There’s something happening around every corner in Abu Dhabi and we’re on a mission to find out exactly what. Here we reveal any tips, tricks, quirks and perks that the blossoming city has to offer.

Bean there – Frankly the better alternative to Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf holds residence in ADNEC’s business centre (which is a godsend in itself). There are only a few branches of the American chain in the city but this is the only public one. Enjoy an iced mocha mint tea while plugged in at one of their many comfy laptop stations. The centre also boasts meeting rooms that can hold 4-6 people, an internet café, concierge and reservation services, as well as production, media and printing services, to name but a few offerings. You can even hire a
personal shopper!

After school care – Apparently Teachers Night is the new Airline Staff Night in Abu Dhabi. Cubes at One to One Hotel offers teachers two complimentary drinks on Tuesdays, and PJ O’Reilly’s at Le Royal Meridien just launched their “After School Care” evening (also on Tuesdays) providing educators with 15-dirham drinks all night long, with a backdrop of Back to School tunes from the 80’s and 90’s. Don’t forget valid ID.

(No) need for speed – Yes, there is a speed camera on the road over Saadiyat Island, and it’s nabbed a lot of drivers whizzing along under the impression that there are no cameras on the new road. The one camera we know about is right at the base of the big bridge, just as you get onto the mainland near The Club on the way to Port Zayed.

Carpet central – Everyone swears by the Iranian Market when it comes to finding lovely carpets in the capital but we also highly recommend Oriental Carpet House on the ground floor of Tower D, Corniche Towers on Khaleej Al Arabi St., with some in the office even voting it the best in town. They specialise in handmade carpets from India, Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan.

Keeping up with the Joneses – It’s easy to miss surrounded by nothing but heaps of construction on the corner of 4th(Muroor) and 15th streets (in the Al Maroura building), but Australia’s leading fine food retailer Jones the Grocer is a great cafe plus funky upscale deli offering a range of delicious cheeses, meats, olives and sought-after gourmet items like truffle oil, and more. It’s also great for a peaceful lunch when you don’t want to run into anybody you know (wagyu burgers anyone?). It only opened late last year and Abu Dhabi has the UAE’s first branch!

We’d also love to hear your best kept secrets; write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it