Park yourself in a home-from-home

Abu Dhabi Week visited the impressive Park Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana to try out an extended stay for size

Abu Dhabi is home to incredible hotels, harbouring exquisite restaurants and pristine facilities for all their guests. Many expat families arriving in the capital, along with local residents looking for a lengthy stay in such a hotel, are often flooded with options. A Park Arjaan apartment became home for us recently, as we experienced just why this ‘home-from-home’ is one of the best.

Firstly we must highlight the location. Situated next door to the twofour54 complex close to Sheikh Zayed Bridge, this offers a fantastic locale, as it’s within 25 minutes of the international airport and 20 minutes from the city centre and the gorgeous Corniche beach.

Often with hotels it is easy to drop your luggage in the room and venture to the pool, spa or restaurants onsite. Yet we found it rather difficult to leave the three-bedroom apartment, as the space, silence and homely feel only encouraged us to slip on our slippers and unwind on our balcony.

The master bedroom and a further two rooms are separated by an enormous living room. Here, a separate kitchen also resides, with a large breakfast counter connecting the two spaces; cooking and relaxing with the family seamlessly becomes one. When staying here, your new abode will receive all the services just like all guests of the hotel: underground parking, valet services, laundry and dry cleaning to name a few. There’s comfort in knowing that when you walk in from work, there will be no chores to contend with.

The hotel presents plenty of recreational options. A pool with a built-in bar, gymnasium, spa and even private tennis lessons with a resident tennis professional.

If you don’t fancy cooking in your apartment, then take your pick from one of the restaurants. All offer their own unique environment, cuisine and attentive staff to make sure your time spent there is memorable. The Rotana offers an all-day dining restaurant, pool bar, café, British gastro pub and their signature restaurant, Teatro.

 

Teatro

Teatro has created a warm and jovial environment for its guests as plum reds, deep wood colours and an array of Venetian masks set the tone for the space; the theme of theatre soon becomes clear as we are seated at our table.

Diners get to see an exciting performance from the sushi chef. His precise slices of fish partnered with the whipping sound of a razor-sharp knife, attract both the ears and the eyes!

Sharing a starter with our guest added to the fun of the evening, as we dived into the spicy tempura prawns. These were undoubtedly some of the best we’ve ever tried as the fresh and juicy meat blended perfectly with the spicy mayonnaise.

The second act consisted of a trio of Angus beef tenderloin fillets, with each piece topped individually. Caramelised onions, mushroom duxelle and a pepper medley sat atop our succulent fillets. And with a side of creamy mashed potatoes, this dish was faultless.

Our guest continued the Asian theme with what can only be described as a giant platter of sushi and sashimi. The plate was adorned with tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellow tail, hamachi, maguro and more. Each mouthful was vibrant with colour and taste, perfect for a pasting in wasabi or soaking in soy sauce.

The final act of our meal consisted of two delightful desserts, both special in their own way. Our fellow diner sampled the baked Hawaiian – toasted meringue and lilikoi coulis accompanied by coconut and raspberry ice cream; a truly exotic and sugary treat to end the meal.

The sign of any good restaurant like any good show, is when its patrons continue to talk long after they’ve left about their experience – this dinner certainly left a lasting memory on us both.

Sushi and sashimi from AED 30, starters from AED 45 and main courses from AED 55.

Jack Dignum