Seriously fun

When I first mentioned I was going to Al Ain, I was surprised by how many people envyingly suggested I spend the whole weekend at the beach. For those who don't know, there is no beach in Al Ain.

But what Al Ain — known as the UAE's garden city — lacks in stretches of golden coast, it more than makes up in greens, stunning sights and cultural pursuits.

This is what my friend and I had in mind as we arrived at the Hilton Al Ain, placed in the heart of the city — close to the numerous forts, Hili archaeological garden, oases and museums.

We arrived at the hotel at 3pm and were shown straight to our room. The hotel — which is unassuming from the front — hides an attractive cluster of chalets situated around a spacious leisure pool and a lap pool, which are both great sun traps.

Chalet luxury

Even though we were staying for just one night, we opted for a chalet, which contained a small kitchen for longer, self-catering holidays.

Others included terraces and balconies, so there are plenty of options to suit your needs. There are also rooms inside the hotel but we chose a chalet because — let's face it — it just feels that little bit more like a luxury holiday, doesn't it?

After setting down our luggage, we decided to brainstorm about our Al Ain itinerary by the pool — always the best place to get some hard-thinking done.

Gathering our guidebooks of Abu Dhabi as we sipped mocktails, we discussed various sightseeing options — the camel market, the Palace Museum and the Jahili Fort.

After much deliberation, we decided to theme our weekend on being thoroughly childish. We opted for the zoo.

Al Ain Wildlife Park has reopened its night zoo for the summer, so it's now open from 10am-10pm.

We headed down at 6pm and took our rumbling stomachs straight to the fast food restaurant for a burger and chips — a late lunch.

It was our second visit to the zoo, so, feeling sated, we headed off to the big-cat section, which we had missed on our last visit.

To our horror, they were just closing the gates as we arrived and no sweet-talking would gain us access (believe me, I tried). So I advise you arrive before 6.30pm if you want to see the bears, pumas, panthers and tigers.

Wild wonder

The zoo is beautiful. Spacious and well set out, as the Sun began to set, the disappointment of the big cats faded. We stomped around the rest of the zoo as darkness fell.

Viewing wolves, hyenas, Arabian leopards, lions and a stunning enclosure of giraffes and zebras at night turns it into a totally different experience.

We even heard the lioness roaring — something I have never encountered during countless daytime zoo visits.

At 8pm, we headed back to our room. Not quite having room for a three-course meal, we watched a film until we had made a bit of space for dinner.

We opted for Casa Romana, a small Italian restaurant just off the lobby decorated as a Tuscan terrace.

Don't think intimate and romantic — as with all the best that's Italian, it's a great venue for a lively dinner — think loud conversations with much gesticulating, perfect for a get-together with friends.

Go Italian

The new menu is bursting with pasta classics, pizza and brilliantly executed Italian dishes, which include the sizeable salmon steak my pal opted for.

Despite the burgers we had had earlier, we found room for a three-course meal of seafood salad, penne arrabiata (which, when my friend tasted, insisted was the best he had ever had) and dessert.

After the lights went out, we took our leave and headed to bed — not quite feeling lively enough to sample the hotel's bustling venues — Paco's TexMex Restaurant and Hiltonis Sports lounge.

Bursting with breakfast

I have a built-in alarm clock when I stay at hotels and as 8am rolled around, I was up, dressed and ready for a buffet breakfast.

We were assured by the staff that the Hilton breakfast in Flavours is the best in the area and it's difficult to see how it could be beaten.

If you're watching your weight, looking for a low-carb breakfast or thinking of a high-energy start to your day, everything is colour-coded for your convenience.

We, however, shunned the fruit, yoghurt and cereal and piled our plates with a not-very-grown-up selection of waffles and chocolate sauce, pastries with lots of jam, hash browns, beans and omelettes for a truly gluttonous feast.

Afterwards, feeling a little too delicate to move much, we decided to explore the pool area a bit more, with some lounging, swimming through the waterfalls and sliding down the kids' flume.

Hill of fame

As 2pm rolled around, we packed our bags for a late check-out and decided to head up Jebel Hafeet — the tallest mountain in the country — for what is said to be one of the best drives in the world.

In our manual drive car, we tackled the thrilling 60-plus bends to the 4,000-foot peak, grinning like idiots.

On a clear day, the peak offers excellent views of Al Ain, the surrounding sand dunes and a peak over the nearby border into Oman.

So make sure you pack your camera. It's also a great place to go to escape the heat, as it's about 8 degrees cooler up there and significantly breezier! On the drive down, we hunted for the elusive hot springs we had been told about by several of the hotel staff.

We couldn't find them, so we consoled ourselves by pulling over at a rest area on the way home for a quick play in Al Ain's red sand dunes as our last act of silliness before we arrived home in Dubai.