Maldives 2021 Day 9 - Popping Bottles
I woke up with such mixed emotions today. On one hand, I was so excited to be back in Abu Dhabi, and on the other, I also knew it was the last day of the trip. When we booked our two nights in Abu Dhabi we knew it was more of a stopover than an actual destination. Luckily having visited here two years ago there wasn’t anything we necessarily missed seeing then so today was all about just enjoying being back here.
We woke up a little after 7 AM and received our PCR test from the Abu Dhabi airport which was negative. I have to say we were both impressed with how well they were able to test so rapidly and get us the results. We did have some problems with their app in the morning which is required to show proof of vaccination/testing to get into museums, restaurants, etc. When we finally troubleshot our way out of that we were off to take on the day. We got ready for breakfast and headed down a little before 9 AM. I remember being a massive fan of their breakfast when we were here in 2019 and it did not disappoint. Jenn had the smoked salmon eggs Benedict and I had their masala omelet. One of my favorite parts of the breakfast was the Waldorf salad and their selection of cheeses. We both left breakfast absolutely stuffed.
From there we walked over to the pool/beach area across the street. To get there you have to go underground through a tunnel. In only St. Regis fashion the tunnel has beautiful marble flooring with beautiful decorations the entire way. It’s the small things I suppose. We took some pictures and enjoyed the “cooler” temperatures before going back to the hotel.
From there we grabbed an Uber to take us to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. We of course had gone there back in 2019 but it felt like a place we could have spent more time at. When we arrived they thought we were from Abu Dhabi and were sort of shocked we weren’t (Jenn blames me.) We got two tickets and were off. We were both amazed and happy with how busy it ended up being but it was nice to be back in one of the most beautifully built museums we’ve ever been to. We’ve gotten on a kick of doing guided audio tours in NYC with our phones and chose to do their 1-hour highlights tour. As we walked through the gallery we’d scavenge the works to find the piece that they were highlighting. For the most part, it would have been art pieces we would have passed without a second glance. The 1-3 minute explanation of the art’s importance, purpose, the artist was always fascinating and eye-opening. If other pieces caught our eye like the portrait of Napoleon we would add them to our tour and learn about them. It made the entire trip so much fun and both Jenn and I came away with an added appreciation for this great museum.
You end the tour of the museum in their beautiful atrium area that is one of the most stunning works of architecture I’ve ever seen. Not only is it beautiful to the eye but the way sound reverberates throughout the atrium is something I’ll never forget. On the way out we bought a book that captures the highlighted art we saw today and then grabbed an Uber to take us back to the hotel.
We had an hour to kill so we rested in our room after taking in the beautiful entrance once again of the St. Regis Abu Dhabi. I mentioned this in 2019 but the grand entrance of this hotel is modeled directly after the Titanic with two beautiful sweeping staircases and chandeliers Every time I walked into this hotel or even through the lobby I can’t help but stand back and marvel at it. It’s something special. At 2 PM Jenn went to get a massage (an Amex Platinum perk) and I went to the pool to read my second book The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and enjoy a Pina colada. Jenn loved her massage and my time out at the pool was just what the doctor ordered.
A little after 4 PM we met in the lobby and went to the St. Regis bar for happy hour. Jenn got their take on a cosmopolitan and I go their version of a Bloody Mary, the desert snapper. We had an incredible waiter who was very gracious and kind and made sure we had everything we needed. He even recommended the nachos which were out of this world, not something I ever expected to order in Abu Dhabi but there you go. Very similar to the St. Regis Bar in New York, this one is beautiful, giving it a 1920’s sort of vibe that we both just ate up.
After happy hour we went for a walk and enjoyed the cooler evening. We had thought about pushing it and going to the Grand Mosque but we were both exhausted. The travel was catching up to us. Instead, we rested in the room and were invited by our evening butler to take part in the champagne sabering experience. We actually did this in 2019 and then it was a group ceremony with eight or ten of us. This time we got a private demonstration and it was just as memorable as the first time. The sabering took place in the crystal lounge and we decided to make things easy to have dinner there. I was full so Jenn got a delicious lentil soup and we called it a night.
As much as we wanted to pack in one day there was only so much we could do today. What it really showed us though is how much we love this place and can’t wait to come back. We ended the night packing up our suitcases, making wake-up calls for the morning, and closing the chapter on our first post-COVID international travel. Even with the masks, testing, and slightly altered norms being back out in the world and traveling again gave us both life that had been missing for us for almost two years. The minor inconveniences aside, being back out in the world, exploring and seeing the beauty that’s not in the one square mile around our apartment was exactly what the doctor ordered.
From the time the Uber picked us up in New York to the moment I’m writing this on our flight back home (with five hours left) this trip has been nothing but a dream. If the last two years have taught us anything it’s that we can’t take these moments for granted and I for one will never forget the feeling of sitting on our deck and being reminded of how lucky I am. I’ll never take that for granted and I’ll never forget this trip with Jenn and the moments we shared along the way.
This trip may be ending but the next adventure is just around the corner and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.
