• Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA
  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra and rest of Australia

Sue's Fabulous Travels

~ around China and other countries

Sue's Fabulous Travels

Tag Archives: Intercontinental Hotel

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront – Cape Town (1) – South Africa – September 2019

08 Friday Nov 2019

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels outside China

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Cape Town, Cape Wheel, Intercontinental Hotel, South Africa, Table Bay Hotel, Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront

What a city!!

fullsizeoutput_8e1.jpegI arrived into Johannesburg after a fourteen-hour flight from Sydney  (thanks Qantas).  I had an overnight stay in Johannesburg and my friends who live in Pretoria advised me for safety reasons not to leave the hotel, so I didn’t …nor did I need to.  I arrived around 3pm and left the next day at 8am.  I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel and having jet lag was up at 3.30am at the gym after which I took a seat to relax overlooking the indoor pool.fullsizeoutput_8e2Next day I head off to CapeTown on South African Airways (lovely airline) and went straight to the Table Bay Hotel on the Victoria & Albert Waterfront colloquially known as the V&A Waterfront.  The waterfront is situated on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and comprises residential and commercial properties, hotels, retail stores and dining.  It’s a huge area with over twenty-three million visitor every year.fullsizeoutput_8e0I sat out the back of the hotel once I had checked in as my room was not ready and enjoyed great views of Table Mountain the flat topped mountain that you can hike or take the cable car to the top for stunning views all over Cape Town.fullsizeoutput_8fafullsizeoutput_8e5There are quality statues all around the waterfront and the coolest are the ‘crash’ of  life size sculptures of rhinoceros found all around the complex; there to bring the world’s attention to the plight of Southern Africa’s endangered real rhinos.  Each is painted by artists from South Africa’s creative communities who benefit by having their work exhibited and appreciated by visitors.fullsizeoutput_8f2

fullsizeoutput_8ee
fullsizeoutput_8eb

IMG_6857

fullsizeoutput_8f0
fullsizeoutput_8ea

fullsizeoutput_8efWhilst the waterfront is still technically a working harbour with fishing boats and container ships, these days it caters more for visitors with waterfront restaurants and cafes, shops and markets.  On my first day, I walked past this lovely looking restaurant and decided to make a booking. It was a seafood restaurant but as I loved the look of it, the waiter said the chef could definitely make me a vegan dish and he did; a delicious plate of warm vegetables which I enjoyed with a glass of South African Sauvignon Blanc and finally finished a book I had started some time ago whilst in China.fullsizeoutput_8e3.jpegfullsizeoutput_8e6fullsizeoutput_8e9fullsizeoutput_8e7The V&A Waterfront is divided up into five different shopping districts: Victoria Wharf, The Watershed, The Alfred Mall and Pierhead, The Clock Tower, and Breakwater Point. There are more than 450 stores selling everything from local designers to international brands.  Also the V&A Food Market was a wonderful place to spend an hour or more with so much to buy; great smells and yummy food.  I bought a delicious vegan chocolate cake and some warm cashews.  The Clock Tower was a particularly lovely structure as were the buildings all around the complex.

fullsizeoutput_8f7
fullsizeoutput_8f8

fullsizeoutput_8f9IMG_6896Late one afternoon I took a ride on the Cape Wheel to get a 360-degree panoramic view of Cape Town.  The cabins are fully enclosed and air- conditioned and takes about fifteen-minutes for a four-revolution ride.fullsizeoutput_8fbfullsizeoutput_8f3fullsizeoutput_8f4The waterfront has many lovely places to sit and relax.  Each day I had something planned which included the hop-on-hop-off bus, walking through the Botanical Gardens, driving along the coastline, boat ride to Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned, photographing the coloured houses of Bo Kaap and a day trip to the National Park and the Cape of Good Hope which is the rocky headland on the Atlantic Coast (but more on these later). Then after a busy day I would walk around the waterfront to ensure I reached my 12,000 step minimum looking at various sculptures and wall graffiti along the way then finding a different place each day to enjoy a drink and snack.IMG_6859.jpgfullsizeoutput_8ecfullsizeoutput_8f6IMG_6812I did dine at a South African restaurant but unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with my meal; one forkful and I didn’t eat the rest!  I think when you see the photo you will understand why!fullsizeoutput_8fcfullsizeoutput_8fdBut apart from this one and only bad meal, I loved Cape Town and would recommend it to anyone visiting South Africa…it’s fabulous!

Intercontinental Hotel – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates – July 2017

23 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels outside China

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Abu Dhabi, family, Intercontinental Hotel, United Arab Emirates

Stopover at a great hotel in Abu Dhabi!

Image 140

On the way back to Australia from a trip to the UK, my brother, nephew and I made a two night stop in Abu Dhabi and chose the Intercontinental Hotel – great place to stay!

