Dubai has beach weather 12 months of the year, so it is the perfect destination to unwind and relax by the sand and sea. Despite the Emirate being known for its skyline, wonderful eateries and daring activities, it is also famous for its beaches. Whether you are planning a full on beach holiday or just a beach day, Dubai will have something for you that will challenge the best of the best around the world. With plenty of options for the public (some are closed off for resorts/hotels), in this post we take a look at what may be the best beach in Dubai.
Before discussing what is, in our opinion, the best beach in Dubai and why, let’s give some honourable mentions to your other options.
The JBR beach, which is the easiest one to get to via the metro, is quite possibly the most frequented by tourists. It is just too overcrowded to even be considered as a relaxing unwinding kind of day. However, there are plenty of activities, eating places and shops on offer. Ain Dubai, the world’s biggest and tallest observation wheel, is located nearby as is the flying cup. You also have the legendary PF Chang’s and The Cheesecake Factory. It’s a decent day out, but way too overcrowded and not really family friendly in our opinion. Tacky is the adjective that comes to mind.
Kite beach is a cool beach which attracts the young and trendy clientelle. It has a more relaxed vibe compared to the JBR beach. Whether you are a sun-seeker, a foodie or a watersports enthusiast, this beach will have something for you. The watersports facilities is what sets this beach apart from the rest. You can have a go at kitesurfing, wakeboarding, stand-up paddleboarding or just a game of beach volleyball. The foodie will not be disappointed here too. There are many exclusive food stalls/huts/trucks located on the beach. The famous Salt being the standout one of course. Many (including us) travel to this beach purely for this.
La Mer is a relatively new addition. We didn’t spend too long here as we just went to Parker’s to try out their famous cakes. From what we saw it had similar vibes to the JBR in that it isn’t very family friendly, but it seemed a lot cleaner and slicker. It had more of a luxorious feel to it – just less tacky then the JBR.
The Best Beach in Dubai is…
Now, this of course depends on what you want from a beach and what is the best beach in Dubai is probably very subjective. So, let me tell you what I want from my beach before telling you what I think is the best beach in Dubai. For me I want to be able to relax and unwind on the beach. That is what it essentially comes down to. In order to do that I do not want to be faced with large crowds of people everywhere. I do not want to be faced with no space to sit, lie or walk on the sand. I want to feel comfortable by myself and with my family. I want to enjoy the sand and the sea comfortably. I do not want to see semi-naked people every 10 seconds. Unfortunately, the popular beaches (like JBR) are just too overcrowded and tacky to be enjoyed.
So, you’re probably wondering is there a beach in Dubai that is free and open to the public that can give me what I want…?
The Black Palace Beach
The Black Palace Beach, which is also known as palace beach, hidden beach and secret beach. Locals know it as Al Sufuoh Beach. It gets its palace names due to its location – it is located in between two palaces. And the secret/hidden names come from the fact that it is difficult to locate and therefore it is hidden away. Many have claimed this beach to be THE hidden gem of Dubai! So, the secret beach is aptly named so.
Due to its hidden location the best way to get there is to drive there. You’ll find black palace beach or al sufouh beach on Google Maps and Careem. If you hail a taxi, tell them you want to go to Al Sufouh Beach, they’ll know. You can drive right up to the beach and park metres away (on the sand). You’ll see locals frequent this beach as well as the odd tourist. We went to this beach in December on a weekday, but we have heard that even this beach can become a bit busy (not as much as JBR or La Mer) during weekends and peak periods/holidays. As with all the other beaches on this post, access is free of course.
The hidden nature also provides the features I mentioned above that I look for in a beach. Being a secret means not many people know about it (yet), and so there are very few people on the beach. This means you get plenty of sand and sea space to yourself and your family. You can relax and enjoy yourself comfortably whether you want to lie on the sand or dip your feet into the water.
The panoramic views are insane as on one side you see the hotels and towers of Madinat Jumeirah and even more impressively on the other you see the incredible Burj al Arab. And this just escalates because of the quiet nature (sometimes the number of tourists just ruin tourist attractions). Go during sunset to get the best views and truly get the best of sun, sea and sand!
The one down side of this beach is that there aren’t any facilities at all. No restaurants, food trucks, shops, services, toilets, umbrellas – nothing whatsoever. There are lifeguards though – phew. So, I’d advise you take your own materials that you would need on the beach – i.e. food, towel, ball etc.
Overall, it of course depends on what you are looking for. If you are after watersports, the Kite Beach may be your best choice. If you want to be surrounded by tacky tourists (okay, not all of them are tacky), then the JBR or Le Mar may be your best choices. But if you just want to chill out and feel comfortable on the beach with your family, then the Black Palace Beach is for you.
