Yas Island - the Playground of Abu Dhabi

After my warm-up drive to Saadiyat Island, I took on a destination a bit further afield -- Yas Island.  

I used the same highway to Saadiyat Island, just had to dig my foot a bit deeper into the gas pedal and for a bit longer.  The speed limit of the E12 highway increased to 120 km/hr once it passed Al Jubail Island.  Traffic was quiet on this part of the road, therefore it was a more relaxing route to drive on with the endless sea on my left. (Sorry! No photos! I would be a totally irresponsible driver if I managed to take any photos while driving on the highway!)

Both Saadiyat and Yas islands are essentially residential property projects with different wrappings.  The former is a sandbank-turned-cultural island with all the impressive art museum(s) and even a branch of New York University was put in there to add to the cultural side of things, while the latter is a man-made island which has been given the entertainment hat. 

Yas Island looks like a chalice: all the hotels are located in the stem at the bottom while the major attractions are in the middle of the cup around Yas Mall.

The first attraction to arrive on Yas Island in 2009 was the Grand Prix F1 Circuit at Yas Marina, followed by the Ferrari World theme park in 2010. 

The entrance hall of the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is more like a tame family-oriented theme park with rides and "drives" for all ages.  Their so-called "Driving Experience" is merely a Ferrari California rental for driving on the public road under the guidance/surveillance of an instructor.  Comparing to the AED 295 park entrance fee and the extra AED 695 for the Ferrari's "Driving Experience", the offer next door at the F1 Circuit looks more enticing and authentic.  

The "DriveYAS" experience at Yas Marina Circuit is the real McCoy where one can actually drive a Formula One race car (or other fast cars) on the real F1 race track (for as low as AED 690 in a Chevrolet Camaro).  "Grown-up" boys would love this!

Inside the Yas Mall

Yas Mall, which opened in 2014, is Abu Dhabi's answer to the Dubai Mall (which of course is in Dubai, is the largest shopping mall in the world by total area), the biggest shopping mall in Abu Dhabi and the second-largest in the whole of the UAE.  If any luxury brand is to set up one shop only in Abu Dhabi, they will put it in here.  This makes me think that the shops here are mainly targeting visitors to the theme parks because the island is not really populated (at least not yet) nor is it close to any populated areas.  Hence, the whole mall looks very quiet during the week. On the bright side though, the Sheikh shops here!

However, one funny thing happened when I asked at the information counter about the hanging arts from the ceilings -- nobody knew the answer.  I had to go onto the Internet myself to find out that they are actually Peter Gentenaar's paper sculptures.

Gentenaar's artwork made of papyrus pulp

There are other attractions on the island which are not exactly my cup of tea, such as Yas Links, the golf club; Yas Waterworld and the soon-to-be-opened Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi.  However, since the entertainment establishments on this island are all under ten years' old, their glitter should still be intact for a glorious family vacation for some, I guess.