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“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” Richard Bach

If you are looking for a good place to relax and chill with drinks, food and shisha combined with amazing extensive city and corniche views then the alfresco Azura Panoramic Lounge at the St Regis Abu Dhabi is just the place for you.

Set over three levels of terraces, Azura offers guests the opportunity to relax and enjoy the vista while the staff takes care of your every need. We dined on the upper terrace which has the best views from its elevated position. The low-lit lower terrace is the biggest with a wide range of seating options, from a mix of large comfy rattan day beds to more intimate seating. There is also an exclusive VIP deck that seats just ten guests, perfect for a small dinner party or gathering. The pool deck is located on the mid-level terrace along with the bar and also has small dining and lounge areas. The pool has semi-submerged day beds and cabanas that line the twenty metre infinity pool, equally impressive during the day and at night.

Azura has a great vibe with chilled out tunes helping to set the ambiance. The terraces are very popular with the capital’s shisha lovers, fifteen flavours are available so the air was filled with different fruity aromas and clouds of rising smoke on the night we visited.

The menu offers a range of both international and Arabic dishes with sharing plates, hot and cold mezze, sushi, salads, sandwiches, grills and desserts, not an extensive choice but more than enough options to suit most people and various dietary requirements. We enjoyed some vegetarian and lobster sushi, the later was beautifully presented in the form of a whole lobster complete with head and tail, its body the sushi part. We also had grilled garlic prawns, halloumi salad and desserts of a duo of chocolate and a tangy key lime cheesecake, all very fresh and tasty (see full menu here). There is also a wide range of drinks from cocktails, mocktails and premium brands to coffees and teas, I can thoroughly recommend the pomegranate mojito, a very refreshing choice.

Azura is a great place to take visitors for the views and a taste of Arabic traditional shisha. I was informed by the very friendly staff that the sunset views are the best from this raised venue so even if you have dinner reservations elsewhere in the hotel this would be the ideal spot for sunset pre-drinks and it’s Happy Hour too. Plan a visit soon before it’s too hot as it’s an outdoor only venue, although there are plenty of shaded areas.

Azura Panoramic Lounge

Location: The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, Nation Towers

Telephone: 02 694 4553

E-mail restaurants.abudhabi@stregis.com

Website: www.azuraabudhabi.com

Food and Bar Service –  Weekdays: 11:00am – 12:00am Weekends: 11:00am – 1:00am, Shisha Service 11:00am – 12:00am and Happy Hour 5:00pm – 8:00pm

I was invited to attend this review. All views are my own. Unless otherwise stated, all photos on this page © Jo Brett 2016. All rights reserved. Second set of four photos used courtesy of St Regis Abu Dhabi

Read more the St Regis Corniche in previous posts Bloody Mary Brunching and Modern Arabian Galleria