It’s not just home to the world’s only 8-star hotel—Abu Dhabi’s Louvre Museum officially opens on November 11

▲The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi is decorated with 30 tons of 24K gold and is touted as the world’s only 8-star hotel. (Photo / Provided by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, the same applies below)

Reported by Peng Huaiyu, Taipei

Most Taiwanese people don’t know much about Abu Dhabi. Many get a glimpse through the movie *Sex and the City 2*, where it’s mentioned that “Dubai is the past, Abu Dhabi is the future”—and that’s actually true. The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi is decorated with 30 tons of 24K gold and is touted as the world’s only 8-star hotel. Today (the 7th), the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority revealed that the “Louvre Abu Dhabi” will officially open on November 11 this year.

Luo Wei, General Manager of the Greater China Region at the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, stated that the Louvre Abu Dhabi will officially open to the public on November 11, 2017. It is expected to permanently lease galleries and exhibition works from French museums over the next 10 years. According to Xinhua News Agency, 600 artworks will be displayed in the first year, with 300 of them loaned from 13 French museums, covering an area of approximately 24,000 square meters.

Additionally, the Warner Bros. World theme park is located on Yas Island, featuring Marvel superhero characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, with the first phase set to open in 2018.

▲Visitors can ride camels on the beach at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Luo Wei mentioned that from January to July 2017, approximately 1,442 travelers holding Taiwanese passports stayed in hotels in Abu Dhabi, with an average stay of 1.58 days. Given the previous success of Dubai tourism, Luo Wei noted that viewing Abu Dhabi through the lens of Dubai is like comparing an older brother to a younger one, expressing considerable optimism about Abu Dhabi’s tourism prospects. In the future, tailored premium package tours for groups will also be offered.

▲The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi is even more luxurious than Dubai’s seven-star Burj Al Arab.

More luxurious than Dubai’s seven-star Burj Al Arab, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, located on the city’s beach, cost $3 billion to build and is adorned with 30 tons of 24K gold, earning it the title of the world’s only 8-star hotel. The hotel features a classical Arabic palace architectural style, resembling a mosque, and has 394 guest rooms in total, with each suite spanning over 55 square meters. Seven attendants are on standby outside each suite 24 hours a day, and the property boasts over 1,300 meters of private white-sand beach.

▲The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi has over 1,300 meters of private white-sand beach.

Many people’s impression of luxury travel in the Middle East stops at Dubai, but few realize that the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and covers 86% of the country’s land area. It boasts abundant tourism resources, including vast oil reserves, islands, deserts, oases, and mountains.

Cola Travel offers a 7-day small-group Abu Dhabi tour for 4 people, starting at NT$117,900. Independent travelers can take a direct flight with Emirates Airlines to Dubai and then drive for just one hour to reach Abu Dhabi.