By ChristinaChristina writes and edits Travelling Companion. Her writing covers expeditions, food, and culture for the blog. California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review  101 North Gaviota Pass - Highway tunnel as seen in the movies like The Graduate and Sideways Exploring California's Central Coast Overview Roughly half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Central Coast of California is not well known outside of California. When Californians think of the Central Coast they usually think of the amazing food, beautiful weather, and picturesque scenery. Born and raised in the Central Coast, I was thrilled to be able to share a bit of my "home" with my new mother and father in-law. We had limited time to explore, so I built an itinerary aimed to have a quick overview of what the Central Coast can offer. AttractionsHearst Castle Hearst Castle was one of the homes of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in which he created his own castle with the help of the architect Julia Morgan. The castle was not finished at the time of William Randolph Hearst's death and the property is now being maintained and preserved by the California State Parks. Hearst Castle feels frozen in time as many of the original pieces are on display for visitors to enjoy including art, gardens, artifacts, and furnishings. The property is nestled on a large cattle ranch, in a mountain range, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, giving the castle's location a balance of seclusion and natural beauty. Opulent, bordering gaudy, Hearst Castle had its own zoo, airport, theater, indoor and outdoor pool, a wine cellar built during prohibition, and three guest houses. The main house "Casa Grande" has 38 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. The property's grandeur made its way into pop culture, including the two famous pools which were used in Lady Gaga's music video, G.U.Y. The castle offers multiple tours, which focus on different aspects of the property and change depending on the season. If you visit you are likely only going to have time for one tour and will want to come back to see different parts of the castle. Elephant Seals BeachJust up the road from Hearst Castle is a beach where the beach goers are limited to elephant seals. Human species are regulated to the sidelines where they can look at the elephant seals bask in the sun and dip in the water. Facts and history are available to read along the walk parallel to the beach regulated to humans. There are a few benches to sit and watch the seals, but we couldn't find any bench available due to the large number of visitors. We visited during mating season, which is from early December through March; the males were quite loud. You can expect to spend about 30-45 minutes visiting with the seals. Pismo BeachAnother hidden gem, Pismo Beach is a sleepy beach town that has appeared in movies and television shows including in Clueless and Looney Tunes. I was excited to show my Bahamian in-laws our version of beach life which is slower and involves lots of surfing. We stopped at Splash Cafe and got ourselves a delicious bread bowl of clam chowder. Then we walked the beach and the pier. My in-laws enjoyed the low-key vibes and the natural beauty at Pismo, but they were shocked on how chilly the water was. It was definitely not as warm as Bahamian waters. Take Away Photo of a winery lined up against the 101 freeway. Farmworkers are visible in the distance. Visiting my hometown with my in-laws was really fun. My in-laws were excited to explore the Central Coast and surprised on how much there was to do. While we were driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, I was creating a list of all the things we missed and should do on the next visit such as:
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review
Exploring California's Central Coast Overview
Across both of our stays the Renaissance Los Angeles Hotel stood out as a very good airport hotel. The elite recognition was excellent, the club lounge was solid, and the buffet breakfast stood out for a U.S. hotel. Pros- Excellent elite recognition, solid club lounge, stand out breakfast buffet for a U.S. hotel, free airport shuttle with tracking, airport adjacent location, pool and gym, and friendly service Cons- Poor sound proofing, uncomfortable sofa bed, and no in-room microwave
We stayed at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel before our train ride to the Central Coast of California and before our return flights to Washington DCA. For purposes of this review I will included details from both stays.
Attractions Qasr Al HosnAs the name may infer the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel is an airport hotel within a three-minute drive from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The location is amazing for an off-site airport hotel. About the only way the hotel could be closer is if it was attached to the LAX terminal.
Arrival and Check In
Arriving at LAX was a hot mess with construction happening everywhere in the terminal. Our bags were delivered within five minutes by Delta and we were on our way to find the hotel shuttle. 
Hotel Shuttle
One of the best amenities of the hotel is that it offers a free shuttle. Moreover, the hotel offers the ability to track the location of shuttles via a map on the Marriott app. This was a standout feature that I hadn't seen at any other hotel. When we used the shuttle, it seemed to never take more than 5 minutes to arrive but it could take up to 10 minutes to get to the hotel because of the traffic and poor design of LAX.
Hotel Shuttle Tracker
At check-in we were greeted by a very friendly check-in agent. She recognized Christina's elite status and offered her the choice of a $10 dining credit or 1000 points. We were only going to have the chance to have breakfast at the hotel so we chose the points. In addition, on the weekend, when the lounge isn't open, the hotel offers elites vouchers for complimentary breakfast. During our first stay the agent apologized that there were no upgrades available. However, during our second stay we were upgraded to a One Bedroom Executive Suite and allowed to check-in early at 10 am. During both stays I thought the hotel had excellent elite recognition.
Check-In Counter
Something I appreciated about this hotel was that it had some character including interesting artwork throughout the lobby. Another example of this was a live performance by a signer at the lobby bar during check-in on our first day. Both of these are things you typically don't see at an airport hotel.
Lobby Artwork
Club Queen Room and One Bedroom Executive Suite
During our first stay, we stayed in a Queen Room with access to the hotel's club lounge. The room had two queen beds, a tv, desk, and tub in the bathroom. The beds were soft and comfortable. However, the standout feature of the room were the views of the LAX runways. We ended up having clear views of takeoffs and landings at the airport which I found fun. The standout feature though had a big draw. Throughout the night we could hear the noise from the planes taking off and landing because the room had poor sound proofing. This is result of poor planning since you would think an airport hotel would have good sound proofing. 
Queen Beds
During our second stay, we stayed in an upgraded one bedroom executive suite. The suite had one king bed and a sofa bed. Just like the first room it also features great runway views.
King Bed
The sofa bed was not comfortable and I would have preferred to keep the two queen beds instead of the suite upgrade.
Sofa Bed
The suite also had a desk, tv, tub, and a mini-fridge. One odd aspect of the suite was that it had no microwave. I was disappointed that the suites in the hotel didn't have a microwave and we were informed that there was just one shared microwave for hotel guests.
Amenities
The hotel offered an outdoor pool and a gym which we did not use but stopped by to check out during our stay. The pool was small and shallow but I was impressed that they offered one at all at an airport hotel. The gym was large and well equipped.
Dining
During our first stay, we had a chance to check out the breakfast buffet before our morning train ride to Santa Barbara. The breakfast buffet was impressive and the best breakfast buffet I had seen at a hotel within the United States.
The buffet offered a wide variety of cold food options including fruit (melons, strawberries, bananas), yogurt, cold cuts, lox with cream cheese, bagels, and muffins. It also included hot food options including scrambled eggs, french toast, sausages, potatoes, and bacon. The stand out option though was the fresh omelet station. The omelet options included mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and ham.
Cold Food Options
The buffet also offers a variety of drinks including orange juice, hot chocolate, coffee, and smoothies. I liked the orange juice, was disappointed with the hot chocolate, which was too milky and didn't include enough chocolate. Christina really liked the coffee and enjoyed the guava and mango smoothie.
Omlet Station
During our second stay, the club lounge was open so we had breakfast and dinner at the club lounge. The breakfast offerings were average and included powered scrambled eggs, potatoes, sauce, bagels, and a variety of fruit. I tried the eggs which I thought were okay and some fruit which I thought was good. Christina also enjoyed the fruit along with the sausage. Overall, this was a let down from the very good breakfast buffet but was better than other complimentary breakfasts I had within the U.S.
The area where the lounge excelled was with the evening hors d'oeuvres which were substantial enough to substitute for dinner. The first night featured chicken and gravy while second night featured penne pasta with turkey meatballs. I thought the penne pasta and turkey meatballs dish was so good that I got seconds.
Evening d'oeuvres
The lounge also featured great plane spotting which we enjoyed during every visit. Overall, I thought the lounge experience especially in the evening was solid.
Service
The service at this hotel was solid. I liked the staff and thought all of the staff were helpful and friendly. During our first day I appreciated that the staff recognized Christina's status, explained all of the elite benefit options and seemed genuinely disappointed to not be able to upgrade us. The biggest area of improvement for service would be to improve the speed responding to requests. During our second stay, two of us had to sleep on the sofa bed, but there weren't extra sheets or pillows in the room. We called and asked for pillows and blankets. While the staff did bring them the delivery took a long time. It would have been good for the staff to respond faster or proactively bring extra pillow and blankets since there were four people on the reservation.
Take Away
My expectations for an airport hotel are typically low. However, the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel really stood out. The hotel offered many things which are not typical of an airport hotel including an excellent breakfast buffet, interesting artwork, and a pool. This all came in addition to the great elite recognition, very close airport location, free airport shuttle, solid club lounge, and friendly staff. While there were areas for improvement including better sound proofing and quicker service this was a very good airport hotel. If you find yourself in need of a hotel near LAX I would definitely recommend the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review
Flight Overview
Our first experience with Delta's 757 felt like the longest flight ever as I got squeezed into a Comfort+ middle seat on this more than 5 hour flight. Pros- Industry Leading Airline Lounge, Strong In-flight Service Cons- Uncomfortable Comfort+ Middle Seat, Unresponsive and Error Prone IFE, Gross Economy Meal, No Economy Amenities 
DCA Terminal
Check-In
Check-in was smooth with a quick drop of our bags at the Delta baggage drop. Where things really slowed down though was at security. There were a ton of people traveling on Valentine's Day 2020. It is crazy to look back and realize that we had no idea just how much we would be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic just one month later. Even though we had TSA PreCheck it took us about 10 minutes to get through Washington Reagan National (DCA) security line. This was really slow considering that this was prior to the consolidation of all of the security checkpoints at DCA. 
