The insider’s guide to Dubai’s splashy beach club scene
Until a few years ago beach clubs in Dubai were a rarity. The city’s luxe resorts had their own stretches of sea and sand, but if you wanted to spend a day lounging on the beach sipping cocktails without being a hotel guest, options were limited. Today the city is thronging with places to lie by a pool and tan, eat, read or just people-watch — from beachside cabanas for two to loungers 200 metres up in the sky. Not only have they introduced a holiday mood year-round, but their temperature-controlled, chilled pools are the best place to be in summer. Here are ten of my favourites.
Sal, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab
Nothing says Dubai like “the Burj”, and Sal at the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab offers an alluring mix of spectacular views and equally spectacular people-watching. It’s also full of the kind of superlatives that Dubai delivers so well. Sal sits on its own 10,000 square-metre elevated terrace, made in Finland and transported the 4,500 nautical kilometre journey to the property by boat. Here, sunbeds and cabanas are set around a freshwater pool inlaid with 10 million shimmering mosaic tiles. There’s no direct access to the real beach down below, but there is plenty of soft sand underfoot, dazzling sunset views, and the silhouette of the city’s most instantly recognisable building in the background.
Sunbeds from £123 Monday to Thursday (with £62 redeemable on food and drink), and £164 from Friday to Sunday (with £82 redeemable on food and drink); minimum age 12, jumeirah.com
Kinugawa, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab
