The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi combines a heady mix of opulent religious temples and futuristic architecture. The skyline is made distinctive by its modern towers and shopping megacenters such as Abu Dhabi and Marina malls, while beneath white-marble dome the vast Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is home to a magnificent Persian carpet and numerous crystal chandeliers.
A dramatic cityscape view over Abu Dhabi by night (Fintrvlr via Flickr)
Along with Dubai, Abu Dhabi is the most popular tourist destination in the UAE, attracting visitors from across the globe. For those seeking to travel to Abu Dhabi from the United Kingdom, there are several online agencies that offer a wide range of all inclusive holidays and package holidays that allow you to fly out of UK airports. We’ve looked into all of the options and come up with our top three tips based on a number of factors including hotel and flight options, company policies and previous customer reviews.
Part of the same group as Etihad Airways, Etihad Holidays offer a wide range of holiday packages to destinations in the Middle East, as well as the Indian Ocean, Asia, Australia, America and Africa. The company employs a team of experts who hand-pick hotels so you can be absolutely certain they represent the best in their category. Part of this process involves grading hotels based on a stringent criteria and customer feedback. They also provide complete packages including fly-drive, car rental, special tours and cruises. You can either book hotels on their own or hotels and flights together for the best deals, and most of their holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. Etihad Airways members (or ‘Guests’ as they are known) can also earn air miles by booking with Etihad Holidays.
The Virgin Group has been running its holiday division for more than three decades, catering to holidays destinations across the globe. The company prides itself on its customer service and offers a number of perks that many of its competitors are unable to match. For example, if your flight’s cancelled and you can’t reach your destination within a reasonable amount of time, Virgin let you change to another holiday, and you’re only required to pay the difference. Similarly, if your flight home is cancelled, they’ll simply book you a new one with the help of their airline partners. They also have a generous deposit policy, whereby if your departure is more than 12 weeks away, you only need to pay a deposit of £175 per person including children, with the full balance only required 12 weeks before departure. Finally, many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays offered on the Virgin website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme.
Founded over 35 years ago, Travelbag specialise in creating tailor-made holidays to a wide variety of worldwide destinations, from round the world trips to city breaks, beach holidays and escorted tours. The company places a strong emphasis on its ability to curate holiday to your specific taste and needs, assigning customers with their own dedicated Travel Consultant who will help build you an itinerary and take care of you before, during and after your trip. They also claim to only work with suppliers, properties and airlines that meet their exacting standards. What’s more, thanks to their Price Beater Promise, you can be confident that you’re getting the very best price. That’s because if you find the same holiday or flights for less anywhere, Travelbag pledge to beat it. The company are also members of various financial protection schemes, including IATA, ABTA and ATOL.
