe menu and had a few courses of traditional Lebanese food. Its similar to Bahraini food-- grilled meats, bread, hummus and salad, etc. It was all presented well and they endeavored to take care of Mom and Stella's wheat allergies and made sure they had food (including some delicious gluten free bread) to enjoy like everyone else!
I was bad, or good depending on how you look at it, and didn't take a ton of pictures of our meal. So here's our starters-- vine leaves, mutabal (smoked eggplant dip), fattoush (salad), and hummus. Our main included grilled chicken, beef, and lamb and we had fresh fruit and bread pudding for dessert!
After we finished eating we headed back to our hotel and Stella passed out on the way... she slept until I laid her down in the bed where she sat up, asked "how did we get back to the hotel?" and passed back out again!
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