The Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi may not be as impressive as Burj Khalifa in Dubai, but therefore the queues are significantly shorter if you want to go up to the Observation Deck, which is the highest in the U.A.E. capital. As the platform is accessed via the Jumeirah Hotel, you can even get some pretty nice food over there. Thus, on New Years Day 2020, we decided to see Abu Dhabi from above and have afternoon tea.
Observation Deck at 300 – Location & Admission
Observation Deck at 300 is located at Jumeirah Hotel at Etihad Towers. The Emirates Palace, where we had afternoon tea a couple of times already, and the Presidential Palace are in short distance. If you come by car, you should strictly follow the signs to Etihad Tower 2. The hotel offers valet parking, which is at east free if you consume the Afternoon Tea.
The admission to the Observation platform is 95 AED, some 23 Euro. This may not be too close to a bargain, but with your visit, you receive a 55 AED voucher you can spent in the cafe above. The afternoon tea is 250 AED and includes the access to the platform.
Observation Deck at 300 – The Observation Deck
The elevator to Observation Deck has its own small reception, which is doing the payment process as well operating the elevator a couple of steps away. This area, which you reach when you pass the lobby area to the right from the parking deck, is already quite posh and luxurious.
Upstairs, there are some lounge-alike seats at the inside of the tower, but most of the chairs are close to the window, facing outside. There is also a bench between the table and the window. Behind the bench, there is a small pedestal, where people may walk in even if you are just having a drink or afternoon tea – which can be quite bothering. The whole area is free seating, first come first serve. If you reserve afternoon tea, though, there will be a reserved and designated seat for you.
If you still have not the perfect luxury feeling, Jumeirah gives you another boost at the toilets, which feature cloth towels and lovely sanitary products.
Observation Deck at 300 – Views of Abu Dhabi
There is a lovely, unobstructed view from the observation deck. The quality of the windows is very good, so that you have a low level of reflections. You should keep in mind that Abu Dhabi is huge regarding is area, though. Even though these are still central attractions, it is nearly impossible to clearly see (you may spot them maybe) sights like the Grand Mosque or the Louvre Abu Dhabi. As they are close, attractions like the Presidential Palace or Emirates Palace are – of course – fantastic to spot.
Observation Deck at 300 – Afternoon Tea
The presentation of the Afternoon Tea was lovely. The savory selection was not that much on the classic side, featuring, Coronation Chicken, Roasted Beef, Crab Tartine, Bocconcini, Figs and Goat Cheese as well as Smoked Salmon. I typically love the sweet side – and they had a couple of nice choices, from Vanilla and Cheese Cake Donuts to madeleines and Hazy Kisses Fondant (which was missing an additional spoon). Of course, the Afternoon Tea concludes with scones and clotted cream. There was unlimited selection of tea. The Jumeirah serves TWG Tea, my favorite tea brand.
The service was overall good. What I really liked is that you get new plates for the scones (as the sweet items typically leave their marks). On the other hand, the refill of tea was very slow, unfortunately. There was also no place to put the teabags on.
Observation Deck at 300 – My View
The Observation Deck at 300 is definitely a lovely place to watch Abu Dhabi from above – and also to have some great afternoon tea. Bad luck that there were some delays in the service, but the atmosphere was superb, the food quality was good, the view from above was nice, so that overall, this experience can only end up at Top Pick! level.
Flyctory.com Views from Above
Here are all postings tagged as Views from Above, dealing with any kind up-in-the-air viewpoints:
