GET UP TO SPEED
Guaranteed to set your nerves on edge for all the right reasons, race weekend is one of the UAE’s most exhilarating annual events, resulting in a truly epic 96 hours. From November 17-20, the capital comes alive with adrenalin, as petrolheads, car aficionados and everyone in between makes a beeline for Abu Dhabi to soak up the thrills on and off the track. In fact, so popular is the event, that last year more people tuned in to watch the race than Football’s Favourite Sunday, so you know you’re in for a pretty wild ride. The all-important question is... How to spend race weekend?
TRACK STARS
Charged with an energy unlike any other event, race weekend lets you suspend reality, whilst launching you into another world on Yas Island. With a home at Yas Marina Circuit, the fastest drivers on the planet pull out all the stops and battle it out to bag the coveted top championship title. The track itself is one of the most technically difficult and uniquely beautiful tracks in the world, while the cars reach the highest speeds available on land, making the race the absolute pinnacle of motorsports.
With the track weaving its way through the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island hotel, you’re guaranteed to be in pole position for incomparable viewing. But the adrenalin doesn’t stop there, because the style stakes of race weekend are just as high. So be sure to set pulses racing, from the pit to the party, with an impeccable wardrobe that ensures your style stays in the fast lane.
At Wet Deck, you can steal the scene from dawn to dusk and long into the night - a place to see and be seen
HERO OF THE HOUR
When you’re not watching supercars play ‘Tag’ around a track, you’ll need a place to kick the party into fifth gear, which is exactly what W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island does. It claims icon status as the only hotel in the world located on a racing circuit, and crafts an energy all its own that is daring, original, curious, audacious and magnetic. Here, you can steal the scene from dawn to dusk and long into the night, with its amplified collection of experiences.
By day, kick back poolside and soak up the Arabian sun at WET Deck, a place to see and be seen. When it’s time to fuel your appetite, head to Garage. A destination for taste seekers, epicureans, food truck groupies, the well-travelled palette and, of course the party reveller, there’s always something fun happening here. Plus, with views of the racetrack, you’ll be eating in good company. After, you can settle into a ‘treatment over the track’ at the SPA by W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island, with a 60-minute Abu Dhabi Soul massage, which blends essential oils recalling the spices and aromas of the Middle East. Amidst all the action, Abu Dhabi will take you on a cultural interlude, exploring the awe-inspiring Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the art-filled Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the sprawling mangroves – the other jewel in the capital’s crown.
FUELLING YOUR WEEKEND
A hotel that finds a whole new heartbeat after dark, the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island is as dynamic a party destination as they come. Start with a trackside brunch at Garage, then – with specially-crafted cocktail in hand – mix and mingle the evening away at W Lounge, as the resident DJ raises the roof with bold beats.
For those wanting to elevate their evening feasting, Amici brings the Mediterranean to the Middle East, with its elegant Italian cuisine with a Tuscan twist. Wherever you dine, just know that all good evenings end at WET Deck where, under Abu Dhabi’s starlit sky, you can sip, savour and say ‘cheers’ to an incredible weekend. When you’re (finally) ready to retire, there’s plenty of space to stay – and play – in one of the hotel’s Fabulous, WOW and E-Wow Suites. The latter spreads itself over two floors of ultimate luxury, where you can live it up in your private lap pool or sauna, or shake up a cocktail at the Mix Bar to sip under a chandelier of Swarovski lights as you toast your view. When it’s time to pull back the sheets, you can close your eyes safe in the knowledge that you’ll wake up to one of the best views in the world.
Photographer: Stepan Filenko
Stylist: Jade Chilton
Hair & Make-up: Julia Rada
Models: Mia and Adonis at Michelle Hay Management
Photographer's assistant: Slava Mir
Stylist's assistant: Monique Spearman
Editorial Producer: Emily Baxter-Priest
