Dubai: What do you need for a beach? Loads of sun, sand, pristine water and people who love to splash around in it every now and then.
And Dubai has it all.
So when a recent survey came up with its results and put Dubai top on the list, we were not surprised at all.
The survey
The survey titled “The 2019 City Beach Break Index”, conducted by UK price comparison website Compare the Market has put Dubai on top of the list.
The UK-based surveyors created an initial list of top destination for beach holidays. Researchers then looked at a number of factors that make for a great holiday in a beach destination, and came up with interesting results.
How Dubai won the top spot
In a score based system, Dubai earned 82.71 over 100, way ahead of Portugal in Lisbon which earned 69.29 over 100.
The points were earned based on a number of factors considered for the survey including average accommodation cost, beach attractions, average summer rainfall, average summer daily sunshine hours, instagrammability by number of posts, hashtag posts of the city, safety of the place – all of which has led to the city of Dubai being put on top of the list.
According to the survey, up to now in 2019, there have been 85,618,865 Instagram posts on Dubai and its beaches, in comparison, Portugal – the second top beach destination only has 8,423,238 posts.
Purpose of the index
The UK site in its website said the purpose of the index was to find out the best beach locale in the world.
“Do you love a good city break but also enjoy relaxing on the beach? There are plenty of incredible cities around the world that are beside the coast and offer everything you could wish for from a beach city break, so combine the best of both.
But which are the best of the best? We had a look at some of the important factors that make for a great holiday experience, and ranked some of the world’s best seaside cities to see where comes out on top,” said the website.
“The Middle Eastern Emirate of Dubai may be well known as a luxury travel destination, but it's also home to miles and miles of snowy-white, fine-sand beaches. These beaches are on the warm, aqua-blue Persian Gulf, turning the area into a true tropical resort destination. Although many beaches are private and associated with luxury residential communities or hotels, the government has made sure to provide a large number of public beaches,” the survey revealed.
Methodology to determine the best beach spot
June, July and August were taken into consideration for countries falling in the Northern Hemisphere and December, January and February for countries falling under the Southern Hemisphere. Accommodation costs of the countries surveyed were taken from travel guides from Kayak. As for the attractions of a city – the UK surveyors took – numbers on the total number of attraction for each city listed on Tripadvisor. Holiday-weather.com was used to look at average rainfall and sunshine hours of cities while a safety score was taken Numbeo to rank and score a city out of 100.
There you go! And Dubai is a winner, adding another feather to its cap.
Gulf News bring you the top beaches in Dubai, which shows why the city was ranked with the best beaches in the world.
Take a look.
JBR Open Beach
It is the biggest beach in Dubai. The Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) open beach extends the full length of the JBR area. There are full facilities every few hundred yards and the beach is kept spotless. It is so user friendly for beach-goers – what with several food outlets. As for the sand – it is fluffy white and powdery soft. There are lifeguards on duty, and swimming areas are roped off with buoys. The Hilton Dubai Jumeirah is right on the The Walk (the main small street that runs along the beachfront), facing the water. There are also multiple places to rent water toys and land toys like bikes and scooters.
Jumeirah Beach Park
Jumeirah Beach Park is a planned beachfront park and recreation area close to Downtown Dubai. It comes with a terraced, green-grass levels on the flat desert, with areas to eat, picnic, and play. The beach is beautiful but narrower than other spots in the city. There are palm trees between the sidewalk and the usable beach. Mondays are for ladies and children only. There's a nominal admission charge. The Holiday Inn Express Dubai - Safa Park is close to the park and is a good mid-range hotel option in the Safa Park area of Downtown.
Umm Suqueim Beach
Is this one of the most instagrammable beaches? What with the Burj al Arab right there. If you are a social media bug and love to Instagram then go to the Umm Suqeim Beach (also called Jumeirah Public Beach). This is another wide, flat beach along the coastline, right where the Burj is located (it's on its own little peninsula jutting out in the sea). The area is just a beach with few services, except for lifeguard stands and basic facilities (toilets and showers).
Kite beach
Kite Beach is a section of Umm Suqeim beach, near the northern end. It's a wide, flat beach and this is where to go for kayak and paddleboard rentals. The exposed beach is windy and popular with kite boarders and people flying kites. The sand here is a bit coarser than other beaches with many shells. There's a skate park and many little ice-cream stalls. It's also known by Dubai foodies for the many food trucks that assemble here both during the day and evening. Little restaurants and cafes line Jumeirah Beach Road, which runs along the beach. The area is also close to other attractions like Ski Dubai, the indoor ski resort.
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Mamzar is a family beach. The public park area has four beach areas, all staffed with lifeguards. There's a picnic area, a playground for kids, and two large swimming pools. It is open to public and free. The park gets crowded on Fridays (weekends in Dubai are Fridays and Saturdays). Facilities here include showers, bathrooms, and changing rooms. You can even rent little, air-conditioned beach tents with barbecues and make a day of it. Another beach area called Al Mamzar Open Beach offers a more natural beach experience with less people. Al Mamzar is near the Deira area, a great place for sightseeing as it's the original heart of Dubai. It's also near the border of Sharjah, the neighboring emirate. The Sharjah Palace Hotel is right across the border (like driving from one US state to another) and close to Al Mamzar Beach Park.
Marina Beach
The Dubai Marina is a luxury residential area, near JBR. Marina Beach is the last section of sandy beach along The Walk, in front of The Beach JBR beachfront mall. It's a wide, flat, beautiful beach with Dubai's typical soft, white sand. The water is warm, and lifeguards are on duty. You're also only steps from little cafes and ice-cream shops that line The Walk. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dubai - Jumeirah Beach is a spectacular property, built originally as a luxury apartment building. The hotel has large apartment-like units with full ocean views and huge balconies.
Jebel Ali Beach
Jebel Ali is about 32 kilometers south of downtown Dubai and the emirate's newest recreational development area. Already known as an industrial zone with the world's largest man-made harbor, the area is home to many long, sandy beaches where you can find yourself virtually alone. Much of the focus here is on diving. The wide, flat Jebel Ali Beach area is right in front of the other palm-shaped island, Palm Jebel Ali. JA The Resort is a sprawling luxury resort right on the sand. There are multiple pools, a golf course, and private beach.
