New Year's Day 2015

We were up early today because of jet lag.  We set off for Starbucks in Leeson Street but it was still closed at 8am.  We then headed on to the 24hrs one in Stephens Green.  I went on the Yik Yak and mentioned something about it.  Later I noticed someone else had also Yik Yakked about being there too.  What are the odds of two Yik Yakkers being there at the same time?......possibly quite high as Dublin is very small and also I don't think there are many people on Yik Yak in Dublin at this time!  

After Starbucks we went to Brown Thomas to pick up some Nespresso Capsules and then made our way home.

I booked tickets for the cinema later that day and at 4pm we went to see "Big Eyes" in Rathmines Omniplex.  What an incredible story and a brilliant film.  It is directed by Tim Burton but is not his usual fantastical over the top theatrical make believe productions.  I highly recommend it - Christoph Waltz is quite the scene stealer in most of the movie.

After the film Ciaran played squash and once again we were in bed asleep early due to jet lag.  

It's back to work for me on Saturday so this is my last day off for the Christmas break.  In some ways I am looking forward to going back to the normality of work but in other ways I want to continue with my holidays!

Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi

Al Wahda Mall Haul

When we visited Al Wahda Mall I was glad to see that they had a Gap and Banana Republic.  

Ciaran bought a shirt in Banana Republic (top right corner of pic - it is actually a soft denim but photographed badly).  

I didn't get anything in Banana but got three tops and a pair of trouser in Gap all from the Sale section as the prices in Abu Dhabi are a lot more expensive than I would pay at home.  Ciaran also got a pair of trousers too (bottom right of picture).

On our final night we visited Marina Mall.  At that point, serious Mall Fatigue had set in.  We didn't buy a single thing and we left as quickly as we could to get back and relax in our hotel room. 

What I read while on holidays

I only brought one book with me on holidays (why do I always do this?!) which was "Nora Webster" by Colm Toibin.  I read "Brooklyn" by the same author which I really loved so I had a feeling I would enjoy his latest book.  As an aside, Brooklyn is being made in to a film starring Irish Actress Saoirse Ronan and I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes out.

Nora Webster is written in a similar style as Brooklyn and is a nice readable tale of life in Ireland revolving around newly widowed Nora Webster and her family.  Perhaps it is a highly romanticised view of life in Ireland in the 1960's (my mother said that she didn't think Brooklyn was an authentic or accurate representation of Ireland in the time that it was set) and I do think in some ways it seemed like life for Nora Webster was perhaps too easy even in difficult times.  However, I liked it overall and found it to be an enjoyable easy read.

I believe that my mother has a book in her.  I love to hear her and my aunts talk about their childhood and what it was like to grow up in a family of thirteen children in Dublin.  My mother was born in the 1950's and the tales she tells are of an Ireland gone by.

An Ireland where the big treat at Christmas time was when my granddad set up his train and would put an open bag of crisps (chips) in a carriage.  When he stopped the train in front of a particular child they got to take a crisp.  How cute - small pleasures in life!

Or an Ireland where my mother as a young girl wished for a bike from Santa.  And finally one Christmas she heard the clink of metal and fell asleep happy in the knowledge that she was finally getting what she had desired for, only to wake up and find out that her sister had got a typewriter. 

Or as she got older and when going on dates, my mam and sisters would buy fabric and patterns and would make an outfit for the weekend.  Thinking of all of these stories that my mother tells me one would perhaps come to the assumption that life in Ireland has always been happy, joyful and pleasant - however as we all know that has not always been the case......  

I digress.....let's get back to what else I read.

In one of the malls we visited, I bought "The Racketeer" by John Grisham which was one of his typical novels that are perfect for a beach read.  Vaguely predictable it still kept me entertained til the end.  I also bought Malcom Gladwell's "What the dog saw". Having enjoyed "Outliers" and other books by Gladwell I was entertained by "What the dog saw" but only got through the first bit as I switched to Andre Agassi's biography on Kindle as Ciaran finished it on the second last day (he really enjoyed it - I've always compared his style of playing squash to Andre's tennis style).  So currently I am partly through both of these and who know's when I will finish them.  However, I am currently in Starbucks and I do have the Kindle with me so maybe I will dip in to Agassi's life again! (edit 1/1//2015. I finished the Agassi biography - wow I never knew is all I will say!!!)

Yas Mall - Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

On our 3rd evening we visited Yas Mall on Yas Island.  We took a taxi for the 35km journey.  I took this picture in the taxi - you can just make out the entrance to the Emirates Palace entrance.  Taxi's are cheap in Abu Dhabi so it makes sense to take one even when going short distances - particularly I would imagine at the height of Summer when temps go up to extreme heats. 

