I have mentioned the Club in a few posts already, so let me show and tell what I am referring to. When we were exploring all of the areas of town to live in, our realtor suggested that whichever place we decided on, we should choose a club to join so that we would be able to establish connections with other expats in the area. Her top suggestion was The British Club. The British Club was established on land donated by Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan for such a purpose. At the time it was WAY out of town. Not so much any more. It turned out that my husband knew quite a few of the members already, so getting a recommendation and a couple of seconds were pretty easy for us, and we joined. This has been an excellent decision for us.
The Club as it is now known (having dropped the ‘British’ part several years ago) has been a godsend for me. It offers a wide variety of classes from fitness, to languages, arts, and drama, to specialty clubs like SCUBA and book clubs. There are also 13 different Food and Bev outlets on site. 
I go to yoga and pilates classes there several times per week, and my husband and I frequently go on the weekends to just relax and enjoy the private beach. In the latest ‘Best of Abu Dhabi’ voting, The Zest restaurant won best healthy eating restaurant, and boy is it good! 
Located inside the Fitness Center building it is one I frequent often. On weekends many 
of the people my husband works with get together at the main bar or restaurant and enjoy a stress blowing evening together. We join the fun occasionally as well.
Recently The Club held its annual Guy Fawkes night, and we invited some friends to join us for this unique evening. Historic Side note: Guy Fawkes was possibly England’s most notorious traitor. He was one of 13 English Catholic men who, in 1605, plotted to blow up the British houses of Parliament, and in the process kill King Edward, possibly the Prince of Wales, and multiple members of Parliament who were making it difficult on Catholics in England at the time. (Today they would be called terrorists.) The plot was unsuccessful due to the fact that one of the members had a crisis of conscience and warned a Parliament member. Guy Fawkes was caught with 36 barrels of gunpowder, and subsequently executed as a traitor. The incident became known across England as the Gunpowder Plot. On the night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, bonfires were lit across the country to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5 has become known as Bonfire night or Guy Fawkes night.
The Club had a bonfire in the back parking lot, followed by fireworks over the beach. Multiple options for dinner and entertainment were offered, something different in each outlet. We opted for the picnic basket for 2 on the lawn at The Wharf, with a great view of the fireworks. So we made reservations for 2 couples, and wondered if we had done the right thing.
Our friends arrived on the night in question. We shared a cocktail at su
nset, then moved over to The Wharf, found our assigned table on the lawn, and waited anxiously to see what we got ourselves into. Not to worry… This was NOT your average picnic basket. OMG!
Each basket came with a bottle of bubbly, but we opted to trade one of our bubbly bottles for a bottle of the house red (a very nice tempranillo) which made for a more balanced offering overall. 
The fireworks began shortly after we sat down, and everybody paused to head for the beach for a closer view. What a great night!
Overall joining The Club was a great decision. Having a very comfortable place to go for activities and events, where we can take friends and family (should they opt to visit) is terrific. The very International vibe of the membership mirrors Abu Dhabi in general, and the venue offers multiple amenities together in one spot. It’s a welcoming home away from home.
