10 hour layover in AUH

[tomo69]

Due to a rescheduling of an EY flight ex KTM I will miss my connection in AUH resulting in an unexpected 10 hour layover. Flights had been booked through VA and they have been very helpful. Any ideas for best place to spend the extra time? I won't reach Velocity Gold until my return to BNE so the lounge is out I guess.

 

[tomo69]

Ok so I've found Premier Inn right across the road from AUH. Has anybody stayed there before? Would I need a visa to leave the airport and stay in the hotel?

 

[RooFlyer]

Yes you will need a UAE visa - easy; get it on arrival (I assume you are Oz citizen).

If time permits, try to see the Sheikh Zayed Mosque at least. Couple of pics from my hotel here.

 

[drmikki]

Definitely get out of the airport! Even if you had lounge access it's not worth spending 10 hours there. If you are an Aussie citizen its a "visa on arrival" - in reality this means stand in a queue and an unsmiling immigration official will stamp your passport without question, and without need to fill out forms Annoyingly for those of us who go there often the stamps in and out end up taking about half a page each visit.

For things to do, the mosque as mentioned about is pretty spectacular although the area around it was being dug up and rebuilt in November so it was a bit of a maze. Taxi from the airport is relatively reasonably priced. Yas island has the F1 track, Ferrari World, water park and Ikea (!) as well as Yas Mall. Some of the hotels on Yas Island do day stay rooms.

The downtown region and the Corniche are a bit further away but are also considered tourist attactions. A large number of 'Western' hotels are in this area too. There's some interesting architecture around and it's quite different to Dubai.

I haven't stayed at the Premier Inn personally but colleagues have and said it was decent but not spectacular. Slightly better than what you'd expect for the brand, I guess.

 

[tomo69]

Thanks I appreciate your replies. I've booked the premier inn. We arrive at 0045 and fly out again at 1030 so mainly looking for sleep and a comfy bed and shower. I read on TripAdvisor that the hotel is actually part of the airport. Maybe I won't need a visa? We'll wait and see.