The question EVERYONE keeps asking me .......

........ can you get a drink in Abu Dhabi!

It's not like many people think, drinking in Abu Dhabi is not really an issue. Saying that, there are no stand alone pubs, the only places that have licences to sell alcohol are bars in hotels. Also, stand alone restaurants don't serve alcohol, the only restaurants that serve booze are again in hotels, and there's enough choice of both in the hotels. You don't see drunk people walking around the streets, for 3 reasons, first it's too hot (even at night) to walk the streets, secondly a taxi ride in Abu Dhabi costs between 5 and 10 dirhams (80p-1.60) so you can go from one bar to another next to nothing, and thirdly, out of respect for local customs, you don't want to be seen to be drunk.

Getting booze for home is a bit different. You have two options, firstly duty free at the airport on the way in (if ever anyone visits me, two bottles of white and two bottles of rose please oh and 400 marlboro lights). Secondly, there's the off license. Now these are few and far between. I have seen 2 in the whole of AD so far, called African and Eastern, one (thankfully) round the corner from my flat. You can't tell from the outside what they are, the signs don't say off license, the windows have permanently closed blinds, the doors are solid wood and you can't see inside. However once you get in, it's just like a Threshers. To buy alcohol, you really have to have a your own alcohol license, but each time I've been so far no one has asked. However if you get stopped by the police carrying alcohol and you haven't got a license, then it's off for a few days at His Highness' Pleasure! When you get the booze, they put it in discreet thick plain black carrier bags, which defeats the object as everyone knows what you are carrying. Even walking back to the flat with a couple of bags, you feel a bit awkward, so it's advised to drive there and back, even if it is just around the corner.

To be fair though you can't really complain, the Emiratis tolerate our desire for booze, and in return the least we can do is respect their customs, and not flaunt it in their face!