Dubai's new beachfront destination J1 Beach is opening in September

Dubai’s newest beachfront attraction – the J1 Beach – is scheduled for a September opening, with the focus being on having a good time at the beach. And served up with some fine dining in options.

In fact, the J1 Beach, part of the wider La Mer development, will have none of the usual retail options that such destinations tend to have. Instead, the focus is very much on a day out at the beach, with upscale experiences thrown in for full measure.

The project is being overseen by Merex Investment, a joint venture featuring Dubai Holding and Canada’s Brookfield. Merex also operates the City Walk and The Beach.

“So, the visitor will have the ability to start their day early, perhaps around 10am, and enjoy a day on the beach,” said Shahram Shamsaee, CEO of Merex Investment. “If you want to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinners, that's possible too. Of course, there's the night-time—similar to what you would expect in a five-star hotel.”

There are 13 dining options that will open in September, each wanting to catch the eye of future visitors to J1 Beach. These include some first-timers to the city.

The beachside element extends to each of the dining options. All of the operators extend their settings onto the beach, coupled with beach beds and other facilities, as well as internal and external decks and pools.

“In terms of comparisons, you might think of the high-quality dining clusters at the DIFC,” says Shamsee. “But those are more urban settings, whereas this is a beachfront development. Another comparison might be the Jumeirah Group hotels, which feature a number of hotels and a large array of F&B units.” And the water element is quite expansive – with 500m long shoreline, it can’t be anything other than that.

Adding another water-side or beachfront element to Dubai never comes easy. Some of the most high-profile elements in the city have been set around water bodies and with curated experiences to accompany them.

Shamsee, however, draws a fine line between what’s been done in the past and the J1 Beach. “It's not something you typically come across. This isn't your ordinary retail environment where you might say there are 10 other competitors with similar sales and traffic.

“Post-development, replicating something of this scale, especially with its extensive beachfront, will be very challenging,” he adds, for full measure.

Call it the ‘urban riviera’. That’s exactly what Merex wants the J1 Beach to be defined as. By now, more than 90 per cent of the project is complete, and with the final home stretch beckoning for the September launch date.

“You know, the 'waterfront' is a very commonly used term and it's quite vague,” said Shamsee. “You could be on a canal or on the 8th floor of a high-rise and still be considered 'waterfront'. The J1 Beach, however, is a low-rise, natural beach destination.”

“The concept - from inception - was never intended as a short-term solution. It is all about a long-term vision for the area, aiming to significantly enhance it in alignment with Dubai's landscape…”