If you're flying on Etihad to Europe or any of their other far-flung destinations, you'll go through Abu Dhabi. This booming Emirate in the Middle East has a few places to put on your to-do list. Here are my picks for the best five.
Desert safari
Get picked up from your hotel in the afternoon and taken out to the rolling sand dunes of magazine covers. The driver will let the tyres down and you'll need to hold on tight because you'll spend the next 20 minutes "dune bashing" over impossibly sharp dunes and coming sideways down the other side. The evening ends with dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp with henna tattoos, belly dancing and sheesha pipes.
Once the residence of the Sheikh, this is now where his dignitaries stay and where the public can wander in for a nosey or an expensive coffee from the cafe. It opened in 2005 at a cost of $6 billion and covers 850,000 sqm. It is furnished in gold and marble and often hosts exhibitions. Expect a cake and coffee to set you back about $25.
