GolfKings visit Abu Dhabi

I was lucky to stay the night in a really spacious King Bedroom, with a hot tub and shower. The service from all staff was excellent, making me wish I was staying more than only 1 night. This hotel caters for all, with excellent outside pool areas, which has a great beach club set up. An easy place to relax for the days when not on the golf course, or you could opt for the Gastro Pub in the hotel as well which I really enjoyed the atmosphere in. There are 2 a la carte restaurants in the hotel, one of them being an Asian style and the other Lebanese. The hotel backs right onto Yas Links, which is great sight to wake upto. 

I was lucky to have my first Abu Dhabi golfing experience, which was also my first ever taste of night golf, at Yas Acres. It was great and you very quickly get comfortable with what can look a daunting encounter. The lights are crystal clear and pairing that with one of the best conditioned golf courses I have ever played on. The greens were immaculate and a friendly speed, fairways and bunkers were pristine and the tee boxes were running at 11 on the stimp! A very playable 9-hole golf course, with amazing practice facilities, 400 yard driving range and hitting off of carpet like bays.

This was the golf course that I was looking forward to playing the most, with such a great reputation... and it didn't disappoint. The clubhouse is ultra modern and very spacious (there is a swimming pool!), a well stocked proshop, with all your favourite brands and products. There had been some maintenance carried out in some areas of the course only a couple of weeks prior, but you would never have known. The experience of playing this golf course was a real pleasure and there are so many enjoyable holes and shots to speak about, not forgetting the amazing sea views from every hole. The 17th and 18th are likely some of the best holes I have ever played in golf. Very tough and so rewarding if you can make a couple of pars (like me!). 

A top class and luxuriously modern hotel. Very instagrammable and you could fill up your yearly selfie quota here easily. There are a number of great food and beverage outlets, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Italian and Arabic. Absolutely no excuses for going hungry. It is the perfect hotel for people who are wanting to watch F1. Even when the Grand Prix isn't on, looking out onto the racetrack is really interesting. There is a great rooftop pool, which is a nice spot to get some peace and quiet, along with a couple of cocktails. 

A truly wonderful customer experience as you walk in to the clubhouse, you have a member of staff who take your clubs and help you get checked in for your tee time - a lovely touch. Your clubs then magically appear on your golf buggy, with cold towels and bottles of water. The clubhouse is very impressive, you could mistake it for a scaled down palace and the staff could not be more attentive, treated like royalty. The golf course itself is a brilliant layout, it has lots of similar accents to Yas Acres & Yas Links, not forgetting the practice facilities were perfect. The proshop is the biggest and best that I have seen, if you name a golf brand, it is there. An absolute must play for any golfer headed out to Abu Dhabi.

An extremely elegant hotel, very vibrant interior between Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire, exudes premium touches and finishes throughout - a true 5 star property. A fantastic option for golfers looking for a truly high end, all inclusive experience. Multiple eating offerings, with numerous a la carte restaurants (Seafood, Italian and Asian) all included in the dining concept which means everyone's dining wishes are fulfilled. Another nice benefit and service of the Rixos is that you have a free shuttle over to Saadiyat Golf Club (booked at reception).

Another fantastic hotel with a ultra high standard of service, along with their "basic" rooms are of very high standard and really generous size. A quick free shuttle is offered to guests to and from Saadiyat Golf Club, so golfers are really well looked after here. They have 4 pools onsite, with one being a stunning infinity pool which is adults only. The hotel boasts 5 restaurants; buffet style, Italian, Argentinian steakhouse, Seafood and Asian, with all food to an excellent standard. Tennis and Padel courts on-site. Beach again is immaculate. 

The place to stay for ultimate luxury in Abu Dhabi, it boasts the biggest hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi, which is no easy feat. Standard rooms have a vast balcony and also have partial sea views. If you decide to opt for a sea view room you will also be treated to some fantastic golf views too, at Saadiyat Golf Club. A unique touch is that breakfast is served in the hotel until 1pm, which allows golfers to get up and play 18 holes and still have enough time to come back and make the most of the most important meal of the day. Staff are exemplary and very attentive, nothing is too much to ask and you are well looked after. The hotel has its own on-site private beach with memory foam sun-beds, that are hard to drag yourself away from.

Flying home later in the day, with Emirates from Dubai Airport, I was able to sneak in a bonus 18 holes at Dubai Creek. The clubhouse is second to none, you could almost mistake it for a hotel. The restaurant is exceptional and a great place to relax before and after your round of golf, having all different sports on the many TV’s. The golf course itself is superb, presented in pristine condition. It can be a tough track , if not on your A-game, but can be enjoyed by any handicap golfer with a lot of tee choices. There are loads of well placed bunkers, to make you think about the shot you need to play, or not. You definitely cannot pull your driver out at every hole. Holes 17 and 18 are a really testing finish, however very enjoyable despite making a couple of double bogies. A special note goes to the floating tee box, which is a great touch and very unique.

Thank you

A huge thank you to my amazing hosts in Abu Dhabi and generous suppliers for their incredible hospitality and treating me to a great travel and golfing experience - Josh.