Sponsored: There’s a whole world of wonder at The Galleria Al Maryah Island…

The Galleria Al Maryah Island is pretty much the perfect place to start looking if you’re stumped for things to do in Abu Dhabi.

There is, of course, the epic show-stopping shopping options, that currently include the mall’s giant summer sale; and then there’s the food — from some of the city’s most famous fine dining spots, to cafes with Instagram-breaking desserts and an international collection of casual diners ready to feed whatever comfort food you’re craving.

The Galleria is also the CEO of capital entertainment too, with a massive multiplex cinema; three separately themed rooftop parks; a cavalcade of arcades; a bowling alley, pool tables, trampoline and climbing wall (in Xtreme Zone); mini digger fun; a brand new cutting edge Virtual Reality experience and more.

This our pick of the top ways to save, rave and bribe the kids to behave at The Galleria this summer

Raising the sales

Sales don’t come much bigger than the massive, up to 80 per cent off summer sale on at The Galleria right now. It’s all part of Retail Abu Dhabi’s ‘Abu Dhabi Summer Shopping Season’ campaign, with dramatic reductions, part sales and incentives across the biggest brands in fashion, gadgets, homeware, furniture, toys and other assorted shopping bag fillers. thegalleria.ae/magazine/summersale

Eat, treat, play, repeat

And then there are the combo deals. Activity hub Xtreme Zone, for example, is linking up with participating dining outlets to provide discounts on yum stuff. Which comes in handy too, because given the fact the adventure centre is equipped with a trampoline park; foam pit; challenging climbing walls; and a collection of engaging Arcade Games – you’ll likely work up quite the appetite. Spend Dhs50 at Xtreme Zone for discounts at one of 11 restaurants, or spend Dh50 in one of the 11 restaurants first for a free gift at Toys ‘R’ Us, or one hour of free billiards/one free game of bowling at Xtreme Zone. Learn more at thegalleria.ae/magazine/eat-play

Kidding around

The Galleria takes its mission to entertain and inspire all age groups, very seriously. And there is an exceptionally strong collection (16 restaurants in fact) of the retail mega-project’s casual eateries offering free kid’s meals with paying adults. Check out all the deals here at thegalleria.ae/magazine/kidseatfree

Z-Day

Groundbreaking Virtual Reality (VR) experience, Zero Latency has literally just opened its doors at The Galleria. And it represents a levelling up in gaming tech. The free-roam multiplayer experience allows teams of up to eight mates to fight off waves of brain-nibbling zombies. Gone are the cumbersome cables and wires of the old school VR world, now you can explore the open gamespace with absolute freedom. If you’re not down for duelling the undead, you can also take on a special virtual version of Ubisoft tropical Island caper classic Far Cry 3. And for more cerebral fun, there’s the engaging puzzle conundrums of Engineerium. And you can book them all on the Zero Latency Website.

Points and prizes

things to do in abu dhabi - galleria

Over the summer, a collection of The Galleria’s flagship stores and dining outlets will be offering a series of ways to win. To find out what’s up for grabs and how to nab those individual grabs, you’ll need to make sure you’re following the @TheGalleriaUAE Instagram account. Keep your eyes open, and your luck good.

The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, daily 10am to 10pm. thegalleria.ae

Images: Provided