The Jumierah at Etihad Towers is one of five towers that make up a stunning , towering complex. With three swimming pools, a private beach, 12 restaurants and bars – this hotel offers a dizzying array of luxury served in such elevated heights.

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But first, speaking of heights. We had an early evening flight from London to Dubai. When we commenced our descent to Dubai, I fell asleep, with my head cradled comfortably by the window.

My eyes just opened momentarily when I saw this unbelievable view.

This took my sleepiness away with a jolt. I’ve always known Dubai is a cosmopolitan city of lights, but nothing prepared me for this organised, massive circuit board party with pulsating electric veins.

We arranged for a private transfer to Abu Dhabi. It takes about 2 hours to drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. And since it was late at night, the drive was extremely smooth. I fell asleep again, and woke up when we reached Abu Dhabi.

The sight of the Etihad Towers while the car approached is quite stunning. It’s extremely hard to take a photograph from a moving vehicle, so the photo above will do.

The five towers all differ in height. The highest measures 305 metres (74 floors) and the lowest 277 metres (55 floors).

If these stunning towers look at all familiar to you, well this is where you may have seen them on the big screen:

https://youtu.be/lf18DHvrYyc

One of the most iconic (and unrealistic) stunts in a movie – when Vin Diesel flies a car from one tower to another. Easy!

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Arrival / Room

Now back to the real world. We arrived past 2AM and check-in at the desk was quick. My first impression: I was amazed how well-lit and dazzling everything was at that hour!

We were spent after a 7 hour flight and a 2 hour ride to Abu Dhabi. And just the sight of our room managed to soothe the exhaustion.

As we arrived past 2AM, turn down service was already given and this made me just want to plonk down the bed.

Welcome amenity were chocolates and dates. I am not really a date person. I love it as an ingridient in dessert (sticky date pudding!) but not as a whole. But these were unbelievably good! Chewy and fresh with fillings like seasme and pistachio.

Bathroom

Double doors open to a spacious marbled bathroom. Double sink with heated floors.

Do not judge the packaging. Bee Kind was an amazing brand. All toiletries were without parabens, and the shampoo was amazing. It left my hair clean with volume.

Video

Here’s a video tour of Jumeirah At Etihad Towers (and our room of course!)

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It was when we woke up in the morning that we saw the full glory of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers.

Imagine waking up to this stunning view of Abu Dhabi! I like that Abu Dhabi doesn’t have that much skyscrapers yet (compared to Dubai). I hope it remains that way.

Catching a lift to go down for breakfast, I caught a close-up view of these guys cleaning the windows of the neighboring tower. It’s astounding to think of how much work (and lives risked) is involved to maintain the gleam of these towers!

Lobby / Reception

Even on ground zero, the surroundings are still sunny as it is filled with lots of natural light. One thing I noticed, even though the hotel was busy and there were quite a number of people in the lobby, the hotel is somehow relatively quiet.

Breakfast

Breakfast buffet at Rosewater Restaurant was quite a grand affair. There are separate areas / mini buffet halls for different kinds of food (Asian, Western, Middle-Eastern) and even though we arrived towards the tail end of breakfast, we never found a tray with insufficient food.

Pool / Beach area

Just outside Rosewater Restaurant is the pool. With a covered and an uncovered area, it was quite massive. In front of the pool is the beach. Small as it may, it’s still a private beach and there were many guests revelling in the sun. (It was close to winter when we visited so it wasn’t too hot)

The Observation Deck

Located on the 74th level of the 2nd Tower of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is the Observation Deck at 300. Here, guests of the hotel can enter free, while outside guests can visit for AED 75 (AUD 27.00)

Guests can have high tea while enjoying the views of Abu Dhabi.

And you know how it is in the Middle East. They always take things to the next level. So when one says ‘enjoy the views of Abu Dhabi’,  this is what it’s more like:

It’s almost like looking down from a landing aircraft. Oh, the 300 in the name Obersvation Deck at 300 refers to your location on the 74th level, which is 300 metres above the ground.

Service

If there’s another thing that Jumeirah at Etihad Towers takes to another level, it’s the little touches of customer service that I encountered in my short stay.

No swooping or grand gestures, but small things like:

• that gentleman in reception attending to me in the above photo. When I approached the desk, no one was standing before him so I thought he was available. He was furiously typing/ working on his computer and he glanced up and kindly advised me that he was in the middle of finishing something. He offered for me to sit and would call me and ‘save my spot’ even if someone approaches his desk while I’m seated. Yes, a small gesture but many times, I’ve encountered staff who may just glance at me and say “will be with you in a second” or silently gesture that as well.
• the concierge team was also lovely. They patiently helped us try to get to Ferrari World ( about a 30-40 minute drive) the quickest time possible as we were under time constraint. Also, John from concierge, who even followed and ran after us in the lift, huffing and puffing, just to give ANOTHER suggestion how to get to Ferrari World.

It’s small gestures like this that make a big difference to me. Again, the level of hospitality in the Middle East (in general) can be notches above the norm so I’m always pleased when luxuries of this calibre are met with human touch.

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Rates at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers start at AED 490.00 (AUD 177.00) on low season. You can always find special rates online.

Have you been to the Middle East? What are your impressions, and do you agree that once you have experienced Middle East hospitality, you are spoiled for life?

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Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Etihad Towers, West Corniche

Abu Dhabi UAE

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We were guests of Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, but all views and opinions expressed are my own.