Round The World and other travel

Hotel 10

InterContinental, Abu Dhabi

This hotel, together with the Hilton Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, will go down as one of the great highlights of the trip, for the same reasons - a combination of a very nice hotel and absolutely top-notch standards of service. The hotel itself stands in its own grounds and, following a recent refurbishment, is a very nice place indeed. It features numerous restaurants, including the award-winning Fishmarket.

Even better was the standard of welcome and service that I received. I was upgraded to a fabulous 14th-floor suite with panoramic windows and a sea view. The day room had fresh flowers, a huge bowl of fresh fruit, an attractive box of dates and chocolates and, as a gift, a traveller's chess set. As if this weren't enough, I was given a very late checkout (6pm) on my day of departure, which suited my plans perfectly. Normal Royal Ambassador minibar privileges applied What makes much of this remarkable is that this was another award stay. That's right - it was a freebie, paid for with Priority Club points