As we approached the mall I saw a great big sign for Ikea - it's everywhere!

The mall is very new and extremely large.  We wandered around for a bit but didn't buy anything.  It has all British chains that we have in Ireland and a lot of American stores also.  I was hoping there would be a Banana Republic but there was not.

We knew there was a Cheesecake Factory here and I had already decided I wanted to eat here.  It was exactly the same as Cheesecake Factory in the USA and the prices were about comparable.  The only difference was that no alcohol was served as it was a dry mall.

Look the butter is even from Texas!!

Look at the size of the portion of food!  Ciaran had thankfully suggested we split the Orange Chicken - I was planning to order this for myself!!!  We also got a starter of Thai Lettuce Rolls which we also split.  It was the perfect amount of food for the two of us but we didn't eat much of the rice.

And of course you can not visit Cheesecake Factory without having one of their desserts.  Again we split this course and we didn't even finish it.  I think it was some type of cake tower with chocolate mousse filling and fudge frosting.  It was very good!!

It is a big thing to visit malls in the evening time in Abu Dhabi - there was a lot of families in this mall - even a lot of young children were there up to closing time at 10pm! Someone told me that malls are like the high street as again it is so hot at times that they like to be inside to do their shopping in air conditioned comfort.

Beach Days Abu Dhabi Style!

To get to the hotel's private beach we walked down a boardwalk to the front of the hotel.  There were a load of boats in the marina and it had a really nice feel to it.

Everyday we sat in the same spot which was fairly close to this beachside bar.

Ciaran swam in the sea a few time and he said it was amazing.  I didn't get in to the sea - I dipped my feet in and it felt too cool.  I don't like cold water at all.

We relaxed on the beach every day and stayed most days until the sun began to go down and it got chilly.  It was blissful!

There is pool at the beach area with another swim up bar and also the Bayshore Restaurant behind it.  We swam in the pool - it was perfect temperature!

The Starfish displays reminded me a lot of past holidays in Key West. 

Facilities at the beach included private cabanas, toilets and showers.  It all made for very pleasant beach days.  

How relaxing is it to spend a few days lounging on the beach in the sun - perhaps the most relaxing thing in the world to do?!

By the pool for the day!

We were jet lagged on our first morning and missed breakfast (very unusual for us) but made lunch at 12.30.  Afterwards we headed to the pool for the day.

The pool area was very nice with lots of sun loungers and different areas to sun bathe in.  There was a small bar that had a swim up area.  We enjoyed a drink in the sun and relaxed for the day.  A great start to the holiday!

When you pick up your towels you are given a small cool box with bottles of water - a nice touch by the hotel!

Intercontinental Abu Dhabi

While we holidayed in Abu Dhabi over Christmas we stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel.  It is located well near the Corniche and Emirates Palace.

On the night we arrived we were glad to find the buffet open until 10.30pm as we was nearly 10pm and we just wanted to get something to eat and drink and then get to bed!

I got a kick out of the Arabic writing on the Coke Zero bottle!  It's a very attractive script.

On Christmas Day I had a nice seafood selection for lunch.....while Ciaran had Turkey (and Brussels Sprouts!!)

This was the view from the 3rd floor restaurant - it was quite the landmark building block (at night it had neon lights on the roof tops) and I saw it from just about everywhere we went.

Our room was very comfortable and fairly large.  There was a day bed and a big comfy chair to lounge in along with a desk.

The bathroom had a separate bath and shower and closed in area with toilet and bidet.

I had seen reviews on Tripadvisor complaining about the WiFi in the hotel.  I had no issues and found it excellent to browse the Internet.  I could even access the WiFi at the beach!

We were very happy with our stay in the Intercontinental and would recommend it to others and would also stay here again.  We were especially happy with the Housekeeping Staff who gave us a friendly staff every morning and then cleaned our room to an impeccable standard.  Every evening our bed was turned down and chocolate left on our pillow - when we said we didn't want a turn down we were still offered chocolate by the lovely chambermaid! Complimentary water is also left in your room which is most welcome (is there anything nicer than a bottle of water by your bed when you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night?!)

Facilities at the hotel include multiple restaurants, 2 pools with bar areas as well as a leisure centre and gym that has a squash court.  

On Christmas Night we ate in the Brazilian Restaurant, Chamas, which was lively and had a great atmosphere.  We had a nice bottle of wine and enjoyed the Brazilian meats and salad buffet.