David Crook is 37 years old and has lived in Abu Dhabi for four years. Together with his wife and two cats, he moved to Abu Dhabi from Edinburgh, Scotland and works as a Facilities Director. He now has three cats, but still just the one wife. Abu Dhabi Week asked David what are the five things he likes best about living in Abu Dhabi.
Blue skies
It may be an obvious one, but I come from Scotland where blue skies are like birthdays – they come once a year and only last a day. So I never tire of seeing that big cloudless sky above me.
Golf
I love playing golf, and Abu Dhabi now has some of the best courses in the region, if not the world. Yas Links is by far my favourite. How they have managed to produce such an amazing natural looking course in such a short time is incredible! I just wish my golf was as good as the course.
Shisha
I’m not one to shy away from the local culture, and I really like chilling out of an evening having food and shisha with friends at our local shisha café – although I’m looking forward to the cooler weather so we can sit outside again. It may not be the healthiest option, but for me it’s a great way to relax after a hard day at the office and it gets me into the outdoors.
Concerts
Since we have been in Abu Dhabi the number of bands and singers who have performed here has been brilliant. Amongst the best that we have seen have been The Killers, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, George Michael and Alicia Keys. I was also persuaded by my wife to go and see Christina Aguilera, but the less said about that one the better. I will keep my fingers crossed for the likes of U2 and the Rolling Stones to venture to these shores.
Weekend breaks
There are some fantastic hotels and resorts on your doorstep (or within a couple of hours drive) if you fancy just getting away from it all for a weekend. Our favourite getaways have been The Banyan Tree Resort in Ras Al Khaimah, Qasr Al Sarab and the Anantara Resort on Sir Bani Yas, where you can take an early morning safari to see some cheetahs, giraffes and hyenas.
