Frugal Expat’s Budget Birthday Road Trip
This post is somehow off the topic grid of Frugal Expat but I am keen to share beautiful and perfect getaways in the neighboring places of Abu Dhabi.
My friends decided to opt for a birthday ‘budget’ road trip last August. It was really fun and a grand celebration despite of our limited vacation funds. Our meeting point was Dubai and from there, we headed north.
First Stop – Ras Al Khaimah. It is also commonly referred as RAK (Ras Al-Khaimah), another Emirate of United Arab Emirates and approximately 90 km from Dubai. A beautiful and newly opened Cove Rotana Resort, an ideal place for weekend break, is situated in this quiet borough.
No doubt, it is beautiful and elegant property with great swimming pools and daytime view. Thanks to my friends who worked in this local hotel chain, we managed to get a really good room rate. We stayed for two nights before heading to our next stop.
Cove Rotana
Second Stop – Fujairah. The fifth largest and only mountainous Emirate of United Arab Emirates, the trip was shorter than we expected. This time, and again thanks to our friends who worked with Rotana, we stayed for a night in Fujairah Rotana.
Our stay in Fujairah was a sort of transient because we were actually headed to our most awaited destination, Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay in Oman.
Anyway, in the mid day we drove around Fujairah and despite of the scorching heat of the sun, we visited the 300-year old fort. Then after late lunch, we started to navigate our way towards Dibba, the northern coastal region of UAE. From there, we would cross the border of Oman and navigate our way to the arrival area of Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay.
Third Stop – Oman. Our birthday road trip was well documented from happy and awkward moments. Since none of us has crossed the Oman border, we were really looking forward to this particular destination. We took videos and pictures everywhere which almost led us to minutes of heart attack.
We were trying to find our way to the border. So we were delighted the moment we saw the signage ‘Welcome to Oman’, which was behind the big concrete arch. While capturing our moment to enter the border, the Omani Police signaled to park our car beside their station.
My friend’s partner who luckily speaks Arabic had quite a long discussion with the Omani Police. While fearfully listening, we were trying to decipher what was the problem. We didn’t have any clue at all of what they were talking.
Later we came to know that it was prohibited to take photos and videos in the border. So we were instructed to delete the video file and any photos taken prior to our entry in the border. All the files were deleted in front of the Omani Police. Then another police, whom we believed was the chief, came and wanted to confiscate the memory card of the video.
Whew! You can never imagine how nervous we were at that time!
Anyway, the issue was settled and we were allowed to go. It was a bit dark when we reached the arrival area of Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay. It was awesome and the staffs were very accommodating. They served Turkish coffee, dates (a local fruit) and towels to freshen up.
Half an hour later, our friend came in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Then shortly we drove towards the rough road in the mountainous area and it was an amazing experience. It reminded me a lot about my long trips before in the mountainous areas of Southern Philippines.
It was dark already when we reached the hotel but the beautiful interior of the villas didn’t escape our senses. It was amazingly stunning!
Living Room - Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay
The Sandy Beach - Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay
And in the day time, the place was just breathtaking. If you want to escape for weekend or few days from the hustle and bustle of the city, this is the perfect place to go.
More so, their internet connection is very fast so no worries, you can still take your work with you while enjoying the sandy beaches and panoramic view.
