The plane buzzed over the hotel, so close people inside could hear the engines.
It then circled back over the town before landing at a rudimentary airstrip lined by oil drums.
This was how people called a “taxi” in 1960s Abu Dhabi.
“The pilot used to ‘beat up’ the hotel, flying low … to ‘tell’ them he had arrived,” said David Riley, a British national who lived in Abu Dhabi in the early 1960s, with a chuckle. “So the hotel would know to send a car out to collect him.”
The Beach Hotel was Abu Dhabi’s first. Completed by a Lebanese firm, Construction and Trading Company, in 1962, it was a striking blue and cream building on the shore. It had more than 20 rooms, a bar, air-conditioning and even live music — unthinkable luxuries just a few years earlier.
“The 25-room hotel … was considered a significant achievement of which Abu Dhabians were very proud,” wrote Mohammed Al Fahim, in From Rags to Riches: A Story of Abu Dhabi. “It even had electricity provided by a generator.”
First hotel signals change
Abu Dhabi was now at the tipping point. It still did not have proper roads, a port or a reliable water supply. Electricity shortages were common. But a stream of oilmen, diplomats, business people, adventure seekers and pioneers were arriving on the back of the 1958 oil discovery. Change was coming.
“Most important of all, of course, was the change in Abu Dhabi,” wrote British journalist, David Holden, in his 1966 book, Farewell to Arabia, that detailed his travels in the region as oil upturned the old order. “Outwardly it was only a small and hesitant change,” said Holden. “There was a new hotel, with a Greek manager from Alexandria and a chef paid 300 pounds a month.”
Small and hesitant it may have been but Holden instinctively grasped what the arrival of Beach Hotel meant. Now suited visitors checked the latest mail and newspapers that arrived on the daily plane from Bahrain, while freewheeling aviators working on the oilfields caught up on the latest gossip in the lobby. The era of barasti huts was over.
“It was cool and dark inside the reception,” said Michael Stokes, who visited the hotel with his father, a pilot for Gulf Aviation, in the mid-1960s. “There were vinyl covered armchairs and settees with low coffee tables. Windows had net coverings to deflect the glare of the sun.”
The hotel’s Dh10 Friday curry lunches became legendary. And the other food?
“Desserts were mostly tinned,” said Mr Stokes. “However, the chefs would love to do battered, deep fried bananas drowned in condensed sweet milk.
“I also recall canned beef sausages. But there were weevils in the cereals that floated out when drowned in the milk.”
A glimpse into the past
Remarkable photographs taken of him then show an Abu Dhabi frozen in time. It was a lost world of coral stone homes, palm frond huts and sand roads. One striking picture shows Mr Stokes, then just 8, standing outside the hotel surrounded by nothing but sand and sea. Others show him on the hotel’s roof, with unobstructed views to Qasr Al Hosn and Saadiyat Island.
Beach Hotel also played host to some unusual events and characters. Mr Riley recalls the same pilot who buzzed the hotel helping to save the life of an injured oil worker in one of the desert camps, who was then brought to Abu Dhabi in the dark. But Abu Dhabi’s airstrip was not floodlit.
“He reckoned he could take off with Land Rovers lighting the strip,” said Mr Riley. “Very quickly about six people drove to the strip, turned on their lights and he took off. He flew straight to Bahrain. It saved the guy’s life.”
The hotel, however, remained out of reach for many Emiratis both because of the cost and distance from the town. “A soft drink at the hotel cost three rupees, four times the price we paid for a drink at the souq,” wrote Mr Al Fahim. “A four-wheel drive vehicle was required to get there, making it less accessible to the locals, many of whom still did not have motorised transportation.”
Business booms in 'paradise'
After Sheikh Zayed took over as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, this all changed, the pace of development stepped up and the effect on the Beach Hotel was instant. The manager had to add beds in the corridors and dining room to cope with the incessant demand.
“Nevertheless, the visitors actively cultivated his friendship,” wrote Mr Al Fahim. “They feared being put on his blacklist. Having to spend the night in the back seat of a taxi parked on a secluded area of the beach was a fate they all wished to avoid.”
The hotel, which cost about Dh150 a night, grew in reputation. A new Lebanese manager modernised the service and food and it was a firm favourite for residents in the city — particularly the restaurant.
“The restaurant was the Zuma of the 1970s,” said Selim El Zyr, the co-founder of Rotana Hotels who remembers going there then, referring to the popular Japanese eatery of today's UAE. “It was the place to go if you wanted paradise as it had air-conditioning and entertainment.”
Competition heats up
But the Beach Hotel’s supremacy was not to last. The Al Ain Palace was completed in 1967 and the city’s first five star, Hilton Abu Dhabi, in 1973. Sheikh Zayed personally opened the Hilton and the crowds drifted there.
“Only a row of villas, thorn trees and ornamental palms separates the Al Ain [Palace] from the older Beach Hotel,” wrote Michael Tomkinson in his 1975 book, The United Arab Emirates: An Insight and a Guide. “This is the doyen of Abu Dhabi.”
The hotel closed in the mid-1970s with larger plans in place for the area. For a few years it stood abandoned on the sea front and its floors echoed to the sounds of long departed guests.
“The place was in a state of disarray,” said Ibrahim Al Alawi, who grew up in Abu Dhabi and recalls playing as a 10-year-old around the abandoned hotel in the mid-1970s. “The windows and doors had already been removed but they hadn't started tearing it down yet.”
Beach Hotel was demolished soon after and Sheraton Abu Dhabi opened close to the same spot in 1979. It is still there, ensuring a degree of continuity with old Abu Dhabi. Today five-star hotels from Rotana, Jumeirah and the landmark Emirates Palace have turned Abu Dhabi into a major tourist destination. But Beach Hotel started it all.
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
More from Aya Iskandarani
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Naga
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
