Why Europeans still hit Dubai's beaches in the peak of summer - and why you should feel sorry for them

I'm a Dubai newbie. The one you see walking down the road at noon while street cats shake their heads in disgust. I'm the one you see eating outdoors as a bead of sweat runs down their chin and drips onto the pizza below. Yes, I'm the guy who still thinks the beach is a good idea and who can be seen dancing on hot sand at noon like he's being shot at by a sniper.

Okay, it's hot. I get it. I was warned every day for a good three months that there was going to be a heat tsunami that would melt my naivety and positivity faster than ice cream in the desert. I smiled, nodded and carried on. It's just a bit of sunshine, right? 

I've been in Dubai since March. Part of a large cohort of business people, tourists and dreamers heading to the UAE seeking a better life - and the weather plays a big part. Many of us are from countries such as the UK where sunshine and heat are rare oddities (yes, there's been a heatwave, but the other 10 months of the year are dismal in England). We run outdoors when the clouds part and the thermometer finally makes its way out of single figures. We embrace those balmy days and enjoy every ray and degree possible, drawn to the sun like a moth to a flame. To put it simply: if the suns out, we're out. Years of miserable drizzle, darkness and cold makes us desire that vitamin D hit.

However, just like that moth, we often get burnt by our sun-safety blindness. Sunshine in the Gulf is not to be messed with. Factor 50 is a necessity. And when you dodge those fierce rays, the air will get you. The breeze that you hope will be a relief turns out to be a humid-filled wall of warmth that is all consuming. Who knew breathing and walking at the same time could be so difficult? I'll tell you who; all of those people I met in March who warned me of what was coming.

I really do get it now.

I'm now enjoying the air-con cooled attractions, from malls to theme parks, and enjoying evening trips to the local pool with the kids. Sometimes I sit in the shade with the cats and we share a knowing look at the fair-skinned newbies walk past while turning redder by the second.

Dubai is still a fantastic place to be in the summer, as our Summer Vibes section proves. There is so much going on in all parts of the city and beyond. I'm taking the family to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi soon to make the most of the fantastic holiday deals involving lots of indoor spaces and cooled water.

My advice, for what it's worth: don't come to Dubai for the sun. Come for the (air-con) fun. Oh, and listen to your colleagues when they give you a warning about what is coming...

Mark Thompson is a UK-based journalist and digital transformation expert. He is currently a consultant digital editor for Gulf News.