Delta DCA Check-In
Delta SkyClub DCA
Once we got through security, we headed to our then favorite airline lounge the Delta SkyClub at DCA. Since I previously reviewed the SkyClub I will focus here on what was a different this trip. 
Delta SkyClub DCA Check-in
First off, I will say the SkyClub impressed us as always and I believe it truly was an industry leading domestic airline lounge. The staff had the lounge decked out in Valentine's Day decorations and had special Valentines treats waiting for SkyClub guests. I am always impressed by just how well the SkyClub staff at DCA execute on themes. We ended up having one of each of the treats and I can attest that they were yummy.
Valentine's Day Treats
Once again on this visit the views and food were top notch. It was a clear day and we could not only see the Potomac and the tarmac but had a clear view of the U.S. Capitol building.
For food we had a variety of choices including macaroni, butternut squash soup, noodles flatbread, and sandwiches. We ended up having the macaroni which was really good, the flatbread which was not good because it was cold, and a turkey sandwich which was also very good.
Boarding
When we got to the gate shortly before boarding it was crowded. The flight wasn't looking for volunteers but went out completely full. I checked my seat and realized that we had both been "upgraded" to a Comfort+, Delta's extra legroom seat, middle seat despite the fact that I had requested an upgrade only if it was to an aisle or window seat. On Delta, Comfort+ is considered a separate class despite being just extra legroom economy. Delta Silver Medallions have the ability to receive a Comfort+ upgrade 24 hours out. You also can select to only be upgraded if a non-middle seat is available to ensure you aren't stuck in a middle seat on a long flight. However, this was the second time I selected this option and it didn't work. I was really frustrated and really don't like the way in which Delta's handles Comfort+ upgrades for Silver Medallion elites. For American Airlines and United Airlines their extra legroom seats are not considered a separate class so you have the option to simply select any open extra legroom seat 24 hours prior to departure. Because the flight was completely full, I had no choice and I was stuck in a middle seat on this over 5 hour Valentine's Day flight in a different row than my traveling companion Christina. 
DCA Gate 21
Plane and Seats
This flight is considered a premium route for Delta and this was the first time Christina and I had flown the route on Delta. Because it is a premium route Delta has Delta One lie-flat seats on a Boeing 757. Delta is the only airline currently serving this route with lie-flat seating. For this flight I ended up 23 out of 31 on the Delta One upgrade list so was suck with 23E my middle Comfort+ seat. Overall, I love the mood lighting on Delta flights and the color scene of their seats which gives the plane a premium feel. However, this couldn't hide that fact that this Boeing 757 was starting to show its age. My seat itself was comfortable and had good padding and legroom. It also had a Comfort+ pocket to hold my phone and two 110-V outlets shared between the three seats. My biggest complaint was that I was suck in the middle of what ended up feeling like the flight wouldn't end. This was because I was squeezed between two people including one gentleman who was very large and despite his best efforts flowed about halfway into my seat. I spent the entire flight feeling very uncomfortable and mad at Delta for putting me into the Comfort+ middle seat "upgrade" I didn't request. 
Delta Boeing 757
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
Despite this being a premium route there were no amenities such as a blanket or pillow in economy class. However, like the vast majority of Delta flights the seats did have seat-back in-flight entertainment (IFE) system which also included a USB charger. About 15 minutes into the flight a flight attendant came around offering complimentary earbuds but I declined since I had my own noise cancelling headphones. The IFE was one place where the plane showed its age. It was not very responsive and I had multiple issues using it. At one point I couldn't fast forward, pause, or change the movie, and was limited to only increasing or decreasing the volume. 
Delta IFE
The one place where the IFE system did shine was the wide selection of over 100 movies and a wide selection of television shows. The IFE system also offered audio and a selection of live television stations offered by Dish including ESPN, CNBC, and CNN.
Delta IFE
On the flight I watched Spider Man Far from Home. When I tried to play a second movie, Harriett, the IFE system froze. Then after a few minutes the IFE had sound but no video. Delta really needs to work on maintaining these IFE systems.
Delta IFE
Food and Drinks
One benefit of this being a premium flight for Delta was the complimentary meal for economy passengers. However, the options were not impressive. About 50 minutes into the flight the flight attendants starting serving the meal and the options were chicken noodle salad or fruit and cheese plate both of which were served cold. We both had the chicken noodle salad and it was in one word gross. The noodles were so bad that is made Christina sick. Honestly, it would be better to charge for food on this route if it were at least going to be edible. 
Chicken Noodles
After the food was dropped off the flight attendants came by with drinks and I had a California Cabernet Sauvignon. The flight attendants also came by two more times during the flight offering drinks. I missed the second round but for the third round I ordered Prosecco which was okay. The flight attendants also offered a snack basket with options for Comfort+ passengers including Kind bars, Biscoff cookies, peanuts, bananas, and Oreo thins. I chose the Oreo Thins which I always find to be a solid choice.
Service
The service on this flight was impeccable as I have come to expect from Delta. The flight attendants were continually working throughout the flight. They had multiple drink and snacks services to make sure we were taken care of over this five hour flight. This crew was clearly dedicated to showing the strong service Delta is known for.
Arrival
We ended up arriving 21 minutes early and I was so happy! This flight was about 5 hours but felt like 10 because I was so uncomfortable. As we exited, I got a quick peek at the Delta One cabin and I would really like to have a flight with lie-flat seats on one of these cross-country flights. 
757 Delta One Cabin
After we exited the plane, we ran into one interesting passenger who flew Delta One on our flight former Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder. Christina stopped him and he kindly agreed to take a picture with her!
Christina with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Take Away
This flight experience was a mixed bag for me with great ground experience and what felt like the longest flight ever despite impeccable service. On the ground Delta once again had an impressive ground experience with the best domestic airline lounge I had been to in the SkyClub DCA. In the air Delta continued to deliver the strong service I have come to know from the airline. On the other hand, the airline's technology failures and bad food led to what ended up being a miserable more than 5 hour flight. I think if I took this flight again in the future with Christina I would opt out of the Comfort+ upgrades and either stay in a regular economy seat or find a way for us to upgrade to the Delta One lie-flat seats. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review 
Dad in California
Introduction
In February 2020, I had the pleasure of taking my Dad on a trip to California for his 70th birthday. This was the first time he had traveled to the West Coast of the United States. The planning of the trip began months before when I let my Dad know that for his 70th birthday I would take him anywhere in the world. He narrowed it down to two places he was interested in visiting California, and England. After a lot of discussion, we decided to take a trip to the Central Coast of California to see my wife's family and to check out the sites in the Los Angeles area. For this trip Christina and my Mom also decided to come along and it was the first time all four of us had traveled together. I was happy to have three traveling companions along for the trip. This trip was truly eye opening my for Dad. He really loved the kindness of the people in the Central Coast of California, was surprised by the traffic in Los Angeles, and thought the beauty of the California Coast line was stunning. However, the most memorable line from our trip was him telling me he was shocked by size of California and couldn't believe it was all just one state! It also still amazes me that despite all of my trips just how much more relaxed the vibe is in California versus the East Coast.
Booking Flights
For our flights we decided to book all of the flights into and out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) because it allowed my parent's to only have one stop flight from The Bahamas. My parent's booked flights from Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) to LAX with a connection in Charlotte on American Airlines. This was the flight that had the best timing and ended up costing $426 per ticket. We had previously broken up with American Airlines and decided to match our American Airlines Gold status to Delta Silver in 2019. Since only American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta offered non-stop flights from Washington Reagan National (DCA) to LAX it made our selection easy. One added benefit of flying Delta on this route is that it is a premium route so we would be served a meal even in economy and have the chance (an extremely small chance) to have a same day upgrade to Delta One lie flat seats. 
Delta 757 DCA
Since we had few Delta miles and the mileage cost on this premium route was expensive, we decided to book with cash. Also, Christina had a work meeting back in Washington D.C. so we booked separate tickets. Her roundtrip DCA-LAX ticket was $413 and she earned 2,506 Delta miles which I value at $31. My roundtrip DCA- LAX ticket cost $473 and earned me 2,982 miles which I value at $36.
Booking Train
On our trip we needed to get to and from Los Angeles and Christina and I really don't like driving especially in the Los Angeles traffic. So, we decided to take the Amtrak Surfliner from Los Angeles Union Station to Santa Barbara and back. The cost was ~$30 for each of the three tickets and we redeemed Amtrak Guest Reward Points for one ticket. 
Amtrak Surfliner Train
Booking Hotels
We stayed with Christina's parents in the Central Coast and in hotels during our four nights in Los Angeles. Because my parents' flights arrived at about 11 pm and departed at 5 am we decided to stay in an airport hotel for all four nights in Los Angeles. Because of Christina's Marriott Platinum elite status we chose a Marriott brand hotel the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel. The cost was $167 for the first night and $474 for the second three-night stay. I thought both of these were quite reasonable for a California hotel and after our stay I would say this hotel offers very good value. 
Renaissance LAX
Summary
It was such an honor to take my Dad to California and even now I look back on the trip and it warms my heart. I also feel it was amazing timing since the following month the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most travel and we would have cancelled the entire trip. I look forward to sharing my reviews especially of some of the beauty of California and some interesting attractions in the Central Coast and metropolitan areas around Los Angeles. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
Our first experience with Delta domestic First Class meal service had average food but impressive service. The Delta 737-800 was a bucket of bolts and really needed a refresh. Pros- Impressive Service, Strong Amenities Cons- Old and Loud Plane, Ancient In-Flight Entertainment System 
Boeing 737-800
After matching to Delta status in November 2019 Christina and I had our first upgrade to Delta First Class that included meal service due to empty Friday after Thanksgiving flights. I am going to focus this review on the flight. While we visited the Delta Sky Club at Salt Lake City (SLC) before this flight Delta has since opened a new Sky Club. Therefore, I am going to skip a review of the lounge and look forward to checking out on my next time through SLC.
Boarding As we headed to the gate it was a very snowy day at SLC, however, I was impressed by how the airport was able to handle the snow and I barely noticed any impact to airport operations. Christina and I were upgraded 24 hours out from the flight based on our Delta SkyMiles Silver status. At that time there were still nine free First Class seats because of very light after Thanksgiving loads. 
Snowy SLC
We really appreciated receiving the upgrade in advance since it gave us access to these Sky Priority Benefits including priority check-in and priority baggage handling. Delta doesn’t give Silver elite access to Sky Priority benefits so as Delta Silver’s our best way to get access to these was to get upgraded in advance or purchase and upgrade. Because the upgrade we were among the first people on the flight.
Departure Gate C6
Plane and Seats
The plane was literally a bucket of bolts with a screw falling from above when I went to put my bag into an overhead bin. Delta is known for keeping planes longer than other airlines and fixing up the interiors but this plane was not yet refreshed. 
Boeing 737-800 Interior
On the flight we were originally seated in 3B and 3D across from each other. After all elites and one employee were upgraded there was one open seat left in First Class and the flight still had 23 free seats in economy. The First Class seat was like a throwback to 1990s and didn’t include Delta’s modern look. Because I was seated across from Christina a friendly flight attendant who ended up working economy said we’re okay to switch seats and if someone else showed up we should ask them to take my original seat.
First Class Seat
The seat I switched to, 3C, had a broken arm rest. The flight attendant was very apologetic about the broken seat. Another negative aspect of these old seats was that they had no headrest. The positive aspect of these old seats was that they contained far more padding than the modern slimline seats. This padding made the seat more comfortable but the material made the seat hold in more heat. This Boeing 737-800 was loud and I was very glad that I had noise canceling headphones or the sound would have driven me crazy. Right before take-off the captain let us know that the flight time was a little over three hours with a strong tail wind.
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
When we boarded at our seats were a thin pillow and a blanket. The blanket was thin but comfortable. I appreciated that Delta had bottled water, though it is not environmentally friendly, at the seat when we arrived because I am often dehydrated in flight. I hope Delta is able to find a more environmentally friendly container to provide passengers with water prior to departure. 
Seat Amenities
While I don’t typically comment on airplane bathrooms, I have to commend Delta on the high-quality bathroom amenities on this flight. The amenities included Malin+Goetz hand soap and lotion. While cost doesn’t always equate to quality just one 8.5 fluid ounce bottle of the Malin+Goetz lotion retails at $36 as of October 2022. I thought these were strong amenities since many airlines don’t even include any lotion on most domestic First Class flights yet alone a high-quality variety like Malin+Goetz.
Malin+Goetz Lotion
The in-flight entertainment screens on this flight were tiny (about the size of an iPhone Plus), old, and slow. The seats still had manual dials for overhead IFE showing you just how old the plane was. As I clicked through the IFE it was not responsive and needed significant updates.
IFE Monitor
Food and Drinks
After we got settled into our seats one of the flight attendants working First Class offered us a pre-departure beverage. Christina declined while I ordered a Sprite.Afterwards she confirmed our pre-orders then went to take the passengers orders. 
Pre-Departure Beverage
After some turbulence subsided, the dinner meal service started with a hot towel service which was warm and had refreshing scents. The dinner came on one tray with broccoli, side salad (parmesan, baby tomatoes, and iceberg lettuce), white bread butter, and steak with potatoes. My salad was boring but at least came out fresh. I found the bread was soft but below average. The steak and potatoes were well cooked and seasoned and the broccoli was good. Christina found her salad to be plain and the bread stale. Christina’s ravioli was lukewarm but overall good and she thought light years above American Airline’s First Class meals.
Steak Dinner
Overall, I found the dinner to be the perfect serving size and I really liked the silverware by Alessi. Christina was also impressed by the silverware and thought it was strong and classy. Moreover, she was impressed that the tray was well made, had a Delta pattern, and a strong grip. Both of us agreed that the highlight of the meal service was the Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream ice cream served for dessert.
Prior to landing the flight attendants came around with the snack basket which included the following choices: 1) Kind Bars, 2) El Augustin, 3) Oreo Thins, and 4) Cheez It. Christina got Augustin and Oreo Thins and I had Oreo Thins. We both liked our choices and the wide Delta snack selection.
Service
On this flight there ended up being two flight attendants working the 16 seats in First Class much better than American Airlines which typically only has one flight attendant for domestic First Class on narrow-body planes. Having two flight attendants made service really fast as these flight attendants divided and conquered service. For example, even with strong turbulence the flight attendants came by with more bottles of water, continual refills, and were quick to clear our dishes. The only minor hiccup was that towards the end of the flight the flight attendants brought our coats from the closet but forgot my suit bag. Later I reminded the flight attendant and she brought my suit bag before departing the plane. Overall, the flight attendant service was professional, kind, and accommodating.
Take Away
On our first Delta First Class flight with meal service Delta delivered impressive service, strong amenities, average food and drinks, but the bucket of bolts plane and IFE left a lot to be desired. Despite being only average Delta’s food and drinks were still miles ahead American Airlines First Class and its service was in a different category all together. I hope Delta upgrades all of its domestic narrow body planes with the new look and feel. In particular the IFE systems really held back our otherwise good experience on this flight and are sorely in need of an upgrade. Despite these drawbacks I would likely choose to take Delta on domestic First Class on this route again. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The Apartment experience featured the best lounge I have ever visited, the best seats I have ever flown along with thoughtful design touches and amazing in-flight entertainment. Pros- Great Lounge, Stunning Seat, Thoughtful Onboard Design, Amazing In-Flight Entertainment, and Unique Amenities Cons- Underwhelming Service and Tasteless Onboard Food First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
Etihad First Class Entrance
Check-In
We pulled up to the First Class entrance at Abu Dhabi International (AUH) and were greeted by Etihad staff ready to help us with our bags. Since we had no more local cash left we decided to handle the bags ourselves. We walked into the terminal and were ushered over to seats for the check-in process. This was the first time I had ever completed an airline check-in process seated and it was a strange feeling. The agent checked in our bags and recognized our American Airlines elite status which is something I really appreciate about Etihad. Once our check-in was complete she insisted that we head through Pre-Clearance about 50 minutes before departure to make sure we didn't miss boarding. After check-in we headed through the First Class line at security which was a quick process. Once we cleared security we headed to the First Class lounge. 
Etihad First Class Lounge
Etihad First Class Lounge
Etihad's First Class Lounge is the nicest lounge I had ever visited even beating out the Virgin America Clubhouse at New York JFK. Some of amenities included a gym, relaxing chairs, and complimentary spa treatments. Because we wanted to make sure not to miss our departure we didn't have a chance to use any of these. 
Etihad First Class Lounge
However, the one benefit we did get to try was the al a carte dining. When were in the lounge they were serving breakfast which ended up being really good. We were seated at a table with great runway views.
Etihad First Class Lounge
For breakfast I ordered Kimchi pancakes and Christina ordered the Eggs Benedict. The Kimchi pancakes were very different than any other pancakes I had ever tasted. They were very savory and doughy almost like a soft flat bread crust, but I did like them. Christina also enjoyed her Eggs Benedict and said it was at the level of the one she really liked at the Al Maha.
Eggs Benedict
US Pre-Clearance and Premium Lounge
Etihad's First Class lounge AUH is located after the first layer of security but not after the second layer of security or the pre-clearance for US flights. This means that passengers have to leave the lounge early and then head through pre-clearance.We ended up taking the check-in attendants advice and leaving 50 minutes before departure which was way too early. While pre-clearance is a big benefit for most passengers it can actually be frustrating for those with Global Entry, since the process can sometimes take longer than using Global Entry on arrival. That was definitely the case at AUH. When we left the First Class lounge the terminal was crowded with people and it took us about 10 minutes to walk to the pre-clearance. Once we got to pre-clearance the entire process took us about 15 minutes since we had access to premium security and Global Entry. 
