Festive season is here! And there’s no better place to experience it than at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal. This luxury resort has created a wonderful mix of classic European traditions and local culture to create a unique celebration. With beautiful Venetian-style architecture and breathtaking views of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the resort will be decorated beautifully with festive music playing throughout the property. In addition, the resort will have an enormous hand-crafted gingerbread village. In addition to all of this, the resort will introduce Austria’s famous Pirker Lebkuchen. These traditional spiced honey cakes have been made by the same family recipe since 1846 (the recipe dates back to 1826). They contain cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. As you know, many of these spices were originally traded from the Middle East to Europe and became common ingredients in holiday baking. It is fitting that they will now be enjoyed in Abu Dhabi during the holiday season.
Holiday afternoons start off at Alba with Festive High Tea which is available every day from mid-December until early January. High tea includes fine teas and pastries along with delicious savory treats. It provides a peaceful atmosphere for friends/family to relax and chat before getting busy with work/holidays. Younger guests can participate in building gingerbread houses at Giornotte. Pastry chefs will guide them as they use marshmallows, candy canes and other treats to create their very own gingerbread house. If you plan on hosting a gathering at home, the resort’s Culinary Team will provide you with everything you need for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. You can order a whole roasted turkey along with stuffing, gravy and roasted winter root vegetables. Simply place your order two days prior to your event and the resort will deliver it to your door so you don’t have to worry about anything else.
The resort offers several different types of dining experiences based upon your preference. Giornotte will offer both a Christmas Brunch and Dinner on Christmas Eve/Day. Both events will feature a variety of items including wagyu beef, fresh oysters, pasta cooked right in front of you and holiday roast meats. Guests may choose to dine inside the villa-styled dining area or outside on the patio. For those looking for something less chaotic but equally enjoyable, The Forge will serve an exclusive five-course meal featuring prime cuts of meat and custom-made wine pairings. Li Jiang, one of the resort’s highly regarded restaurants, will present contemporary Asian cuisine while listening to a DJ play music over the speakers while viewing the illuminated Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Lastly, Mijana will add some Middle Eastern flavor to the holiday season through special menus and live oud performances.
On New Year’s Eve, the resort will host a large-scale outdoor gala party along Giornotte’s palm lined walkway. There will be multiple food stations serving various dishes, champagne and cocktails being poured and live music/entertainment until after midnight when guests move onto Sorso for an after-party. Li Jiang will also be hosting a private six-course dinner counting down to midnight while enjoying panoramic views of the canal. If you’re thinking about spending a long weekend away, the resort has created multi-night stay packages that include room accommodation, daily breakfast and admission to the gala dinner. After the festivities end in December, the resort will continue celebrating with Orthodox Christmas dinners at Giornotte. Some favorites include borscht, veal pelmeni, blinis topped with red caviar and layering Medovik honey cake with family members.
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