Buying alcohol: the Al Ain Hilton Liquor Store

There are a number of places in Al Ain to buy liquor from. One of them is the Al Ain Liquor Store which is located in a separate building behind and to the left of the Hilton Hotel if you are on the road facing it.

Here is a photo of it: it’s the lower building in the centre. To the left of this are the residences for the Hilton’s staff…

Al-Ain-Hilton-Liquor-Store

When it’s closed, the staff put a blackboard outside the entrance listing the opening times…

Liquor-store-blackboard

General opening times are 9am to 1pm then 3pm to 9pm, open Saturday to Thursday, but closed on Fridays. During Ramadan the store is open from 9am to 5pm, but closed in the evening…

This is what it looks like inside…

Inside-liquor-store

And this is a shot (no pun intended!) of the counter…

Inside-liquor-store-2

Alcohol is supplied in thick black plastic bags to respect local customs…

Liquor-bag

Prices? We only buy wine, but that seems to cost a bit more than the prices you’d pay in the UK: around £6.50 for an okay bottle of wine.

You don’t need to show a licence to get served here which, according to the guidebooks, isn’t the case at other outlets.

Do pop along: the staff are friendly with a sense of humour: for example, they tease me when I log my purchase in a notebook for our budget (this is one of the few places where they don’t give you receipts for purchases).

You can also buy alcohol at a Spinney’s outlet in Al Ain – and also get served in all the hotels.

Leave a Reply