One of the not so great things about Dubai is that it’s so damn hot. Thankfully, unlike Hong Kong, it’s a very dry heat which I actually found more tolerable than Hong Kong’s humidity. Regardless, it was upwards of 40 degrees each day and the sun was absolutely relentless. Given that we had done a fair bit of touring around at this point, we wanted to spend a day relaxing by the water. One of the must-visit places we heard about was La Mer Dubai. Essentially, it’s a large area with (manmade) beaches, restaurants, a water park, and a bunch of little shops making it a great day out. That being said, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you go.
La Mer Dubai
The good
After we arrived, we walked around a bit to get a feel for what La Mer Dubai had to offer. I absolutely loved the long stretch of beach, the bright and colourful accents along the boardwalk, and the variety of restaurants you could choose from. There are two sections: La Mer North and La Mer South. Exploring both areas does require a fair bit of walking, but I think it’s worth it.
Spend some time walking around the area before you settle down. If you walk around all of the little buildings in the main strip in between the two sections, you’ll find a lot of really cool and funny art murals. There’s also a giant waterpark that’s great for families and also has its own little sunbed section if you want to escape the crowds on the beach.
There are fantastic and fun restaurant selections throughout. Regardless of what you’re craving, La Mer likely has it. Everything from your run of the mill McDonalds and Starbucks to other restaurants offering Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western, and so much more. One thing to note about the restaurants here is that the majority of them don’t serve alcohol. When we were there, the only restaurant with a liquor license was called Masti.
The bad
While I did love most things about La Mer Dubai, there were others that caught me off guard. Although the beach itself is quite large, there are only a certain number of lounge chairs and umbrellas to rent out. Be warned: the prices are steep. Renting a sunbed alone will cost you AED60 (HK$130) and a sunbed, umbrella, and towel will set you back AED100 (HK$215). Even if we had wanted to pay to get a sunbed and umbrella (there is literally no other shade on the beach and you will absolutely fry under the Dubai sun), we got there later in the day and at that time all of the chairs and umbrellas were full.
I also had a negative experience with the staff at one of the water sports centres. These water sport centres zone off a chunk of the beach. The issue that arose was that at the very back of the beach we found some shade under a few palm trees so we laid our towels out. Keep in mind, there were a few other people who also were laying on the beach right beside us. Right away, a staff member came to us and told us we had to move in an aggressive tone.
I asked him to explain why and he said the company “owned the beach” and we would be in the way of customers (which was an absolute lie). This staff member got so hot-headed he threatened to call security on us if we didn’t move. The whole experience truly left a sour taste in my mouth. Had I been in Hong Kong or back in North America, I would have welcomed security to come over to clear things up because it was just so ridiculous. However, not knowing the laws and customs of Dubai, we just left.
Why you should stay at La Mer into the night
As the sun begins to set and the area (finally) cools down, La Mer takes on a completely different personality. Stay on the beach until the sun disappears, then make your way to the boardwalk. As you walk along the boardwalk, you’ll see everything lit up. From the restaurants along either side to the fairy lights hanging above. We chose one of the restaurants to have dinner at that had outdoor seating facing the beach. The food was good, and the company and views even better.