US Pre-Clearance Premium Lounge Drinks
Once we got through pre-clearance we headed to the Premium Lounge which is shared by First Class and Business Class passengers on US bound flights. This lounge was packed with people and it was a struggle for us to even find a seat. The lounge offerings were also really unimpressive compared to the First Class lounge. It offered coffee, drinks, and cold snacks only. It was better than being in the crowded terminal but a huge step down from the First Class lounge. My advice if you are flying First Class and have Global Entry would be to spend as much time as possible in the First Class Lounge.
Etihad A380 Parked at AUH
Boarding
When we arrived at the gate it was packed with people and the beautiful A380 was parked at the gate. The First Class Cabin on this flight was also full despite only four seats being full a day before departure. I assumed this was due to people getting upgraded. On this flight there was no passenger in The Residence which is Etihad's exclusive A380 experience above First Class which comes with your own apartment in the sky. When boarding commenced Etihad called First Class and Business Class at the same time which was frustrating and led to a hectic boarding process. Since we were in First Class we boarded via the upper deck. Shortly after we sat in our seats we were greeted by the onboard Chef, whom we believed was Australian. He handed us the food and drink menu and asked us if we wanted to shower onboard. We said yes to to the shower and gave our dinner orders. He also informed us that we could eat anytime starting one hour after takeoff. We asked to be served 3 hours into flight and to dine together. Once the chef left our flight attendant came by and handed us our amenity kits. The plane ended up having a technical problem which required a power restart. Before we pushed away from the gate Etihad ran a video with a Muslim prayer for the flight. Once the power was restarted, we took off for what the captain said was a 13 hour and 10 minute flight to New York JFK. 
Etihad A380 Upper Deck Boarding
Plane and Seats
The seats in the First Class cabin on Etihad's A380 are called the Apartments because they are so spacious. 
Ethiad Apartments
The cabin had 10 Apartments two of which can be lowered to connect 3K and 4K, our seats, and 3A and 4A. The cabin was quite beautiful and clearly Etihad put a lot of thought into its design. Sitting in 4K meant that I had to experience taking off sitting backwards which was strange and on takeoff almost made me feel ill but the rest of the flight I felt no difference.
Connected Apartments
There are big holes in the doors but generally the Apartments are quite private and have no overheads bins which makes each Apartment feel spacious. However, this means you can see lights from other seats when trying to sleep. The Apartment was quite large and featured a couch with a seatbelt to allow another First Class passenger to sit in the Apartment. This was great for dining since the tray table is large enough for two and Christina and I dined together for every meal. This even allowed her to stay in my apartment during turbulence because there is a seatbelt.
Ramon and Christina's Apartments
The seat itself was a large and very comfortable leather recliner. It felt like a high-end chair in a home and I loved it. The chair had numerous features some of which I did not even get to try on the flight. This included a big recline and options to change the firmness and softness of the chair. Shades were on the inside of the seat and were automatically set in the down position for most of flight which I liked.
Christina's Apartment
One downside of the seat was that it had no individual air vents. A lot of airlines do this in premium cabins and I think it makes no sense to exclude these. When we asked for water because we were hot the flight attendant asked if she should lower the cabin temp and we said yes. The seat had a ton of storage with areas hidden all around to store small items and two areas below the bench/bed. One of the hidden spaces was a drawer which stored sodas at room temperature. In this drawer there were two small bottles of water two cans of Sprite and two cans of Coke. The seat also had a vanity with a bright light which we used to store our amenity kits. Another space we didn't find until almost the end of the flight was a place to store headphones that could also fit a water bottle.
Drink Storage
The seat also had a closet with a hanger which I used after changing into my lounge wear. This further demonstrated the thoughtfulness of the Apartment design.
Closet
The Apartment also featured a bed that came out of the bench and when we were ready to sleep the attendant folded it out and added a pillow and a mattress pad. Overall, the bed was hard but certainly more comfortable than most airlines seats. I got no sleep but that had more to do with my body’s clock, noise, and light in the cabin than the seat.
Bed
Amenities and In-Flight Entertainment
When we sat at our seats there were very comfortable blankets waiting for us. 
Blanket
The flight attendant also came by with amenity kits and slippers. These kits contained very small portions of lip balm, lotion, cologne, and a toothbrush/toothpaste. Several of the amenities were made by Acqua Di Parma and I thought that the sizes were really small but the scents were really good.
Upon boarding we were also handed loungewear, made by Friend of Mine, which I thought was comfortable and unlike Singapore Airlines actually had pockets which I really liked. I appreciated that it had pants pockets but it wasn't as stylish or as durable as Singapore Airline's pajamas. I also did not like the slippers. I found them be insufficiently soft.
Friend of Mine Pajamas
When flying in the Apartments passengers have access to two large onboard bathrooms. These bathrooms had many fewer amenities than Singapore Airlines Suites. For example, there were no shaving kits and no mouthwash.
Bathroom Amenities
The real standout feature of the bathrooms though was the onboard shower which was only in one of the bathrooms. The onboard chef came around near the beginning of the flight to take shower reservations and when it was our time, we were told that we each had 15 minutes of water and that we could start and stop the shower. Etihad provided a towel along with Acqua di Parma shampoo and conditioner. The shower started off really cold but warmed up after a few minutes. It was really a surreal experience to shower in the air.
Onboard Shower
Another perk of flying in the Apartment was complimentary Wi-Fi, however, we found it difficult to connect to the Panasonic Wi-Fi and when we were able to connect it was so slow that it was almost unusable. The Apartment also offered an intuitive screen with an impressive array of options including movies, music, TV on-demand, live TV, and games. During the flight we watched Tag, Spider-Man, and Mary Queen of Scots. The selection was amongst the best I had ever seen and by the end of the nearly 14 hours we still had a lot of entertainment options.
Ethiad IFE
One of the coolest things about the TV was the ability to order food and drinks over the television. We ordered drinks through the TV during the flight and it worked seamlessly.
Food and Drink Ordering
Another fun feature of the Etihad A380 was the tail camera. During our flight we had mostly clear skies which lead to some stunning photos from the tail camera.
Etihad A380 Tail Camera
Two weak points of the in-flight entertainment (IFE) experience were the distance from the screen to the chair and the headphones. While Etihad generally nailed the design of the apartments one weak thing was that really responsive touch screen was too far to touch from the seat. To overcome this Etihad provided a controller which could also be used to watch another show or play a game. However, at times the controller froze requiring me to stand up and select content from the touchscreen. The headphones provided by Etihad had good sound quality but were small and uncomfortable. The noise cancelling was good but not at the level of Bose.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Food and Drinks
Before takeoff we were offered our pre-departure beverages of choice along with mixed nuts. The nuts were okay and the drink we selected was champagne but the onboard chef served us Rose Champagne which was bad despite being a 2006 vintage. We switched to the Brut for the rest of the flight which was better but not good especially compared to the Krug we had on Singapore Airlines. 
Pre-Departure Beverage
For dinner I selected the lamb while Christina selected the salmon. The dinner service started with a bread course. We had a pretzel roll and a twist. The pretzel roll was good while the twist was okay. We then enjoyed an Arabic Mezze. The Tabbouleh was good while the hummus was okay.
Bread and Arabic Mezze
I found that the sides with the lamb were better than the lamb itself. The sides were flavorful and rich while lamb was dry.
Lamb
Christina did not like the salmon. She found it to be dry, bland and only ate half of it.
Salmon
After dinner we asked for the caviar course which we enjoyed. During our travels we found that Caviar really pairs well with champagne.
Caviar
In between the courses it was nice to have drink drawer since the service was slow and not attentive. The flight attendants never proactively re-filled our water. At one point the flight attendant changed the table setting removed my napkin but didn't bring me a new one. For dessert we had the camel milk chocolate mousse, which was okay, and chocolate chip cookies which were yummy.
Later in the flight, we ordered off of anytime grill menu and I had the steak frites and Christina had the steak sandwich. I thought the steak was a bit rubbery and the fries were okay. Christina thought the steak sandwich was also only okay since it was a bit dry. We tried multiple cocktails and they were all really bad. We tried all three red wines and they were all decent but our favorite was the Bordeaux.
Onboard Lounge
When the flight attendants were changing our seats into bed mode we went and hung out in the onboard lounge. This is a shared space accessible to passengers in the Apartments and Business Class. It had leather padded seats and a television. We tried to order food and drinks here but were told this wasn't allowed. This was frustrating because I had seen other bloggers served food and drinks in the lounge. Not allowing food and drinks really limited the utility of the space for anything other than socializing with other passengers. While we were in the lounge, we did meet another nice couple that were also heading back to the United States after time spent in The Maldives. Overall, the dining experience was poor especially for First Class. While there was a wide selection, I found many of the dishes were of poor quality.
