Lucky for some.

On Friday the 13th, we set off on our weekend getaway to Abu Dhabi - the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. We dropped Gypsy Dog off at his best pal's, Groucho's, for his weekend of fun before starting our 90-minute drive to Abu Dhabi.

It's basically one straight road to the capital city from Dubai, and much of the scenery along this stretch is of 'the green belt' - basically cultivated greenery in what would otherwise be desert. As we approached the city, there were more villas, mosques and rows of small shops distantly resembling some of the smaller townships in Malaysia.

...the view from our room at the Hilton Abu Dhabi...

We arrived at the Hilton on the corniche which had gorgeous views of the Emirates Palace Hotel and the Marina Mall across the sea. I have to admit that the exterior of the hotel did look a bit dated and like something out of the 70's, but it couldn't be more different once we got inside and to our guest room.

Despite being the capital city, I found the pace of life a little slower and more relaxed compared to Dubai. The traffic didn't seem as bad and the city also seemed more developed, less crowded and generally well organised. We took it easy at the hotel once we arrived, before having a leisurely buffet lunch at the hotel's Thai restaurant then took a short drive across the causeway to the Marina Mall.

...at the beach...

We didn't spend too much time at the mall, but just enough to check out Gap [as the one in Dubai is not open just yet!], and my all-time favourite one-stop home furnishing store, IKEA. We then retreated back to the hotel in time for an evening swim and to watch the sunset on the beach.

...at the pool...

The rest of our stay was filled with relaxing by the beach and the pool, reading, and eating - including one of the best Italian meals we've had outside of Italy! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect long weekend getaway.