The Adventure Begins

I left on my East African safari adventure on New Year's Eve, 2013. It certainly was a fortuitous day to start my journey, which I had changed at the last minute because I was hoping to see the fireworks in Abu Dhabi.

I arrived promptly in Abu Dhabi after a great Etihad flight, which I had used my points to upgrade to business class. A wonderful way to start my trip! My only problem is that the champagne is never cold enough when they offer you a glass at the start of the flight, seriously first world problems. The Etihad staff were great, they put the bottle on ice as soon as we were airborne and it chilled down nicely for when the food arrived.

Abu Dhabi has become my main airport hub whilst I am based in Kazakhstan and I find it to be an easy transfer between gates and departures. I was out of the airport within 20 minutes and getting into an Etihad chauffeured car for my quick drive to The Park, Rotana. The driver was new and had some problems actually locating the hotel but the comfort of the car allowed me to feel relaxed and to not worry about the extra time spent looking for the hotel. I was on vacation and not working so I had nothing to be stressed about.

 It was my first time at The Park, Rotana and it was conveniently located about 20 minutes from the airport. My late arrival (approximately 9.15pm) on New Year’s Eve meant that there was little wait for my check-in. I made the booking through PointsHound who contacted the hotel prior to my physical check-in to make sure I had a room on a high floor away from any parties that may have been on that night. The staff at the hotel were lovely and gave me an upgrade to my standard room although it was on a smoking floor. I was reassured that the room would not smell and it was agreed upon that if there were the odor of smoke they would change the room immediately. It turned out that the room was fine and I enjoyed the opportunity to freshen up before investigating the hotel further.

Unfortunately, my plan to go and see the fireworks was put on hold when I was advised that I would be guaranteed a taxi to get to The Corniche (main road) but that it would be very hard to return afterwards due to traffic and people. I then had a look around the hotel which offered a number of dining/partying opportunities for New Years but being dressed in attire suitable for an African safari and not for a night out on the town I decided room service and sat tv were a better option.

So back to my room and a quick look at the room service menu for my "standard" club sandwich with real bacon, a phone call and an hour later I was enjoying a New Year's Eve dinner in bed whilst watching tv via their sat connection. This may sound lame but after a hectic 3 weeks of working everyday this was absolute bliss.

Off to bed before heading back for my 10am flight to Nairobi!