Detour Pit Stop #66: W Hotel Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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The W on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is one hotel where you won’t complain about the traffic noise.
The W Hotel sits atop the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit and, even when the F1 circus isn’t in town, the track is always busy. Tourists can try lapping in single seater and tin-top racers, locals send their supercars around on track days and hardy cyclists pedal through the intense humidity.
The hotel itself is over-the-top luxurious, but – at least outside of race weekend – the room rates are remarkable and it’s possible to live a five-star life for a few days on a three-star budget. Or at least it was when the Detour family paid a visit in 2018.
We loved sitting out on the terrace, watching cars hoon past or splashing about in the roof top pool. The close proximity to the rollercoasters and karts of Ferrari World meant that we could get an an adrenalin rush, while an evening excursion into the dunes by Land Cruiser was an eye-opening off-road adventure.
Even our budget rooms were massive, with balconies that overlooked the circuit and two-storey suites with their own pool are available for those whose wallets are rather better-stuffed.
The whole place is a little other-worldly. Simply escaping the heat and humidity into the extreme air conditioning and chilled marble is surreal enough, while the whole Yas Marina area is still so new - and growing - that it doesn’t seem quite real.
It’s certainly not what you’d call an authentic Arabian experience, but for petrolheads it makes perfect sense.
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Rachel Berg / Abed Ismail / Unsplash