Service
The service on Etihad can be best described as underwhelming. No one was rude but it didn't feel like they went above and beyond in delivering service to First Class passengers. For example, early in the flight the onboard chef came by to take our orders and ask us if we wanted to shower. However, he didn't offer us any specific options for the shower reservation or explain how the process worked. This led to us being randomly called to shower during the flight. We also noticed that the meals all started with a caviar course with only one type of caviar offered so we didn't bother ordering it until our main course arrived and we hadn't been served the caviar course. We asked the chef and he said that it was something they only served when asked. This wasn't something he mentioned when he walked us through the menu. Another example was that we were never asked if we wanted breakfast. Instead, the flight attendants came around asking us to get ready for landing. Furthermore, the Etihad service was slow and not at all customized. In one case our dirty dishes weren't collected until 40 minutes after our meal was done. Also, we mentioned to the flight attendant that it was our honeymoon but during the whole flight there was no recognition. The food service was supposed to be dine on demand but every time we ordered food the flight attendants seemed to get annoyed and towards the end of the flight Etihad starting running out of food. Part of the problem is that the First Class cabin was full with about nine passengers served by two flight attendants and an onboard chef helping to prepare the food. At times they seemed overwhelmed.
Arrival
About 45 minutes out from landing the flight attendants allowed the blinds to be put up again and came around with hot towels. I found flying Westward during the day nonstop much easier and less exhausting than our trip to Singapore. One weird thing we found out near arrival is that one person on Etihad flight was also on our flight Singapore Airlines Suites flight to Singapore. About 30 minutes out Etihad turned off IFE which I did it like. We made a hard landing at 3:50 pm and got to the gate at 4:05 pm about 5 minutes late. The staff opened the door and allowed the passengers in the Apartments to deplane first. Finally, when we arrived at baggage claim Etihad unloaded the business class bags before the Apartments something which I found frustrating. 
View on Arrival to New York City
Take Away
Our experience flying Etihad Apartments onboard the A380 was very inconsistent. On one hand Etihad had the best First Class lounge I have ever visited, the best seat I had ever flown in, stunning design choices, amazing inflight entertainment, and unique amenities including an onboard shower. However, on the other hand the execution by the staff was poor with underwhelming service and tasteless food which we often found to be too dry despite having an onboard chef. Etihad's ground service, and inflight hard product on the A380 have the potential to be among the best in the world but Etihad needs to improve its execution including its staff training and onboard food and drinks. 
Etihad A380 Parked at JFK
By ChristinaChristina writes and edits Travelling Companion. Her writing covers expeditions, food, and culture for the blog.
First Class Honeymoon Trip Report
First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Exploring Abu Dhabi Overview
Ministry of Presidential Affairs
We were only in Abu Dhabi for a day and a half, but in that short time the city made a lasting impression. This was our first experience inside a middle eastern country, which was an especially unique experience since we were there during Ramadan. Our adventure in the city showed Abu Dhabi as a city with intricate architecture, new infrastructure, strict conservative culture, and a mixed welcome from the locals.
Mural
Attractions
Qasr Al Hosn It was late when we arrived in Abu Dhabi, so we only were able to visit one place before heading to bed. Qasr Al Hosn is an old fort inside the heart of city that is now used as a museum. We arrived at night and saw the building was lit up beautifully. When we pulled up from our Uber, we were a bit taken aback as there were military people with automatic riffles surrounding the whole campus. When they saw we were concerned, the guards gave us a friendly gesture signaling that it was okay for us to continue inside. 
Qasr Al Hosn
Once inside, we were greeted by a few Emirati women, dress in their traditional clothes. At that time, we thought they were probably dressed this way for their job, but as we continued to venture through the city, we realized Emiratis dressed in their traditional garb as their daily wear. This made it very clear which people were immigrants or visitors, versus which people were Emirati.
Qasr Al Hosn
The Emirati women first spoke to me in Arabic. After learning that my Arabic vocabulary is limited to about ten words, the women switched to flawless English and said they couldn’t believe I wasn’t Emirati, or at least Arabic. When they found out I was of Mexican decent, the women kept questioning if I was at least part Arabic. This was an experience that continued during the entire trip in the UAE.
Qasr Al Hosn
As we continued through the museum, we learned a bit about the history of the UAE, the culture, and so on. While the museum was light on content, the architecture was stunning.
House of Artisans Exhibit
Tickets included a second museum close by, House of Artisans, where they had a showing of the traditional making of coffee (which was quite delicious), and how traditional Emartis used to basket weave when they were nomads. Compared to other museums we have visited around the world these museums did not have a lot of content. I also noticed throughout the museum, there was a noticeable dearth of information regarding the contributions women made to UAE history.
Coffee Making
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
We only had one full day in Abu Dhabi and Sheik Zayed Gran Mosque was our first stop. The mosque was another beautiful piece of architecture, but there wasn’t a tour guide or a pamphlet to understand what we were viewing.
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
When we entered the building, there was several rounds of security check points including guards with semi-automatic weapons, then a person checking the clothes that we were wearing to see if the guests were dressed appropriately. I thought I did a good job finding loose conservative clothing but my top which had ¾ sleeves were called out as inappropriate. So, I was pulled from the line, sent to a dressing room where ladies provided me a robe to wear during our visit.
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
After we saw the mosque, we were starving. There was a small café at the entrance of the mosque, that was covered head to floor in heavy black drapes blocking the general public from viewing inside. This was common practice in food areas during Ramadan. This allowed tourists to eat between sunrise and sunset, without insulting Emirates practices during the religious month. Inside the cafeteria was basic food and basic décor. The quick stop did its job to fuel us up as we kept going for the day.
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The second stop of the day was the Louvre Abu Dhabi. I was very intrigued to see what this Louvre part 2 was all about. I spent a summer in Paris during my junior year of college studying art history, and was able to navigate the halls of the Louvre without a map by the end of my time in Paris. When I found out there was another Louvre, I did a bit of digging to figure how this came to be.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Since UAE is a newer country, and relatively new with wealth, the country is using global brands (like the Louvre and the Guggenheim) and paying the rights to the well-established names to create recognition and legitimacy in arts, science, and philanthropy.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Artwork
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a beautiful piece of architecture, filled with light, bright, and open space. The majority of the art inside the museum is borrowed or bought from other museums. I was expecting the dominant form of the art to be Middle Eastern, but the collections were heavily westernized, followed by east Asian pieces, then collections from Africa. The museum reminded me of The British Museum, but with better technology and layout.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Artwork
Towards the end of the visit, we were approached by a local Emirati woman telling us that we had to speak with her to give our opinions of the museum. The questionnaire did not feel optional, but rather a forced conversation, and the woman’s tone was demeaning. This was extra nerve racking since there were security guards walking around the entrance and exits of the museum carrying weapons.
Louvre Abu Dhabi George Washington Portrait
Overall, the museum was a really lovely place to spend some time in, but didn’t connect with the original Louvre in any way.
Emirates Palace Hotel
Emirates Palace Hotel
The third stop of the day was the Emirates Palace Hotel for afternoon tea. The hotel’s architecture is one of grandeur, invoking thoughts of palaces and sultans. Opulence continued throughout the inside with over-the-top decor filled with gold and crystals. Everything around seemed to be dripping with wealth. Most of the hotel guests in the lobby seemed to be locals gathering together, ready to break their fast. The locals were dressed head to toe in their local garb, with added bling, like Rolex watches, designer shoes, and jewelry with diamonds and gold.
Emirates Palace Hotel
The location for afternoon tea was in a small café that had a spot which overlooked the sea. We told the waiter that we were here for high tea. They provided Ramon with a tea, and me with a latte, topped with drinkable gold leaf flakes. High tea also came with a tower of small snack sandwiches and sweet treats. We were impressed with the presentation and the amount of food that came with afternoon tea. The food and drinks were good, but not memorable. Over all, the afternoon tea experience was a good way to relax and decompress.
Emirate Palace Hotel Afternoon Tea
After we had the food, we walked around the property and saw there were small markets built inside the hotel. Some of the stores were filled with high end luxury goods, and others were marketed for tourists. While we were in the store for the tourist, the staff member watched us closely. The staff member aggressively suggested that I should buy a scarf to cover my hair, and made it clear that he thought it was not appropriate for me to be with Ramon. Shaken up, we left the store and the hotel.
Emirates Palace Hotel
Souk
Ramadam Kareem Sign
Our last stop for the day was to visit a souk that was recommended to us by the hotel concierge. Souk is a marketplace in the Middle East, the location where we could buy some gifts and tokens to take home and remember our time in the UAE. When we arrived at the souk, the entrance was again guarded with men with guns.
Souk Abu Dhabi
The inside of the souk had a lot of different little kiosks where you could buy goods like rugs, gold, perfume, and food. I was a bit surprised how much of their goods were imported. It was hard to find things that were made in the UAE. We casually looked around and found a few gems that we brought home. After visiting the souk, we went back to the hotel and packed for our return trip home.
