Saray Spa, Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi

At the opening of the Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi hotel late last year, I managed to win myself a prize, and I never win anything so that was pretty exciting. It was even better when I realised I was able to visit the spa for a treatment, as I do love nothing better than a bit of spa indulgence :)

So I was booked in for a 90 minute rather intriguing sounding 'Arabic Coffee Awakener', and off I went to visit the Saray Spa at the hotel. 

I had no idea what to expect, and I'd have never chosen the Arabic Coffee Awakener for myself if I'd seen it on the treatment list, so it really made a nice change to try something new.

The spa is located on the 24th floor of the hotel in the city, and has great views across the island.

It's not one of the largest spas in town, nor one of the most exotic, but being on such a high floor, it was certainly a peaceful and welcoming environment.

When I was ushered into my treatment room, I saw that it was also a room with an impressive view. The therapist offered to close the curtains, but I opted to keep them open. It seemed a shame to close the view out and it wasn't as though anyone would be able to see in.

And quite honestly, there was also something a little liberating about lying there having a spa treatment in a state of undress with the curtains open in front of the city..! The only thing that was perhaps missing was a mirror - it would be great if they had mirrors under the massage table face hole so that you could admire the view throughout the treatment! I once went to an underwater spa in the Maldives where they had mirrors in that position so you could still watch the fish, which was superb!

But onto the treatment - the Arabic Coffee Awakener encompassed a full body Arabic coffee scrub, followed by the application of dead sea mud with coffee mud to soothe the skin (and coffee is well-known to improve the appearance of cellulite when applied on the skin, hurrah!), and then finally a massage to top it all off (after showering the mud off of course).

As I mentioned, I'd never have thought to have picked this treatment for myself but I'm so glad I had the chance to try it. There's something especially decadent (and arguably lazy) about having a body scrub done by someone else, though as a mum who barely has time for five minutes in the shower these days, it was a very welcome and actually rather soothing experience.

What I hadn't bargained for was just how relaxing being drenched in mud and cocooned in plastic would be... The warmth of the heated massage bed helped, but on being left for what was probably only 10 minutes or so, afterwards I genuinely felt as though I'd had a good night's sleep! The feeling reminded me of those cold winter mornings back in the UK, when you're all warm and snug in bed and are so comfy you can't bear to get out into the cold - it was really surprisingly lovely. And all that finished off with an excellent massage, I felt like a new me!

Now as I mentioned, I am fond of a spa treatment, but I was really surprised how good I felt after this one - I don't think I've felt quite so relaxed and content after a treatment in a while. The therapist was evidently talented - her hands were like a homing device to the most stiff muscles without even a word of explanation necessary.

There are so many spas to choose from in the city, unless you're staying in the hotel itself, the choice can be overwhelming, but the Saray Spa has an excellent range of treatments, not just the usual massages but plenty more indulgent body treatments like the one I received. If you're looking for a spa that's central, with a view, great service and pretty reasonable prices to boot, do take a look at this one.