Park Hyatt, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

Forty five minutes south of Dubai by car, via the traffic lights-free superhighway known as Sheikh Zayed Road, and three friends on a girlie-weekend deposit their stressed-out bodies on the palm-fronded oasis known as Saadiyat Island…

Arabian Gulf - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Arabian Gulf – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

…but not at just any venue do they arrive; for its the five star establishment recently built for the purposes of stress-relief and recourse from the dire consequences of urban life that they attend…

Landscaping @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Landscaping @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Welcome to the Park Hyatt, Saadiyat Island! Balconies, terraces, gardens, waterways and cabanas: all to be strolled along, swum within, peered out of, laid upon…

Poolside @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/10; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Poolside @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/10; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Galvanized by the sights and smells of nature, immediate decompression is their reward as they enter the lemongrass-scented lobby, minimalist and open to the Arabian Ocean right there, in front of their disbelieving eyes…

Terrace @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Terrace @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Of course in order to paddle about in open seas, the girls must traverse marble and sandstone, pools to the right, verdant landscaping to the left, date palms swaying yon high.

Rooftop Bar @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Rooftop Bar @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

But look above, over the beach bars, follow the hurricane lanterns, climb some steps and lo! the open air terrace receives the thirsty girls gladly. Drinks are thrust in complying hands. After all, it would be rude to deny the host’s welcome beverage…

Rooftop Bar @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Rooftop Bar @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/8; 1/200sec; ISO-100

The Park Hyatt has created in itself an exclusive sanctuary for the leisure traveller, located on a nine-kilometre stretch of environmentally protected beach. The cheery girls are so intoxicated by the luxury of the place, it is only fitting they dip their manicured toes into the salty waters of the Gulf for an authentic Arabian experience.

Poolside @ the Park Hyatt - Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/10; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Poolside @ the Park Hyatt – Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/10; 1/200sec; ISO-100

Conde Nast Traveller raved about the place, “One of the Best New Hotels in the World!” it hollered this year. And who are three girls from Dubai to argue with that?

Park Hyatt Interiors, Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/5.6; 1/160sec; ISO-1600

Park Hyatt Interiors, Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi: f/5.6; 1/160sec; ISO-1600

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