Souk Abu Dhabi
Take Away
Abu Dhabi Skyscrapers
The UAE was an interesting country, and our first experience in the Middle East. The trip was especially unique as we were able to visit the UAE during Ramadan. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is a conservative city trying to balance their devotion to religion and their desire to attract tourists from around the globe. The best part of this city was the stunning architecture and sleek infrastructure. The privilege to travel and experience another culture and way of life is never lost to me. But, the majority of the experiences we had with local Emirates were filled with tension. The only warm welcome we received was from the ladies working at Qasr Al Hosn. Otherwise, we were feeling as if we were disrespectful for not having me cover my hair, or having a non-Emirate Black husband. It was never out of my mind that we were being watched and followed. I think other tourists could have a better experience if they don’t “pass” as a local. We watched other tourist move around the city without judgmental looks. It was especially nerve racking knowing we were being watched and constantly seeing guards around with guns. While we hear the city of Dubai is more liberal and welcoming, returning to the UAE is not high on our list.
Abu Dhabi Skyline
By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
During our short stay the hotel's amenities, dining, butler, and concierge services exceeded our expectations and showed us why this is a luxury hotel. Pros- Two Private Pools, Private Beach, Amazing Butler Service, Great Sea Views, Helpful Concierge, Great Honeymoon Recognition, Unique Breakfast Options Cons- Poor Check-In, Limited Elite Recognition, Insufficient USB Plugs, Uncomfortable Bed First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
St. Regis Abu Dhabi
Location
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi has a prime location on The Corniche, which is a strip of beach front property with restaurants, walking, and biking paths located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. The hotel is very large occupying two towers, with approximately 50 floors, and a presidential suite which connects the two towers. 
St. Regis Abu Dhabi Location
Arrival and Check In
Our stay at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi was short. We only stayed two nights arrived in late afternoon on the first day of our stay and left in the early morning on the third day. To get to the hotel we took a private car from Al Maha to the St. Regis Abu Dhabi which was about a two hour uneventful drive. When we pulled up to the hotel, I was impressed by the size of the two skyscrapers which the hotel occupied. The guest rooms of the hotel are located on floors 33-49 while the check-in, dining, and amenities are on or accessible via the ground floor through floor 3. When we walked into the lobby of the hotel we were blown away by the glitz and glam. At the center of the lobby was a marble staircase with multiple chandeliers. Below the staircase was a huge painting which served as the focal point of the room. Later on, our butler let us know that the designers of the hotel intended this to mimic the staircase on the Titanic. The hotel also added a grand piano below the stairs to continue the Titanic theme. This kind of glitz and attempt to emulate historic elements of the world is something we would see a lot of in Abu Dhabi. 
Prior to our arrival, we were upgraded to a Superior Sea View Room even though all of the suite types were still available on the website. Since were weren't upgraded in advance we wondered if we would get a suite upgrade during check-in. At check-in the agent made it seem like a big deal that we got a Superior Sea View Room. Even though as a Marriott Platinum Elite Christina should have received an upgrade to one of the numerous suites still available. We were even more disappointed since this was our honeymoon. The agent said that since it was our first time at St. Regis Abu Dhabi she would only upgrade us to better room not a suite. Also, she never mentioned the Platinum welcome amenity or thanked Christina for her loyalty as a Platinum elite. It was also a strange check-in process since she spent the entire time talking about the Philippines and did not walk us through any of the hotel’s amenities. At check-out we asked about the elite welcome amenity. The agent did not apologize for not offering a choice at check-in and said the options were points or breakfast. We were really disappointed by the poor check-in process and elite recognition at this hotel.
Superior Sea View Room
When the check-in process was done our bags were whisked away and showed up at our room minutes later. Upon entering the room, we were greeted by a dove towel, real flower petals, chocolate treats, and a bottle of red wine which was a nice touch by the butler team in celebration of our honeymoon. 
Honeymoon Welcome Amenities
The room was a larger than the standard size room with a TV, couch, desk and closet. The room also had a king size bed. The bed was not very comfortable and the pillows were way too flat.
King Bed
The room was decked out in marble and at the center of the room was a crystal chandelier. The chandelier had a very nice design and the same level of glitz found throughout the hotel.
Chandelier
A big downside of the room was that it had only one USB plug and no universal plugs which meant we needed to use our converters.
Sea View
The highlights of the room were the sea view and the bathroom. From the room you could see one of the pools, The Corniche Beach, and the Persian Gulf.
Tub
The bathroom was large for a non-suite room. It featured two vanities and sinks along with a shower a separate toilet, and a tub. A unique feature of the bathroom was the TV built into the mirror. This was the first time I had ever seen this and added to the luxurious feeling of the hotel.
Double Vanity with TV
Amenities
One of the amazing things about this hotel was the availability of resort amenities in the middle of a major city. The hotel had two pools one below the towers and another across the street next to the resort's private beach and accessible through an underground passageway. The hotel also had a direct connection to the mall. 
Private Pool and Beach
In the private beach area, there were three restaurants two of which were owned by the hotel and one Cuban restaurant that was under renovation. This area also had a kids club, a gym, and a swim up bar accessible via the pool.
One thing we did notice on our walk over to the private beach area was a bar and nightclub that was closed due to Ramadan. I appreciated that the hotel let us you know about the Ramadan rules with a guide of do's and don'ts including no dancing or singing in public. 
Hotel Ramadan Guide
Our butler invited us to sabering in the St Regis Bar which was offered by invitation only, unlike at the St. Regis Maldives, and was behind a curtain for Ramadan. Our butler let us know that normally the sabering would take place in the lobby with the grand piano playing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go on. The sabering at this hotel was done by a woman which was nice to see. She asked us if we had ever seen sabering and when we said we saw it at the St. Regis Maldives she said, "I bet it wasn't done by a woman". She then walked us through the history of the sabering tradition this time focusing on Mrs. Astor and her desire to have a party for 400 people and sabering to welcome the guests. Once the sabering was done we were offered champagne and provided light snacks.
St. Regis Bar
Dining
Because of our short stay and early flight the morning of our checkout we only got to have one meal at the hotel which was breakfast on our second day. The breakfast at the hotel was primarily buffet with a small made to order menu with items such as an Eggs Benedict. One of the great things about this breakfast buffet was the unique breakfast items. For example, there was a poached pear with hint of cinnamon and apple sauce. Also, there was veal bacon which was salty and not good.
Another unique item was the green apple juice. It wasn't as sweet as red apple juice and I think I prefer red apple juice.
Breakfast Buffett Juices
This was a really good breakfast with a wide selection and unique items.
Service
Prior to our arrival, we reached out to the concierge staff for suggestions of activities in Abu Dhabi and the cost of transportation. The concierge staff provided us with numerous suggestions for Abu Dhabi including the prices and offered the hotel’s vehicles for transportation. We decided to go with the transportation to hotel arraigned by Al Maha and take the Uber to the airport because of the high-prices offered by the concierge staff at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi. When we got to the hotel, we took full advantage of the concierge staff again to map out our only full day in Abu Dhabi and the person who helped us was amazing. He knew all of the sights of Abu Dhabi and was able to quickly get us a reservation at the Mosque and at afternoon tea at Emirates Palace. He also saw us when we returned to the hotel for the night and remembered that he had helped us and our itinerary for the day which was quite impressive. Our butler service was just as impressive. He and his colleagues made us really feel welcome with the honeymoon welcome amenities and decorations. Shortly after our arrival he came by to and welcome us to the hotel. He gave us a rundown of his services including complimentary coffee/tea and free pressing of two items per day then set us up with the sabering reservation. Later on, he saw us in the elevator and we let him know we were walking around the hotel and he said he would show us around. He spent 20 minutes showing us all the amenities of the hotel including going outside in the heat to the private beach in his multi-piece suit. Finally, he left us a parting gift of food. In general I am still not sold on the benefit of having butler service but I liked the service much better at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi then at the St. Regis Maldives. I think this was driven by the fact that we had other options outside of the hotel and didn't have to rely on the butler for all of our planning and meal reservations.
Take Away
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi did so much to make this stay feel luxurious. This included the extensive marble and chandeliers, wide array of amenities for an urban hotel, and the outstanding service by the concierge and butler staff. While the check-in and limited elite recognition were frustrating, I would still consider staying at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi on a future stay in Abu Dhabi when I would hopefully have more time to explore the amenities and dining. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
This resort offered five-star activities, seclusion, and Michelin star quality food all in an all-inclusive setting. Pros- All-Inclusive, Wide Variety of Activities, Secluded Setting, Large Private Suite, Large and Comfortable Bed, Amazing Desert Views, Private Plunge Pool, Good Honeymoon Recognition, Michelin Restaurant Quality Food and Drinks Cons- Aging Property, Insufficient Plugs, Smelly Bathroom Amenities, Slow Service First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Location
One thing I should make clear at the start is the seclusion of Al Maha resort. While no seaplane ride was required, unlike The St. Regis Maldives, this resort was about an hour from the city of Dubai and about two hours from the city of Abu Dhabi. The resort is located is in the emirate of Dubai located within the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Because of this location when you are staying at the resort you are more likely to see a gazelle than a vehicle and it is far different than the glitz of the city of Dubai. During our stay our guide informed us that the resort was originally a getaway for the Emirati royal family and friends and is located in this area because Al Maha has access to fresh water. 
