Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara

Jane Knight spots hyenna, cheetah and oryx in Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas Island, “a kind of animal sanctuary.” Abu Dhabi has been developing significantly in recent years, it “gains outposts of the Louvre and Guggenheim in a few years.” A large range of “reasonably priced activities” make this this a perfect family holiday destination. There is a wadi walk, “kayaking through the mangroves, a new watersports and diving centre…starting up… a riding centre so guests can go animal spotting from horseback.” Knight writes how next year “safari-style lodges will open…and a South African-themed restaurant… and swish beach lodges.”

While Knight enjoys the magical Sir Bani Yas Island, she writes how “you’ve got to see” Abu Dhabi City as well. Take a trip on “the fastest rollercoaster in the world…[where] you wear goggles…not because accelerating to 150mph in 4.9 seconds and a resultant 1.7G-force means that you go so fast that it sucks out your eyeballs…but to stop the desert sand getting in your eyes.” Visit The Grand Mosque “the size of five football pitches with the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet and chandelier” and “the biggest falcon hospital in the world.” Here Knight is able to learn about the birds and observe their treatment, “in the examination room, instead of chairs, there are rows of perches on which sit hooded birds waiting to be treated… we are able to feel the weight difference between the males and the bigger, taller females. The femailes are so strong they can kill a gazelle."

Jane Knight was a guest of Western & Oriental which has a week in Abu Dhabi including a stay at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.