Relaxing at the Shangri La

It's nearly time for our UK trip and I am praying that volcanic ash or some other travel disruption doesn't get in the way of our plans because we are really looking forward to it. 13 weeks without a day off is really a bit too long in this new culture and I think we're both more than ready for a break.
However, we did indulge in one of our 'mini holidays' this weekend, though we didn't travel far to do it. We took advantage of the summer offers at the Shangri La and spent the weekend in Abu Dhabi but in 5 star luxury! It was as fabulous as ever. It is so hot now that a day at the beach club is too long, so by staying in a hotel we can enjoy the pool, get some exercise and never be too far away from the air conditioning. We needed it as it was over 50 degrees when we picked the car up to come back home. The pool at the Shangri La is beautifully chilled and although it was a popular spot this weekend we still really enjoyed ourselves.
We were lucky enough to be well looked after by our friends at the Shangri La, who managed to get us a suite - I am going to be completely spoiled for ever more after such an amazing room. It had a guest cloakroom, a full lounge and dining room, two balconies, two TVs, a dressing room and bathroom with separate bath and walk in shower and a delicious plate of fruit, pastries and dates to welcome us.
We had dinner at the French restaurant, Bord Eau and used one of our Entertainer vouchers to get a free main course. The food was fabulous as ever and the cheese was brilliant. On Friday we did the new Brunch at Pearls and Caviar which is a great way to spend a Friday afternoon. We took the champagne package thinking it would be a bottle to share but it just kept coming! We ate so much - sushi, prawns, a grilled platter of meat and seafood, cheese and pudding (J had two helpings of pudding but I just couldn't fit any more in!) So with the champagne as well we had to spend the rest of the day recovering and couldn't manage dinner as well.
Breakfast was also included in the deal so a great deal of eating went on so it was lucky that we managed plenty of swimming as well. Sadly it was soon time to head back and think about the working week again. It's really difficult to go from total holiday mode to work in the space of a few hours.
However, our neighbours Pat and Jude invited us round for supper so we had a very pleasant evening with them which helped to alleviate the Saturday night back to work low! They will be away when we come back so it's likely to be a while before we see them again so it was great to spend such a convivial evening together.