If you book the wrong hotel

In the polished marble floor, I saw myself reflected. The sand was white, the sea had a somewhat tropical green-blue hue that I saw from the corner of my eye, and the woman behind the large desk really said it: ‘This is the wrong hotel.’ Excuse me, what do you mean the wrong hotel? This is Abu Dhabi. This is the St. Regis. I booked this on the site of our great gathering friends.

 
Around March, we try to head down towards Asia, a trip to the United Arab Emirates to visit friends. To get them out of their home situation for a bit, we book one or two nights away from home for a better vacation experience. Last year we went to Bab Al Shams, right in the desert (tip tip tip), and this year it had to be Abu Dhabi. Because there, the beach was like sitting on a tropical island with your butt. Since such a situation sketch does not leave me untouched, I booked two rooms. But The St. Regis turned out not to be The St. Regis. In the United Arab Emirates, they simply put two hotels with the same name in one city, which works so conveniently. You breathe in, you breathe out, glance at the woman behind the gigantic mahogany desk and think of the solution: The St. Regis is The St. Regis and because it's the same company, we will wash that pig (read: the lady behind the desk) for a bit. Rebooking shouldn't be a problem, right? Yes, it is. Because one St. Regis is not the other there, and the two in question had nothing to do with each other. Oh. My. God.
 
My best friend was sitting in the chair opposite me and started laughing very hard while I wanted to dig a deep hole in that white sand to lie down in. But there we went again, without any resolution. The cars out of valet parking again, the suitcases in the trunk, and off to the downtown St. Regis. That one in a gigantic tower, in the middle of that busy city, where there was indeed also a beach. I had never squeezed my buttocks so firmly as during that ride. I was hot, and I was also a bit short of breath. Breathing got better when I walked into the lobby, the sweaty hands disappeared when I fell onto my king-size bed, the smile came when I discovered the pool and white beach, and I dared to laugh out loud when I got a service button next to my beach bed.
 

What do you have from my hotel mistake?

 
1. You can hardly book a ‘wrong’ hotel in the UAE, because almost everything is five stars or more. You do have to book in that category, by the way, I don't vouch for four-star or three-star. But with my ‘mistake’, I got a butler who prepared my slippers for me and a plate of chocolate at the foot of my ridiculous bed. A marble tunnel led to a beach bar with lime lemonade and green quesadillas with cheese, and on my beach bed, I enjoyed a cocktail at sunset.
 
2. In Abu Dhabi, you have two St. Regises. One is next to the Louvre on Saadiyat Island and has a ridiculous 1001-nights and tropical vibe, the other is a cloud-kissing tower in downtown. That downtown has a bizarrely beautiful beach, an absurdly stylish pool, and you can lounge on Ibiza-like beds. The hotel has the best Italian restaurant in Abu Dhabi, you have a nice lounge where you can smoke shisha (didn't do it, I quit), and it overlooks a copy of the Atlantis The Palm hotel from Dubai. Booking the wrong hotel can be a good decision.
 
3. No matter how many stars you book, in the UAE you pay for the minibar. I speak from experience, because my friend and I had thoroughly plundered it. Aiaiaiai, never drank such an expensive Peroni.
 
4. Abu Dhabi is worth a visit if you're in the area. The city feels (I think) more original than Dubai, where everything is a bit constructed and inflated. And I'm not just talking about the buildings and beaches.
 
5. Booking an ‘outing’ during a vacation feels like a vacation times two. Even if you book the wrong hotel, in the wrong tower, at the incorrect beach. Then you really have a surprise on your hands.
 
Next time we will go to the other St. Regis on Saadiyat Island, next to the Louvre. In Abu Dhabi, yes.