We are a group of beach goers obsessed with the ocean. Every single week we surf, kayak, swim, relax, play volley and party on the best beaches in Dubai.
We pulled together the definitive guide of the top beaches in of Dubai for the year 2022.
Kite Beach
The most beautiful beach in Jumeirah
If you’re looking to spend a day in the most beautiful public beach in Dubai, Kite Beach is the one for you. Kite Beach has the best view on Burj Al Arab, one of the most iconic landmarks in Dubai, crystal clear water, open view of the sea and white sand. It’s located in Jumeirah and it’s considered by local and residents the best beach in Dubai and the most beautiful among all Jumeira public beaches. In 2019 it made it to the CNN list of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it was awarded by the world famous blog Sassymama as the most beautiful beach in Dubai in 2019.
Kite Beach is a public beach, full of restaurants, cafes and food trucks. Our favourite is SKMD, a beach cafe with delicious, healthy food. Among their offerings, our pick is Avocado toasts, Quinoa betroot salad with hot smoked salmon or the salmon crisps. La Ola is another good restaurant with international food, where you can sit on a beautiful terrace overlooking the beach. There’s also a great pizza place, Cafe Borbone, making sliced roman style pizza. Delicious!
Kite Beach has good services. There’s our beautiful beach club Sole Mio, You can rent beach umbrellas, lounger and towels for 120AED per day per person. The package includes lots of things: umbrella, lounger, towel, water, sunscreen, food delivery by the umbrella and beach toys to play. It’s definitely the best way to enjoy Kite Beach.
La Mer
The most instagrammable beach in Dubai
La Mer is a recently developed beachfront destination in Dubai. It’s located in Jumeirah and it’s an incredibly photogenic location. An open air mall by the beach, with many shops and restaurants, a water park and a cinema. The mall is very beautiful in terms of design, with its small alleys filled with cafes and restaurants. Plenty of greenery, trees and palms, the fountains and many choreographic details. There’s also a boutique cinema called Roxy. La Mer is located in Jumeira 1, at the very beginning of Public beach. Is one of the many public beaches but not the best.
There’s a beach club called Sea Level where you can rent umbrellas, loungers and towels for cheap. The price is 120 AED per person but it’s worth the money. They also offer something unique in Dubai, their legendary Beach House, which is private cabana on the beach with living room and a great view on La mer beach. Here’s the website: https://sealevel.ae
The beach itself is beautiful. The sand is clean and the water clear. It is nicely planned, with colorful changing rooms and toilets, fun public showers (buckets filled with water) and water sports rental. It’s good for tanning and doing a little bit of shopping.
One of our favourite restaurant of La Mer is Masti, serving indian food with a twist. Perfect for lunch or dinner. They have beautiful outdoor seatings with sea view and a wide selection of food with quality ingredients.
For dinner we loved Aprons and Hammers, a seafood concept that makes it fun to open your crab or lobster with hammers and other tools. For romantic couples and families, it’s good for everybody.
If you’re looking for coffee, look no further than Blue Matcha, a very fun concept on the North side of La mer beach.
Public Beach
The most overrated beach in Dubai
Jumeirah Public Beach is an open beach close to Burj Al Arab. It doesn’t offer much else beside the view on the iconic hotel.
The sand is dusty compared to the other beaches. The water not clear and gets deep very fast, making it not enjoyable for swimming but good for surfing. It is possible to surf in Dubai around 100 days every year, especially during winter.
This public beach is very crowded with tourist since there’s a drop-off are for tourism agency buses dropping people that want to take pictures with Burj Al Arab.
Public Beach is not at all recommended if you are planning a day at the beach. Currently there are hotels construction going on nearby, making also incredibly dusty and noisy. There are no services so you can’t get umbrellas, towels or sunbeds.
Our suggestion is to visit Single Fin for breakfast and have a walk in Umm Suqeim Park and next to the beach for a quick picture. Wouldn’t spend more than a couple of hours in the area.
Ness Nass Beach
The best beach for water sports
Another hidden gem loved by locals and residents because of its natural look and calm. No tourists around, not much services either. . You can rent beach umbrellas on demand, but you’ll have to wait 20 minutes for delivery.
You can find toilets and showers at least and a selection of water sports for you to try: kayaks, stand up paddles and scuba diving. On a windy day you’ll see also a lot of Kitesurfers as Sunset Mall Beach it’s a perfect location for kite surfing in Dubai.
There’s a small cafe called Circle Cafe there that serves coffees and small bites, beside that not many restaurants either. No sunbeds rental available.
JBR Beach - The Beach
The most crowded beach in Dubai
Probably the most crowded public beach in Dubai. Certainly not the best. Often the first port of call for beach volley players and sunbathers, The Beach JBR offers white sand and turquoise blue waters.
But there is more to love about The Beach JBR than the sand and swimming. Head to “The Walk”, the leisurely promenade along the waterfront. Here international restaurants, fashion boutiques and luxury hotels (Sofitel, Sheraton, Hilton, Ritz Carlton…) have made The Beach JBR one of the city’s most popular spot. The view on the famous wheel Ain Dubai is also breath taking.
In the side streets you will find plenty of cafés with terrace, refreshing juice bars, gelato kiosks, surf shops, the Market at the Beach (daily from 10 am to 12am) and even a Roxy Cinemas.
If arts is what you are after, then JBR Beach is the place to go. You will find every sort of summer bags and crafted beach towels.
Get a fruity smoothie from a Food Cart, have a shisha at The Smoky Beach, enjoy the funky vibe and feel the sea breeze!
Secret Beach - 4x4 Beach - Black Palace Beach
Lovely beach near Dubai Marina
This beach has many names and nobody seems to agree. Secret Beach is the most secret and hidden beach in Dubai, as the name suggests :) Known only by locals and residents, there’s a reason why they’re keeping it a secret. Quiet, white sand, shallow crystal water, view in Burj Al Arab and the Palm. On any day you’ll find people playing beach volley or beach tennis and other people just tanning on their colorful towels.
Secret Beach is also known as 4x4 Beach, Black Palace Beach, or simply Palace Beach because is located in the middle of the Sheiks palaces in Jumeirah.
It’s difficult to reach without a car. Taxi drivers won’t know how to get there, so you’ll have to guide them. It’s also difficult to go back as you won’t easily find a taxi. You could try UBER but again, you might have to wait more than 10 minutes.
Also Secret beach has no services available. No toilets, no umbrellas rental, no lounger rental, no water sports, no showers or changing rooms. The most natural beach you’ll find in Dubai.
Al Mamzar
Beautiful but too far from the city
Al mamzar beach is part of a huge beach park that comprise 5 beaches. Each one of them is beautiful. Not that beautiful to justify driving 40 minutes to reach it. It also lacks good facilities and it’s difficult to find a good place to eat. In our opinion, La Mer, Ness Nass, Secret Beach, Kite Beach beat Al Mamzar.
Sunset Beach
Another hidden beach in Jumeirah
Sunset Beach is located behind Sunset Mall, hence the name. It’s a quiet stretch of sand, with open view of the sea. It’s lovely and recommended to visit. There are toilets and showers, however there are no rentals of water sports and beach umbrellas. Bring your own chair and umbrella. It can get very very hot.
