A 10-minute drive from the current Abu Dhabi International Airport, with a brand-new airport in the offing, Yas has everything a family, couple or individual traveler could want. And for the kosher traveler, hotels like the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island can provide kosher food in a superb just-opened complex with magnificent suites, family-friendly activities and sweeping views of the water.
Let’s get the shopping out of the way first. Yas Mall is upscale and offers some great insights into local culture. This 2.5-million sq. ft. mall with its 400 shops is a practical mall that locals use. It’s your chance to see how the Emiratis dress, surreptitiously peek as they buy jewelry and designer clothes from Swarovski, Ted Baker and even Victoria’s Secret, and watch as male and female staff at stands attack passersby with squirts of perfume. The shopping center offers its fair share of local stores alongside the more familiar Western brands. The mall’s food choices are second-to-none with some 70 eateries and boutique offerings including chocolatiers, burger joints, date stores, local and international cuisine.
Truly sated and with a healthy hole in your pocket, it’s time to sample some of the other delights the island has to offer. We’ll get to the kids soon.
Golf on Yas Island is top notch. Designed by Kyle Phillips, the par-72 course with rolling hills and seashore greens ranks 48th in Golf Digest’s top 100 courses. Being in the UAE, it of course also offers a luxurious clubhouse, gym, swimming pool, male spa and floodlit practice ranges, Toptracer range technology and gold academy.
From the calm of the ninth green to the power of racing cars, Yas Island is home to the grand finale of the Formula 1 season. This year, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix takes place on December 12. It’s a truly exciting weekend with great shows at night to complement race activity. The W Abu Dhabi-Yas Island is the world’s only hotel that straddles a Formula 1 circuit. During race weekend you could well bump into the drivers and visiting celebrities at the hotel’s unique dining options.
But you don’t need to wait for race weekend to take advantage of this all-year venue. The circuit offers super-cars for you to drive around the racetrack, and if you are too nervous to go it alone, they provide drivers. Twice a week the circuit closes to motor traffic and you can walk or cycle its 5.5-km. (3.4-mile) length.
There’s also an accompanying karting circuit. This offers the thrill of dressing like a racing driver in a full body suit, protective hairnet and helmet.
AS IF THAT wasn’t enough speed, Yas is the home to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and the fastest roller coaster on the planet. This amusement park offers an adrenaline rush at every corner: rides, shows, food and much more.
When it’s time to slow things down a little, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is the largest indoor theme park on the planet. It brings out the kid in all of us. It is permanent twilight-to-dusk in the magnificently-designed main square. It’s hard to believe you are not outdoors when you take in the realistic sky that constantly changes. At each corner there’s a passageway to a different world of adventure. Cartoon Junction and Bedrock are the perfect place for younger visitors with slower rides, colorful characters and huge play areas. The Flintstones Bedrock River Adventure s your typical river cave trip with short plunge. The characters and audio are put together so well it’s worth taking the journey a second time. Colorful Dynamite Gulch will also appeal to the little ones.
Back to the more high-powered adventures. Gotham City and Metropolis offer a mix of 3-D immersive experiences and more traditional theme park rides. As in the other “lands,” there are lots of chances to get your photograph taken with your favorite characters, including a Gal-Gadot look-alike Wonder Woman. Don’t worry if you haven’t brought a camera as there are plenty of professional photographers around the park. Talking of spending more than the ticket price, there are souvenir shops everywhere, including at the exits of some rides, where you have no choice other than to walk through the stores
You think Eilat is hot. Try Abu Dhabi. That’s why Yas Waterworld is popular year round. The park boasts 40 water rides, slides and even a roller coaster. You can surf, race, relax on a river, fire water cannons and generally have a great time as long as you are happy messing about in the water.
And there’s more. CLYMB Abu Dhabi just opened with indoor massive skydiving and climbing facilities. There’s also Yas Beach and the MAD Club for the party animals out there, but what better way to round off your stay than with a concert at Etihad Arena. While, COVID hasn’t been the best news for this new location, its summer-autumn series includes comedians Michael McIntyre and Russell Peters and Disney on Ice’s Find Your Hero. Which brings us to an important point – pretty much everything on Yas is English-centric – the people here speak the language, the venues all offer English programming and signage.
Yas Island truly offers everything within a very compact area – but beware the heat. If you are venue hopping, it’s best not to walk. While a rental car might be a little over the top, think taxis and check with your concierge if your hotel provides shuttles.
PS If all this isn’t enough, SeaWorld opens on Yas Island next year!
You can hear more about Yas Island on The Jerusalem Post Podcast–Travel Edition: jpost.com/podcast. Mark and David were guests of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island and Experience Hub.