Emirates Palace is one of the main Abu Dhabi tourist attractions.
Official palace and conference center, Emirates Palace is also one of the most impressive seven-star hotels of the world.
The (very) good news is that the seven stars are not official and, despite the common opinion, the staying at Emirates Palace Hotel is less expensive than at a good five star Western hotel.
That is especially true during the summer time (ahaha… ok…no, wait), but also between April and May and between September and October.
⭐ Emirates Palace is not the residence of the Emirates royal family
⭐ Emirates Palace is not that much expensive, in some periods of the year
⭐ You can visit Emirates Palace for free (the first floor) and there is no need to book a visit
⭐ Even if you go to Emirates Palace only to look around, you will be always welcomed with great kindness
⭐ If you want to relax at the end of the visit, I suggest a strategic and accessible place where to enjoy the atmosphere
⭐ To visit Emirates Palace you don’t need a formal wear, just respect the dress code required in Abu Dhabi when you access public places
Emirates Palace includes 302 rooms and 92 suites, whose 22 reserved for heads of state and their entourage. Six suites, on the top floor, are accessible only to members of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates Palace: what to visit for free
You can visit free the Emirates Palace first floor, from 10 to 22.
Emirates Palace Exterior – Don’t miss the impressive staircase, the magnificent landscaped gardens (one hundred hectares with at least 8000 trees), the 12 fountains and water features, and the general overview of this magnificent building, topped by more than 114 domes, including that of the Grand Atrium, larger than the St. Peter dome in Rome. The hotel has a private sandy beach, about 1.3 km, accessible only to hotel guests.
Emirates Palace Interior – Within Emirates Palace you can visit the lobbies, the monumental entrance, a riot of gold (including a 22 carat gold leaf that covers the dome of the Grand Atrium), Swarovski, marbles of 13 different colors, matching the colors of the sun in the desert, from “yellow sunrise” to “red sunset”. All is very luxurious and opulent yet incredibly smooth and elegant.
From the first floor, if you want and if you can, you have access to a dozen restaurants (including a rare Emirati restaurant and an award-winning Chinese restaurant) and several bars.
The night lighting of Emirates Palace is of poignant beauty. The choice of lighting is based on the latest technology: high energy efficiency, long life lamps.
The best place to enjoy Emirates Palace
If you want to enjoy the atmosphere of Emirates Palace, the ideal place to lurk is the bar Café, which is just past the entrance and the entrance hall, in a strategic overview.
Here you can take the cappuccino with flakes of edible 24 carat gold (about 11 euros, taxes and service included), or a espresso no frills, but “perfetto” (according to my Italian taste 🙂 that costs you exactly the mid (about 6 euros). Together with the espresso, they bring you a glass of water, a mini fruit juice, dates and pastries, and everything is included in the price. If you want to taste something truly original local, you can try the camel burger which costs about 30 euros. Or you can indulge in a sumptuous afternoon English tea, accompanied by scons and other delicacies arranged on multi-storey trays, I can’t calculate the calories amount but the cost is between 69 and 90 euros. Of course, you can also choose a more sober tea (about 15-20 euros), the variety is great and you can get advice from the very kind staff.
Regardless of your drink (the menu offers a good overall choice for all budgets), you will be served while you’re comfortably sprawled on a soft couch, perfect temperature, complimentary wireless Internet access, celestial music live in discrete background.
Particular of the lowest everyday but useful in case of need, you can have free access to toilets on the first floor. And I can assure the ladies that it’s worth it, if only to wash your hands.
Emirates Palace is for sure an interesting place to visit, but the staying, is a different very immersing experience.
We do really suggest you this experience to celebrate very special occasions.
Emirates Palace: Directions
Arriving by taxi to Emirates Palace is super-easy: Emirates Palace is a landmark, that is a point of reference or keyword, also known to the beginner taxi drivers. Emirates Palace marks an ideal border west of Abu Dhabi City Island (the opposite point, to the east, is Al Mina Port).
Otherwise, the keyword for the driver is “Corniche“. You can get the seafront Corniche, facing west and’ll recognize immediately Emirates Palace.
To get Emirates Palace by bus, you can take buses 007 or 010 that goes in the direction of Ras Al Akhdhar.
Emirates Palace: how to dress
As told, visiting Emirates Palace doesn’t require a formal or special wear, just respect the Abu Dhabi dress code required in public places.
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