Al Maha Location
Arrival and Check In
We emailed the resort in advance to request transportation from the Abu Dhabi airport to the resort. After reviewing the prices and confirming that we wanted to book the ride five days passed and we never heard back. We ended up calling and we were asked to send a new request. Eventually the resort confirmed our reservation for a driver prior to our departure for our honeymoon. 
Private Car to the Resort
Upon arrival at the airport in Abu Dhabi we were greeted by a driver who took us on the drive in a very comfortable Infiniti sedan. Once we left the emirate of Abu Dhabi we took a right heading on a highway to the desert. It was very eerie driving through the desert at night and all we could see were a few gazelle on the horizon. Once we made it to the desert we drove on a dirt road for about 10 minutes before reaching the sign for the Al Maha Reserve. Then we saw another sign for the Al Maha Research Center and passing that sign we arrived at the resort.
Al Maha Entrance
Once we arrived at the resort we went into the beautiful lobby and were greeted by the front desk attendant. She acknowledged Christina’s elite status, though called it Titanium instead of Platinum, and acknowledged it was our honeymoon. She then greeted us with a very yummy welcome drink and gave us the keys to our room.
Bedouin Suite
Al Maha is an all-suite property with each suite located in its own private villa. We stayed in Suite #14 which was a one bedroom suite but the resort has one, two, and three bedroom suites available. The suites are stunning architecturally meant to mimic a Bedouin style tent in the middle of the desert. While the property was very spread out our suite had a great location not too far from the lobby but still private. 
Suite #14
When we entered the suite there was a fruit welcome amenity and a bottle of sparkling champagne from Australia which contained no note but I assumed was in recognition of our honeymoon.
Welcome Amenity
This suite was huge and we suspect it was even bigger than our beachfront villa in The Maldives. At the entrance was a hallway containing multiple complimentary bottles of water and a Kureig coffee machine. The bottles of water were very useful since the super dry desert air constantly made us thirsty. In the hallway was also a mini-fridge containing beverages for sale. We didn't consume any since all of the beverages at the restaurant and through room service were complimentary.
At the center of the suite was a huge bed which I think was a California King size. The bed was very soft but pillows could have bee n thicker and comfier. In front of the bed were two chaise chairs and we loved relaxing and reading on these chairs. The ceiling of the suite was draped in a tent which really executed on the theme. The furniture was also on theme but really could use an update.
Suite Bedroom
On the opposite end of the bedroom from the bed was a desk which looked out onto the beautiful desert views. The sunrise views in particular from our suite were amazing. On the desk were a pair of binoculars to help spot the wildlife from the suite though most of the time the wildlife could be spotted with the naked eye.
Suite Desk
There was also an easel with paint for our use, the first time I have seen one in a hotel room, though ended up not painting during our stay.
Easel
One negative thing we noticed about the resort throughout our stay was just how much of the property was aging and needed a refresh. For example, our key was not an electronic key but a manual key. Also, the room had nowhere near enough plugs for our electronics.
 Suite #14 Key
The bathroom was huge and had a soaking bathtub and shower. I was shocked how great the water pressure was in the bathroom given that we were in the middle of the desert.
Suite Bathroom
The biggest downside of the bathroom were the bath amenities including the body wash from Chemin. We really didn't like the smell of the body wash but I did like the lotion.
Suite Shower
The highlight of the suite was the private plunge pool overlooking the desert. When we were in our suite during the daytime we spent the majority of our time in or near the pool. It was amazing sitting by the pool listening to our music and watching the wildlife. The pool was cold in the mornings and evenings but refreshing mid-day. One of the great things about the design of the pool is that the resort did a great job keeping it cool with the tent and the shrubs which provided some shade. Next to the pool was a pool deck which had two lounging chairs. As we sat on the balcony it was fun but then we started getting attacked by wasps and headed inside. The frustrating thing about the pool was that their were a lot of bugs and because of the wind we often smelled the poop from the wildlife in the Reserve. One area of improvement for the resort would be more frequent cleanings of the pool which often got debris from the desert or bugs.
View from Villa Pool
The suite was very private and when we were inside the villa or in the villa pool we couldn't see anyone else. Our most frequent companions were the wildlife including gazelles and oryx that roamed the Reserve. I was surprised by how close the wildlife got to us. There were a ton of birds that regularly came to our villa’s pool to drink.
Gazelle
Activities and Amenities
Al Maha only had a limited number of amenities but offered an extensive array of activities most of which were included in the cost of the room. In term of amenities Al Maha offered a spa, fitness center, and pool all located in the same area of the resort. We ended up not using the fitness center and opted not to get a massage at the spa because of the expensive prices. However, we did try out the outdoor pool which was right next to the spa. This was a really nice pool that was really well taken care of. The pool had the perfect temperature, many chairs and umbrellas, cold drinking water, and pool towels. It was also very private and we saw no other guests in the pool during our stay. I assume this is because each villa comes with a private plunge pool so many guests didn't feel the need to use the pool. We used it several times during the stay though because it was bigger, had a better temperature, and was cleaner than our plunge pool. I would strongly recommend checking out this pool during your stay. 
Resort Pool
During our stay the resort offered nine activities seven of which were in the cost of the resort stay. The activities included: 1) Falconry, 2) Nature Walk, 3) Ghaf Tree Walk, 4) Wild Life Drive, 5) Camel Trek, 6) Sundowner, 7) Archery, 8) Horse Riding, and 9) Desert Drive. We decided to participate in the falconry, wild life drive, camel trek, and archery all of which were complimentary.
Al Maha Activities
The falconry was a cool activity involving well trained falcons. During the session the falcon trainers gave us the history of the use of the falcons by the Bedouins that roamed the deserts of the UAE. In the past the Bedouins used the falcons to help hunt. The falcons are trained to eat via the glove and come back because of the lure which contains food as a reward. They are very helpful for hunting because of their amazing vision but they have a very poor sense of smell. At the end of the group session, we all got the chance to hold the falcon. Overall, it was a fun experience learning about the history of the falconry and getting to interact with the falcons.
Christina with Falcon
The camel trek was also a fun activity. I had never ridden a camel before and did not realize how temperamental they could be. On several occasions it took effort by our guides to keep them moving or in line. I am a much bigger fan of riding horses than camels.
Camel Trek
At the end of the ride, we stopped in the middle of the desert for a champagne toast and got a chance to mingle with some of the other guests. It turns out two of the guests staying at Al Maha had been at the St. Regis Maldives during our stay.
Camel Trek Toast
We also participated in the nature drive which was the most boring activity we participated in. While our guide did a good job engaging us with facts about the resort and the Reserve there wasn't much nature in the desert that we couldn't see near our suite. One new animal we did find and Christina got to hold was a lizard.
 Nature Drive
Of all of the activities we participated in we found archery to be the most enjoyable so much so that we did it twice during our stay. Neither of us had ever done archery before so we didn't realize how physically exhausting it is. We really liked archery and hope to do it again in the future. One interesting thing about the Archery course is that the resort kept track of the top archers. At the top of the board was professional golfer Nick Faldo and our guide told us that he previously met John Travolta at the resort. It was both strange and exciting to be staying at a five-star resort that hosted professional athletes and celebrities.
Archery
Dining
Overall, the dining was a highlight of our stay. I had low expectations since it is an all-inclusive resort but was blown away by the Michelin restaurant quality dishes. Al Maha had only one restaurant just off of the lobby which served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because the resort is secluded like the St. Regis Maldives the stakes were already high for food at the resort, however, there was added pressure since this was the resort's only restaurant. One aspect of the restaurant's service I appreciated was a cold towel provided with every meal which I thought was a nice touch. 
Al Maha Breakfast Omlet
The restaurant had a wide selection which generally was spectacular. I felt that the meals were alive with flavor. One of the days I had the Al Maha Omelet which had salmon with just the right hint of salt and was fantastic.
Christina at Breafkfast
One of the breakfast highlights for Christina was foul medames which she had never heard of before. The dish came in a seared pan with two pieces of toast and two poached eggs with light garnish of sea salt and baby spinach. The sides came with a seasoned bean dip, a local cheese, yogurt dip, and hummus. After mixing everything together the flavors were so unreal and everything was fresh. The flavors were bold separately, but together it worked in a harmonious sensation. Christina wondered if the dish was only good because of our experience getting sick likely from the food in The Maldives. The weakest area of breakfast was the drinks. I had mango juice which I only thought was okay since it was less sweet than Caribbean mangoes. I also tried the chocolate milk which was made of camel milk and had a different flavor that I again I thought was not sweet enough.
We typically ordered lunch through room service during our stay. However, when we did try the restaurant we realized that the lunch menu in the restaurant was the same as the room service menu. I ordered the beef burger with bacon which was delicious. Christina ordered the butter chicken which was fantastic.
