Abu Dhabi: Queen of the Emirates A Symphony of Serenity and Splendour

By Sarah Morgan

There are destinations that whisper their secrets. There are others that sing them aloud in a blend of tradition and modernity. Abu Dhabi is the latter; a city where golden sands meet the turquoise sea, and where every moment feels both timeless and surprisingly new. This is not simply the capital of the UAE, this is the self-appointed Queen of the Emirates. Graceful, stately, and quietly self-assured. As the largest and wealthiest of the seven Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s prosperity was born from oil but now flourishing in tourism and culture. It is the architect of its own future—creating a destination that caters to so many tastes while holding true to its roots.

My journey began in Etihad Airways’ Business Class, cocooned in soft leather and stillness. Spoilt with Armani Casa accessories, curated menus and seamless service, the flight felt like a prelude rather than a commute. Upon arrival, I was swept into the quiet luxury of the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers. Access to Executive Floor 54 of this iconic skyscraper included a daily ritual of hors d’oeuvres and chilled champagne, savoured high above a beautifully dystopian cityscape, where I watched the Arabian Gulf shifted through shades of silver and sapphire.

The following morning, I stepped into silence at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the eighth largest in the world. With 82 domes, over 1,000 pillars, four minarets and a central chandelier weighing 12 tonnes, it welcomes over 30,000 worshippers during its height at Eid. It’s a place that stills you, offering a potent reminder that beauty and faith can coexist in space and stone.

Then came the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Saadiyat, the cultural heart of Abu Dhabi and home to no shortage of creative projects. Its French floating dome casts filtered light like lace across centuries of art and artefact, and with 12 chapters depicting the growth and development of humanity, it tells a fitting narrative: how travel and tourism have ignited a new chapter for Abu Dhabi, reflecting the needs and desires of the international traveller. It’s also the location of the Michelin-starred Fouquet’s Abu Dhabi, where Parisian elegance meets Arabian light. I lingered over perfectly grilled sea bass and crisp Burgundy along the Louvre’s promenade.

The days spent as a guest of the city unfolded with no shortage of delights. A particular highlight was kayaking through the mangroves of Jubail Island, drifting between salt-loving roots and mirrored waters. You can also kayak under the domed brilliance of The Louvre, where Jean Nouvel’s architecture can be appreciated from a wholly new perspective – definitely first on my list for our next visit.

At the mesmerising Al Hosn Festival, I found a vivid celebration of Emirati heritage with craftspeople, poetry, pearl divers and falconers gathered around the city’s oldest structure, the Al Hosn Fort. The air was thick with the scent of oud, and for an afternoon, I felt part of something older and wiser. The prized falcon, still used to hunt, holds deep symbolic value here. A month is all it takes to train these erudite birds of prey, yet some sell for upwards of $275,000—a reflection of their speed, grace, and cultural legacy.

Of course, no trip is complete without a visit to Qasr Al Watan. The UAE’s Royal Palace is a living institution; it’s where global diplomacy meets regional pride. Walking through the mirrored halls beneath a dome soaring 37 metres above, one senses that this isn’t just a place, it’s a statement. Power and poetry, balanced in limestone and light. The iconic Corniche was another key point to visit. The famous eight kilometre stretch along the city’s edge acts as both the spine of Abu Dhabi and a visual thread between its 200 islands. It showcases public art installations and provides a living, breathing promenade of community, creativity, and skyline vistas.

Urban explorations completed, it was time to venture into the second-largest desert on Earth after the Sahara. Dune bashing in a Toyota Land Cruiser gave way to visits with camels and tastings of their highly revered milk, celebrated for its health benefits. Lunch was served light and local, inside an authentic Bedouin tent. This was the oldest of the eight desert camp experiences, and its heritage was made clear in all its soulful simplicity.

When the sun finally sank behind the dunes, supper at Hakkasan awaited. Situated within the palatial grandeur of Emirates Palace, the restaurant delivered not only phenomenal views and uncompromising ambience but an unforgettable dining experience too. We began with delicate scallops and exceptional dim sum, each bite precise and refined, and raised glasses of chilled Whispering Angel. After dinner, we were invited to contribute to a quiet ritual – adding our hopes to a discreet orchard of wishing trees, their slender branches already heavy with handwritten dreams from former guests.

Our final afternoon was spent at the iconic Saadiyat Beach Club, often referred to as the Maldives of Abu Dhabi, and with good reason. Uber-cool and effortlessly refined, it sits on the longest, whitest beach in the UAE, a stretch of pristine coastline kissed by turquoise waves. Dolphins and dunes were there to greet us, as if nature itself had decided to join the celebration. Saadiyat Island gives Mother Nature’s stamp of approval to this man-made paradise, proof that contemporary urban elegance and ecology can coexist. Poolside dining blurred into barefoot luxury as we reclined into loungers with a sea breeze and the sun slipping westward – it became the perfect place to process all we had experienced in this diverse and dynamic destination—art, adventure, faith, food, and the future, all wrapped in Arabian light.

As a city set amid spectacular surroundings, this destination felt safe, humble and gracious. There truly is something for everyone, and Abu Dhabi’s vision to offer peace, culture, adventure and activities, wrapped in the chicest manner, is well on track. If anything, I’d love to see even more of its deep-rooted history and Emirati culture woven into everyday experiences, so that travellers not only see the splendour, but understand where the heartbeat of the Queen of the Emirates truly originates.