Weekend Getaway: Rotana Hotel, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

The Rotana Hotel is situated on Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi. This island is home to Ferrari World, the Du Arena, Yas Waterworld, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, who's tracks run rings under the Viceroy Hotel.

Rotana Hotel is the place to be if you want to have a view of the Formula 1 action without the price tag of staying at the Viceroy Hotel at it's peek season.

The hotel is relaxed and is ideal for a weekend escape to just unwind and recharge your batteries. The Rotana Hotel won't burn a hole in your wallet, either. It's reasonably well priced if you are looking for somewhere low-key that isn't too flashy where you can have some quality family time and yet still be within a short driving distance from the bustle of the city. 

Yas Mall is a 5 minute drive and Abu Dhabi city is a 15-20 minute car journey away. There are also some nearby restaurants situated at the bottom of the luxury apartment complexes which have been newly built on the Island.

The hotel features two medium-sized pools; One for children and one for adults. Unfortunately, the kids' pool doesn't boast any fun water games. It gradually gets deeper, much like a beach, and has a very secure rubber-based floor. The pool-side bar is sunken into the adult pool with under-water bar stools that you can sit on and sip your Colada white you soak up the rays.

After you're done with the pool and you want to go back to your room to freshen up, or for a much needed afternoon nap, you have to walk through the grand entrance lobby. This means that while people are checking-in or chilling out in the lobby, you'll be walking passed them with soggy swimsuits wrapped in towels. I'm sure they don't think twice about it, but it would be nice to be able to slip back to your cave more discretely, without anyone having to witness the sight of your runny mascara or the sound of your squeaky Crocs.

 The hotel offers babysitting services so you have the option of tiring the kids out at the pool and then putting them to sleep and heading out for a night on the town while they are being looked after by the professional and friendly staff.

The breakfast buffet has a good selection of food, serving continental as well as some Asian food, with fresh juices and coffees on tap to fuel you for the day. The resultant is a good size but fills up quite quickly towards the end of breakfast time, so make sure you get down early enough to get a  good table. The last thing you want to do is have to stand around waiting for a table to become available, which does happen.

The hotel also has a kids club on a Friday, during the weekend BBQ. One of the conference rooms is converted into an indoor play area with staff on-hand to watch over the children while you tuck into some meaty skewers. It must be noted however, the children's play area is not available on any other day of the week. This is rather disappointing and inconvenient as the children don't have a designated outlet for their energy other than the pool. And with temperatures soaring above 40C, a permanent indoor kids club would be a welcomed addition to the current facilities and, no-doubt, be a pulling factor for couples with kids.

Having visited this hotel several times staying in everything from the standard rooms to the one and two bedroom suites, it's fair to say that you can't go wrong with whatever you choose. The rooms are modern, clean, spacious, with views of the pool, gold estate, the F1 race track and Ferrari World. Standard rooms comes with all expected amenities and a good selection of television channels.

The one and two bedroom suites are a very good size and are perfect for families. The two en-suite rooms are separated by the adjoining living and dining room, meaning you still have your space but the kids are close enough to get to in an instant.

With the cost of staying in a master king suite being the same as staying at some standard room in other hotels, spending a lazy weekend at the Rotana is worth while, if exciting kids entertainment is not at the top of your priorities list.