Butter Chicken
For dinner the restaurant served on the patio and it was great sitting outside amongst nature. We could clearly see the moon and the setting was quite romantic. The dinner was full service with an amuse bouche, pallet cleanser, appetizer, main, and desert which was quite impressive for an all-inclusive dinner service. One of the highlights was an appetizer of caviar which I really liked. My main was lamb which I thought was really good even though it was too fatty. The weakest part of our dinner were the desserts. I ordered the bread pudding which I didn't like.
Lamb Dinner
One of favorite things about the dining experience at Al Maha was that the room service was included in the all-inclusive rate at no additional charge and we generally had access to the same menu as the restaurant. We took advantage of this on several occasions. Some of the highlights from our room service orders were the grilled lamb kofta and the turkey mozzarella sandwich. The resort also had turndown service and I liked that the turndown service included chocolate but the chocolate itself was only okay.
Room Service Meal
Service
One of the weakest aspects of our stay was the service which was often very slow. First on a positive note our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and we really appreciated his good service. However, our experience with the rest of the staff wasn't up to the luxury resort standards. As I stated earlier this started with the slow email response before we even got to the property. Once we got to the property the meal service was often slow. For example, one night at dinner we waited 20 minutes for our desert. At another resort this may have been okay but at this luxury resort the slow service was disappointing.
Take Away
Al Maha offered a secluded resort, with private plunge pools and amazing food. Despite the slow service we really enjoyed our stay at Al Maha. I would strongly recommend it as a honeymoon destination for a couple looking for a secluded and luxurious stay. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Flight Overview
The comfortable seats, solid amenities, and variety of onboard food and drinks were not enough to make up for the ancient IFE and horrible arrival experience in Abu Dhabi. Pros- Comfortable Seats, Variety of Onboard Food and Drinks, Very Friendly Service , Restaurant Dining Experience Cons- Bad Airport Lounge Experience, Poor Boarding Experience, Non-Functional Wi-Fi, Ancient IFE, Poor Quality Headphones Horrible Arrival Experience First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Leeli Lounge
Once we got to the airport we headed straight for the airport's only lounge called the Leeli Lounge. This is the premium lounge of business and first class passenger departing Male airport (MLE). The lounge had a large seating area with view of the runway which I enjoyed. The lounge was fairly empty but uncomfortably warm. The lounge had its own bathrooms but no showers. 
Leeli Lounge
The lounge had a wide variety of food options including snacks, fruit, rice, vegetables, and pasta. It also had a variety of deserts including chocolate biscuit pudding, cookies, and cakes.
Leeli Lounge Seating
Generally, the food looked and tasted unimpressive. We tried the egg salad sandwich and rice and found them to be dry. All of the food and drinks in the fridges were room temperature. We tried the cookie which was tough and the brownie which was the soft. The brownie ended up being the only good food item we tried in the lounge. We decided to skip most of the food and decided to wait to have a full meal until we were on the plane. The lounge wasn't impressive and I wouldn't arrive early to take advantage of this lounge.
Leeli Lounge Food
Boarding
Boarding took place exactly one hour before the departure time. The process was annoying since it involved boarding, waiting in a bus, then taking the bus to a plane parked on the tarmac. 
Male Airport Gate 4
We ended up waiting on the bus for about 30 minutes. When the bus arrived, we were the first passengers off and the first to board the plane.
Boarding Bus
The one cool thing about boarding via a bus is that we were able to get a view of the plane from the tarmac.
Etihad A320
Plane and Seats
There were 16 business class seats on this plane arraigned in a 2-2 format. The legroom on the seats were incredible. I was able to cross my legs and not touch the seats in front. Each seat also had a reading light, headrest, footrest, and substantial padding. The seats also had universal charging at each seat and a screen in the armrest. This seat was a very comfortable way to fly for this approximately 3 hour flight and put U.S. domestic first class seats to shame. 
Etihad A320 Business Class Cabin
When boarding was done there were a total of four business class passengers and economy was completely full. We were also informed by a flight attendant that one of the business class passengers was the Etihad CEO Tony Douglas' wife. She was very friendly and excited to greet us when she found out that we were Americans and spoke English. She gave us recommendations on site to see in Abu Dhabi which we appreciated. This is the first time that I have ever flown with a spouse of an airline CEO. Though I felt the flight attendants delivered consistent servicer in the business class cabin. We ended up departing at 6:30 pm 15 minutes early.
Etihad A320 Business Class Seat
Dining
Shortly after sitting down we were offered a pre-departure beverage. Christina asked for champagne but was informed because the champagne was left onboard the aircraft overnight it was not yet chilled. Instead I had orange juice and Christina had red wine. I liked the orange juice while Christina found the red wine to have a sharp ending. The flight attendant also came around with a hot towel. Because of the warm weather it would have been nice if the towel were colder. 
Hot Towel
Once we leveled off the formal meal service started with mixed nuts. I did not like the that nuts weren't warm and thought they lacked flavor.
Mixed Nuts
The three course meal service included choices between two starters, three mains, and three deserts. For the starter Christina and I both chose the Arabic Mezze. For the main I chose the Spinach Fettuccine while Christina chose the Spiced Tuna. For desert I had the pineapple tart while the flight attendant created a special desert for Christina with Amaretto and vanilla ice cream.
Menu
We both liked all of the Arabic Mezze with the exception of the bread. We found it to be quite fresh and flavorful. Christina summed it up well, simple but well executed.
Arabic Mezze
I liked my main dish the Spinach Fettuccine and I found it to be very creamy, fresh, and healthy.
Spinach Fettuccine
Christina thought the Spicy Tuna was too spicy and dry.
Spicy Tuna
I found my tart to be too sweet while Christina loved her dessert. She thought that the Amaretto and vanilla ice cream tasted like an adult ice cream float. Also, with desert we both had the chilled champagne and really liked it.
Outside of the food itself I was impressed by the dining experience. For example, the service included white table cloths, printed menu, Etihad branded glasses, and Etihad branded condiments. This felt like restaurant dining and really drove the sense that Etihad was going for a luxurious experience.
Amenities and IFE
When we boarded the plane waiting at our seats were a pillow and blanket. The pillow was well designed and decked out in the Etihad colors while the blanket was soft and comfortable. The blanket and seat were comfortable enough for Christina to take a 30 minute nap. 
Etihad A320 Busines Class Seat and Amenities
In business class we also had access to a limited amount of complimentary Wi-Fi. However, even when we got into the areas where it should have been able to connect there was not Wi-Fi service.
Etihad 2019 Wi-Fi Coverage Map
The in-flight entertainment (IFE) system onboard this plan was call E-Box and was very old. The screen had bad resolution and the touchscreen was not very responsive so we used the remote. However, the remote was located next to my right hip which was frustrating since I constantly hit the remote while sitting. Despite having a decent selection of movies, the selection of TV shows was very limited with no full seasons. Additionally, the headphones provided by Etihad were really bad and at one-point Christina heard a hissing so we ended up using our own headphones.
E-Box IFE
Service
We received a very warm greeting from the primary flight attendant serving our cabin. She asked where we from, recognized that we were American Airlines elites, and thanked us for flying with Etihad. She was from Ireland and was very friendly. When she saw that Christina and I we were playing with the seats she explained how the seats worked. She informed us that the seat power only worked after takeoff and that the screen came out of the armrest. Service was very friendly but slow given that there were only four people in business class cabin. Outside of meal service she spent most of the flight talking. She offered to give us recommendations on what to do in Abu Dhabi but forgot. However, she did send us on our way with a big bottle of water. Overall, I found the service very friendly but not as polished as Singapore Airlines. Arrival We arrived at a remote stand 15 minutes early. I was surprised that even at Etihad's hub we did not arrive at a gate. We were reminded upon landing that it was Ramadan and that we could not eat, drink, or smoke in public during the daylight. We knew by this warning that our experience in Abu Dhabi was going to be different. Before we left the plane, we were handed Fast Track certificates for immigration. One improvement over the departure was that on arrival we had a business class-only bus. 
Etihad Abu Dhabi Fast Track
Once we got to the terminal we had the strangest immigration experience I have ever had. While the standard immigration line was short we still stood in the Fast Track line but the immigration officers refused to serve us. Instead they made us get into the regular line and wait. Almost all of the immigration booths were staffed and we were the only people in line but they still refused to serve us. Instead during our wait of about 10 minutes they high-fived and chatted with their co-workers. When we were finally served the officer was unfriendly and dismissive. Our terrible arrival experience did not end there but continued as we passed through customs. As we passed through customs an officer tried to separate Christina and I. He stopped me and started to pepper me with question. When Christina stopped to intervene he told her to keep walking assuming that we weren't together. The questions finally stopped when he saw my American passport and let me go. After this experience I couldn't help but wonder if my skin color led to this prejudice and treatment. One thing I know for sure is that this arrival experience didn't make us feel welcomed in Abu Dhabi.
Take Away
This flight felt very disjointed with a bad ground experience in Male and and Abu Dhabi contrasted with very friendly service onboard. While some of these are not directly in Etihad's control the airline does have direct control over the Wi-Fi, IFE, and boarding all areas where the airline needs to improve its A320 experience. Next time I find myself needing a short or medium haul flight in the Middle East I would probably try one of the other major Middle Eastern airlines like Qatar or Emirates. |
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