I’ve been to a place as hot as hell and lived to tell the tale. Taking a walk on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in the middle of July – their summer – is an act for the brave. On the clean and palm tree-lined streets you will, at 46°C in the shade, get your brains fried, literally, not to mention what the heat would do to other parts of your anatomy.
It was with the greatest of relief that, after a walk of 100m, I rushed back, heeded the advice of hotel staff and took a taxi to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. Five minutes later, I stepped into a place that was both the biggest – and coolest – indoor theme park I have ever seen.
If you ever wondered, like the rest of the world, how the hell (please excuse the pun) Qatar could host the 2022 World Cup, you only have to walk into Ferrari World, and not only does the answer stare you your right in the face, but you can feel it. Ferrari World is big. It is humungous.
Ferrari World is a world where everything is Ferrari. From the merchandise, the rides, to the dominant Ferrari red colour, everything in this theme park revolves around the car that everyone dreams of driving at some point in their lives. Under the red roof of what the founders say is the world’s largest indoor theme park, are facilities which provide visitors with more than 20 rides.
Ferrari World is a complete package for a full day out for the family. Spending a day in this theme park is like spending a couple of hours in a wonderful dreamland, living the kind of life you can find in that world.
As a speed and Formula One fanatic, I have always wanted to share the thrill that my favourite driver Lewis Hamilton has when he powers his car around the bends and down the straights. Being at Ferrari World, there were no McLarens but I did find myself behind a real F1 Ferrari car and, for a few minutes, at the cost of 70 dirhams (R140), I was able to “drive” one. I said drive in quotations marks because while I sat in a real F1 car, the drive was not on a track but on a simulator unit in the theme park.
At the Pit Wall I had a chance to carry out a F1 tyre change drill. And what a thrill that was. You wear the protective glasses, fit the gloves, take the tyre drill in the your hand and, voila!, you are part of the crew. My tyre change time was 11 seconds, so I won’t be applying anytime soon for a job in the Ferrari paddock.
Walking through Ferrari World is like walking through time and history. Through all the different games around the park, visitors get to appreciate the history of Ferrari, from the time it started in 1947 when Enzo Ferrari founded the company, to today’s multi-billion household institution.
Visitors can also follow the history of F1, and can see the many Ferrari cars that won the F1 driver’s and constructor’s championships.
However, Ferrari World is not only for motor racing enthusiast and speed freaks. The facility has been designed in such a way that it caters for all members of the family. There are good facilities,such as the Junior GT, Junior Grand Prix and Bell’Italia, to cater for children. They, too, are able to get behind the steering wheels of Ferraris designed and made for their age.
If you’re going to spend at least five hours at Ferrari World, which is the least amount of time you need to really appreciate the facility, you need to eat and drink.
Here the founders have outdone themselves. The choice of restaurants is so wide that visitors do not lack for anything. From American fast food with burgers and chips to Italian cuisine, it is all there.
While the games and rides are worth the money, the cherry on top has to be the Formula Rossa – the world’s fastest rollercoaster. It can accelerate up to 240km/h and goes up to 52m into the sky in less than five seconds and provides thrill-seekers will a real F1 experience. The ride provides one of the few occasions where visitors get to spend a few seconds outside the cool of the theme park. For a few seconds you venture into the desert heat but the ride is so fast there is no time to even feel the heat.
In between the rides or at day’s end, there is an opportunity to spend some time shopping for customised gifts, contemporary Ferrari fashion and vintage memorabilia – or Ferrari pasta.
For businessmen and women, Ferrari World could be a venue for meetings, conferences and exhibitions. The venue has over 3 000m2 to cater for this.
If the streets of Yas Island are hell on earth, then Ferrari World has to be the cool and blissful heaven on earth.
l www.etihadairways.com; www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com - Saturday Star