On our first night I went for a walk outside; silly thing to do – it was over 40 degrees but got to see great views of the skyline and lovely boats!!Image 130Image 1Image 2The hotel has a couple of upmarket restaurants and a buffet which is where we had our breakfast and lunch each day…so much choice – I usually had eggs on toast for breakfast and a cup of peppermint tea – a great way to start the day.Image 126Image 127Image 128My usual choice for lunch was the hummus/tabbouli/vine leaves/Arabic flat bread and a delicious fattoush (salad with mixed greens and tomato).Image 125On occasions we would sit in the foyer and chat and I would take the opportunity to prepare my photos for my posts…Image 153Image 49Image 51One afternoon we enjoyed a late lunch in the foyer cafe after we completed a ride on the hop on-hop off bus, around the city.  We ordered two burgers [Mark and Braydon] /fries [to share] and a salad [me] and vegetable samosas [to share] with coffee/wine and a couple of soft-drinks – oh my goodness I forgot how much hotel lobby cafes charge – it was incredibly expensive but good food and allowed us to relax in the air-conditioning so for us it was worth it.Image 157Image 159

Image 162
Image 161
Image 160

Whilst we were on the bus, we got to see the city and surrounds but we didn’t get off as it was midday and the temperature was incredibly high.Image 42Image 142Image 25My nephew and brother would then take a dip in the pool whilst I would sit on the lounge chair in the shade with a little esky which the staff provide that contains ice and a cold bottle of water.  We didn’t last that long though as again it was so hot.Image 145Image 151Image 152There is also a great gym which overlooks a lovely beach area within the hotel gardens…Image 137Image 136Great cakes and pastries too…we tried a few of the Arabic sweets – delicious.Image 154Image 155Image 156The rooms were also good; spacious with wi-fi all throughout the hotel…it was a great place to stopover on our way home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates – July 2017

15 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels outside China

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Abu Dhabi, Intercontinental Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, sunset, UAE

Watching the sun set over the Grand Mosque

Image 165Before even arriving in Abu Dhabi, I knew I wanted to see the Grand Mosque.  It’s a spectacular building that took approximately ten to twelve years to build, depending on which website you read.  The wonderful concierge at the Intercontinental Hotel told us the best time to visit, for two reasons; 5pm – firstly to watch the sunset and secondly it’s said not to be as hot as during the middle of the day (she was sort of wrong – it was awfully hot and having to wear a scarf over my head and shoulders only made me more hot!).

It’s a truly stunning building both on the outside…Image 180Image 178

And the inside…Image 4Image 36Image 42

This is one of the largest mosques in the world and can accommodate approximately 41,000 worshippers with just over 7000 fitting in the main prayer hall. The carpet in the main prayer hall is said to be the largest single piece of handmade carpet in the world. It took approximately two years to create, using wool from New Zealand and Iran.  Its estimated value is about $30 million USD.Image 17

The Mosque contains seven chandeliers, each are made up of millions of Swarovski crystals. The largest of these is the second largest in the world; they really are stunning.Image 15Image 11

There are ninety-six marble pillars in the main prayer hall, each inlaid with mother of pearl.   Everything in this Mosque is truly beautiful and a sight to see…ImageImage 32Image 34
The Mosque is beautiful to see during the evening as it turns a blue colour after sunset. Image 44Image 61Image 168Image 63

During the day it’s beautiful too…Image 45

A definite place to visit if you are in Abu Dhabi.

 

 

 

Recent Posts

  • A visit to Ulladulla (2) – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • A visit to Ulladulla – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • Vegan High Tea – Alibi Bar & Kitchen – Ovolo Hotel – Woolloomooloo – Sydney – New Wales- Australia – July 2022
  • Tea Connoisseur – Civic – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – June 2022
  • Brisbane & Yeppoon – Queensland – Australia – May 2022

Recent Comments

Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla – N…
Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Little Miss Travelle… on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Gary on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on A visit to Ulladulla – N…

Archives

  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Follow Sue's Fabulous Travels on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,296 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • A visit to Ulladulla (2) – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • A visit to Ulladulla – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • Vegan High Tea – Alibi Bar & Kitchen – Ovolo Hotel – Woolloomooloo – Sydney – New Wales- Australia – July 2022
  • Tea Connoisseur – Civic – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – June 2022
  • Brisbane & Yeppoon – Queensland – Australia – May 2022

Recent Comments

Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla – N…
Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Little Miss Travelle… on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Gary on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on A visit to Ulladulla – N…

Archives

  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • A visit to Ulladulla (2) – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • A visit to Ulladulla – New South Wales – Australia – September 2022
  • Vegan High Tea – Alibi Bar & Kitchen – Ovolo Hotel – Woolloomooloo – Sydney – New Wales- Australia – July 2022
  • Tea Connoisseur – Civic – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – June 2022
  • Brisbane & Yeppoon – Queensland – Australia – May 2022

Recent Comments

Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla – N…
Cherryl on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Little Miss Travelle… on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
Gary on A visit to Ulladulla (2)…
SueT唐 梦 琇 on A visit to Ulladulla – N…

Archives

  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015

Categories

  • Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney
  • Travels inside China
  • Travels outside China
  • Travels USA

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Sue's Fabulous Travels
    • Join 1,296 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Sue's Fabulous Travels
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.