Al Ain, in english it translates to "the Spring", a beautiful small city an hour from Dubai and 1.5 hours from Abu Dhabi. One of the world's oldest permanently inhabited settlements, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We have been to Al Ain several times in our years here, always trying to explore something new. A drive up the UAE's tallest "mountain" (it's more like a hill) is an interesting drive and on a clear day the view is fantastic, visiting the Al Ain Zoo is also another inexpensive activity and is one of the better zoos around - particularly in this country.
A few weeks ago we decided to take a mid week staycation. Staycations are a super popular activity here and going mid week meant we took advantage of cheap rates and a distinct lack of people, bliss!
We chose Al Ain because we enjoy the local activities the area has to offer in the time we weren't spending at the pool (and swim up bar!). On our second morning we got up early and went to explore the Al Ain Oasis, located in the heart of the city the Oasis is 3,000 acres and is home to over 147,000 date palms with many working farms still in action.
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Choose a gate and wander around the myriad of walkways, taking note of which way you came because it's a bit like a maze once your inside. Considering it's in the middle of the city, the farms create a genuine oasis, so peaceful and quiet that you feel a million miles away from the chaotic roads just outside.
You will see people working up in the trees and hopefully find a working farm still using the 3,000 year old falaj system getting water in and around the plantations.
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By 8am the temperature was reaching +32 degrees so we left the shade of the trees and headed back to our own oasis which was the pool! We stayed at the Al Ain Rotana, this was our third stay and it is consistently lovely. We shared the pool with only one other guest which is the magic of mid week stays!
After a day at the pool and the heat of the sun had gone down (slightly, it was still about 37 degrees) we ventured across the road to the Al Jahili Fort.
Originally built in 1891, it was built to defend the town and the date plantations, it has been massively restored, so I'm not sure that anything original remains. Still, it's free to enter and good to have a wander around, the best thing inside is a permanent photographic display of British adventurer Sir Wilfred Thesiger. He crossed The Empty Quarter in the 1940's and his photos provide a fascinating insight into how life used to be in the Emirates before oil was discovered and Nissan Patrols took over from the camels.
All in all a weekend in Al Ain can be alot more than just a hotel stay and this certainly won't be our last time visiting.
Thanks for reading!
Amy
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