Our "Reconnaissance" Mission to Abu Dhabi

Well it was an enjoyable week in Abu Dhabi! The traffic was better than I expected, I never had a cab without a working seatbelt, I didn't get ridiculously lost and I got to go to the beach in NOVEMBER!! For this Canadian that was a first :)

Here are some reviews of the places we stayed and things that we did. First off, our hotel. The staff was absolutely lovely, they really made the whole experience positive for us. I was quite disappointed in the hotel because when I think Hilton I think of luxury. This hotel is clean, and I can't complain about anything  because it had comfortable beds, a fridge in the room and all the right amenities, it just wasn't what I was expecting from Hilton!!!!
The concierge is truly a wonderful man, he helped us catch taxis and relayed messages for us and made our entire experience easier on our first trip to Abu Dhabi. The breakfast buffet was NOT included but it was fabulous :)
There was a pool which we didn't use, we decided to head to the parks and the beaches instead.
Overall I was happy with our stay in the hotel but I think they need to update their internet and I always get annoyed when I have to pay for it at a hotel!!!!!
Hilton Corniche Apartments

Onto restaurants, ahhhh the restaurants. I never thought I'd say this but I'm sick of eating Italian food!!!! I ate Thai, Mexican, Lebanese and Indian when I was in Abu Dhabi and I was thrilled :) I also had Italian one night! So here are a few places that we ate.

Boccaccio Italian Restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel
Well the food was good, but not as good as here in Italy. But definitely a forerunner for the Melton/Grier/Burwell Pizza night!! Since it was at a hotel you could have the necessary glass of wine or beer with your meal. The setting was magical with the marina right there and the low lighting. What kind of ruined it for us though was the shisha bar next door, the fumes kept wafting into our table with gave two of our party headaches before the end of the meal. Perhaps indoors next time??
Boccaccio

Next up is Tiara
Tiara is located in the Marina Mall at the top of the tower. The restaurant revolves and so you get the entire 360 degree view over the course of your meal. And what a gorgeous view it was!! The Abu Dhabi skyline at night is quite stunning. The food was absolutely fabulous and the staff was friendly and efficient. The only downside: not licensed. It was a bit strange to have such a nice meal without the glass of wine after living in Italy!!!!
Tiara

The Mexican Restaurant in Khalidiya Mall- CANTINA LOREDO
I ate here twice during my visit because it was THAT good!!! I had spinach salad with raspberries both times and the second time I also shared the *very unhealthy* Loredo Fries which are to die for but you can feel your arteries clogging as you eat them :) They make some kick ass guocamole there as well right in front of you at the table, its delicious. The only downside is the AC is freezing since its in a mall and they are unlicensed so no Corona to go with your fabulous mexican food!!!
Cantina Loredo

Abu Dhabi: First Impressions

Well first of all, we flew with Air Emirates in Dubai and Air Emirates was FABULOUS! My daughter got a backpack full of goodies and the service was great. My husband's company booked us into the Dubai International Hotel at the Dubai airport overnight as we were taking a car to Abu Dhabi in the morning. Well the hotel is back BEHIND security so we weren't allowed to leave and get our bags! We had to sleep in our clothes, buy diapers for Reese etc, it was kind of annoying!!!!!!!

Made it to Abu Dhabi and so far the traffic here is not nearly as bad as Italy. The drivers here are all over the place, but no more than the Italians, and to be fair I think they actually drive BETTER than the Italians, and I never thought I would say that about anywhere in the Middle East!

Monday was spent going to look at villas and apartments and the Canadian School with our lovely driver Balan. We're trying to decide between two places right now and I'm still going on tours of all the playschools.

Abu Dhabi is FANTASTIC!!!!! I came here wanting to live out in Raha area and I've now decided that I simply MUST live near the Corniche! Its a stretch of gardens/parks/beach/paths along the water front and it is absolutely stunning. Today we went to the beach and yesterday Reese and I played in a local park which was clean, well maintained and beyond amazing.

The food has been great, they actually know how to make really tasty salads here(unlike in Italy where you get some iceberg lettuce, maybe a cherry tomato and some vinegerette!!!)

Fell and dragged Reese down with me on a gigantic hole in the sidewalk tonight, to be fair there are holes everywhere and you'd think I'd be used to that after Europe.

There are lots of things for the kids to do, it seems to be a very family friendly place. Haven't been out to the actual desert yet and will probably hold off on doing that until we move here. Trying to sort out logistics and have time to relax/play right now which is keeping me fairly busy :)

Where in the world is.......Abu Dhabi!?!

So I've been getting asked a lot lately where Abu Dhabi is. Here is my little tutorial about where in the world the United Arab Emirates exist. I'll show you with pictures!!!!

This first one is a zoomed out picture to show you where the UAE is in relation to Europe(top left section) and in relation to Africa(right next door to Saudi Arabia there) The UAE is right across from Iran on the Arabian Gulf.

 This second one is to show you where Abu Dhabi is in the United Arab Emirates. You can see Dubai to the north of Abu Dhabi which is only about 90 minutes of driving apparently. Bahrain, Qatar and Oman are near and I hear they are wonderful to visit. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is directly to the west of it which I might get a chance to visit since my sister Jenna is currently working as a nurse in Riyadh!!!!

The first post on the new blog

So I have this weird thing that every time we move places I have to design a new blog. I'm sure I could tstick with the old blog and just change the name but I don't want to. So here is my Abu Dhabi blog, it will run simultaneously with the Italy blog until we move. We are heading out to Abu Dhabi for a visit next week so I thought I should start chronicling on this blog the chaos and craziness that is sure to be our move to the middle east!

So far its been a bit chaotic but that is only because my husband's work has been a bit slow in organizing things. We are very thankful that they have decided to let us go on a married status and that means our housing is paid for in the city.

Now comes the craziness of where to live. Do we choose an apartment in downtown Abu Dhabi which is near to everything, and would likely be beautiful but which would require me taking the dogs out 3-4 times a day to pee??? OR.... do we get a villa off island, closer to the Canadian school, which would be much bigger, with a yard, but then far away from the city and my friends who are also there and living downtown? *sigh*

I guess we'll have to wait and see what we think when the real estate agent shows us around. They are supposed to be arranging a tour of the Canadian School as well so that we can decide if its worth us moving all the way out of the city to be near it as R would start pre-school next fall!!!( insane I know)

We have to fly direct from Milan- Dubai and then stay the night in Dubai and get the fancy bus or a taxi to Abu Dhabi in the morning. The flights in and out of this country are a bit insane....like you could have a flight leaving at 1 or 2 am!!!!! This is apparently normal.

I'm looking forward to checking it out and getting a better idea of where to live, what to do, driving situation etc etc. I think we'll be staying down near the Corniche so it will be like a mini vacation as well.

We've got two separate companies working on the dogs, one guy from Rome(American) who runs an export company here and has been absolutely FABULOUS so far. If all goes well I'll blog his name and company info just in case anyone else needs it in Italy!!!! Then we are currently working with the British Vet Clinic who will pick up the dogs in Abu Dhabi and clear them through customs and vet checks before boarding them at the kennels for two weeks. Poor dogs!!! Well at least we're taking them with us right!?!

We arrive on the Sunday morning to Abu Dhabi which is the last day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!!!!!!! Should be absolutely insane around the Corniche!

And as always, I'll take a TONNE of pictures :)