Family travel snap: adventures in Abu Dhabi

This month our family travel snap carries us to the splendour of a marble-clad mosque in Abu Dhabi, with Lonely Planet magazine editor Peter Grunert and his family.

Here’s my daughter Savithri, aged seven, along with her mum Sharmila. They are pausing for a rest and learning from a guide whilst on a tour of the marvellous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Savithri is a well-travelled little girl but has never seen a building as intricate or spectacular as this one. In fact, neither have her parents!

Completed in 2007, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was the creation of designers, engineers and artisans from countries as diverse as the UAE, UK, China, India, Iran, Morocco, Italy and Germany. Our guide Fatima did such a fantastic job of revealing the mosque’s wonders in a way Savithri could relate to: the floral designs in semi-precious stones that swirl around the pillars of its central courtyard; a 15.5-metre-high chandelier in the form of a bejewelled date palm; the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet in the main prayer hall.

We wanted Savithri to have the chance to learn all about another culture and religion in a memorable way, ahead of the swimming, shopping and fun times in the desert that would follow on this trip. I was pleased (and a little surprised) to notice that on the flight home, she chose to switch from watching cartoons to an episode of the TV series Megastructures, about the drama behind the construction of this immense, incredibly ambitious monument.

We stopped by a shop selling dates and tried the many different varieties grown locally in Abu Dhabi in dried and fresh-off-the-palm-tree form. As this photo was taken, Savithri said: 'These fresh dates are so sweet and juicy! Where can we find them back home in London?'

1) The beautiful, horizon-to-horizon sand dunes of the Rub’ al Khali – also known as the Empty Quarter – are an easy one-and-a-half-hour drive from where most people live and stay in Abu Dhabi. With kids, be sure to avoid the vicious heat of summer. We found opportunities to stroll, cycle, drive in a Land Cruiser and even sand board in the desert, plus a first for all three of us: to ride a camel. Our camel handler shared the tip that parents should trust their kids to keep hold of the handles on a camel’s saddle; it’s always the parents sat behind who forget to hold on and slide off the back while trying to grapple with their kids.

2) It’s taken me a while to appreciate that well-organised family resorts can provide the best foundation for stretching young kids’ boundaries. At the clean and extremely welcoming Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas on Saadiyat Island, Savithri played on a beach visited by wild bottlenose dolphins, enjoyed topping up her swimming skills and – at her own pace – got to try several delicious Emirati and Indian dishes from the buffet each evening.

We have our eyes on a farm stay in north Cornwall, England – one where our miniature poodle Kitty will be welcome too.

When we shut the front door ready to go and travel as a family, we always make sure we have…

…several food bags in our pockets. They’re ideal for collecting together the treats and tiny souvenirs kids love finding along the way, and to have just in case car sickness strikes halfway through a drive over rolling sand dunes!

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