Review: Detailed Tourist Guide to Abu Dhabi
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2012
In the last few years Abu Dhabi started to gain popularity as a tourist destination. I remember the first time I heard of that place. It was few years ago when I read a magazine article about Roger Federer, famous tennis player, and I was surprised to learn that he spends few months at Abu Dhabi every year. At that time I did get a sense that mostly rich and famous visit Abu Dhabi and, therefore, lost interest. Recently, a couple of blogs about travel and tourism that I follow, published first hand accounts of normal tourists visiting Abu Dhabi and having pretty good time. I decided to do a bit more research and 'The Abu Dhabi Travel Guide' by Rahim and Zohara Hirji was on top of Amazon search results.This is an extremely detailed book that has great coverage of any topic a potential tourist needs to know about Abu Dhabi.Topics covered:1. Brief History of Abu Dhabi in particular and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in general.2. Hotels. While Abu Dhabi is still a destination for high-flyers, and five star hotels are seemingly on every corner, it is still possible to find budget yet comfortable accommodations.3. Sightseeing and things to do. I was staggered to learn how much one can do there. Parks, museums, beaches, camel races, hot air balloons, etc. I was even surprised to learn that Abu Dhabi has a track for Formula One races.4. Do's and Don'ts, Social Etiquette. Important chapter for any tourist visiting Abu Dhabi. Respect for local sensibilities, according to the authors, is a must.5. List of basic Arabic phrases and much, much more.Overall this is a good, very detailed tourist guide on all things Abu Dhabi. I was impressed with authors' commitment to quality, demonstrated by the fact that even included their contact information in case any reader has follow-up questions or comments.Recommended.