This occasional series offers a personal view of life in Abu Dhabi in list form – five aspects of Abu Dhabi per month. We’re kicking off with bargains; Abu Dhabi isn’t a cheap place, on the whole, but it could be a lot worse ...

1.    Sheik Zayed Mosque tour Insightful, knowledgeable guides and gobsmackingly beautiful architecture.  You’d expect to pay a lot for that; in fact you pay nothing.

2.    Bottled water At AED 1 per small bottle of Al Ain’s finest, less than AED 10 for a gallon, how can you complain? And at the petrol stations it’s even cold water.

3.    Mall walking Get into Abu Dhabi Mall before it opens to the paying public (7am to 10am every day) and walk or jog in airconditioned luxury. It’s free!

4.    Tailoring along Hamdan and Zayed the First streets you can find tailors who will make a bespoke men’s suit for AED 600 or less, if you don’t want the fanciest cloth. Who needs Saville Row?

5.   Laundry At AED 5 per shirt or blouse you can have it collected, washed, ironed and delivered back to you. Beat that.

And there’s a lot we rejected, including petrol (at this price, buy now while stocks last!), the buses (AED 1 for any journey – a great way to see the city), and looking at the sand dunes beyond Liwa (getting there is probably one of the few acceptable uses for that petrol). Any other bargains to report? Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it we don’t expect you to agree with our choices – so email editor@ AbuDhabiWeek.com and let us know why!

 

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue 21]