csdf

This weekend saw another failed attempt to find a publicly-accessible beach in Abu Dhabi emirate. This time, we drove up to Ghantoot then headed towards the sea.

The process started, as always, by finding a road on Google Earth that led to a beach. The process ended, as usual, at a barrier and security gate. Abu Dhabi must have 100s of km of beaches, yet it's all apparently owned by one sheikh or another. Is there really nowhere that us plebs can rock up to? It's faintly ridiculous that we have to drive to Dubai or Fujairah in order to sit on a beach that isn't the Abu Dhabi Corniche.

busybee2

ghantoot beach has been closed for a long time, people still go through the fence and use it. they were building the new waterfront there and then stopped.

there used to be a nice beach at raha until they built on.

Brains1983

there's a public beach opening behind the hotels on Yas Island next month, although my only concern will it will end up like the one at Al Raha where the "sand is like sludge, and the water stagnant. I'll post a link when I can get onto facebook (work doesn't let me accesss it).

Spugsy

you can use the pool for the day at rad blu for a decent price, we stayed there last weekend and it was ace.

csdf

Thanks, but I was (and still am) after something a little less....commercial. We've got a pool at home (albeit unchilled and currently hot enough to poach eggs).

I can't be the first person who's tried to find a decent beach in Abu Dhabi! I want to avoid what I'm otherwise going to have to do which is continue looking for likely spots on Google Earth. At least the petrol's cheap.

Jim Smith

I can't be the first person who's tried to find a decent beach in Abu Dhabi! I want to avoid what I'm otherwise going to have to do which is continue looking for likely spots on Google Earth. At least the petrol's cheap. [/QUOTE]



Sadly most of Dubai beaches were lost to the construction boom some years back. Really miss walking 3-4 times a week on the Jebel Ali beach south of JA hotel!

lullabelle

Hi I am beach mad and lived in Abu Dhabi for several months.

The answer is depressing I'm afraid... we never found a great beach in Abu Dhabi. Occasionally we would go to al bateen beach early in the morning (at the end of street 19 and turn left) but there's a lot of construction round there. I met a woman who said she often drove to al badia and went on the beach there... apparently you turn off to al badia from the highway, go all the way down past the trees and just keep going. We tried to find what she was describing (lovey fishing beach) but didn't. A colleague of mine used to drive to beach near the YAS hotels, bit of sand offroading though. We never went as we only had a saloon.

If you google "dead turtle beach" there was an article in Time out some years agao where they describe a decent beach for camping. Again you need an off road vehicle.

We used to drive to Dubai and visit the many great beaches all along
jumeirah/umm suqeim I know that doesn't help. We moved to Dubai and the beach is still my favourite place to spend time.

For truly wonderful beaches get yourself off to Mussandam. The drive from the UAE to Khasab passes endless perfecy empty beaches. It is one of my favourite places in this region.

busybee2

al bahia isnt really a nice beach, people use it to walk their dogs.

seven seas

Nothing wrong with the Corniche...
BB2: That's what we need- more immoral westerners ruining beaches by using them as dog-toilets.

csdf

The Corniche is fine for what it is, but:
- You can't camp on it
- There are a gazillion people there
- There are security guards whistling at people for getting deeper than knee-deep in the water
- There are jet skiers ruining the peace and quiet

busybee2

you used to be able to get the ferry over to lulu but they stopped that as they are going to build on it some day, if you can swim/boat over then you can sit on the beach but not go further "inland". if you can get over to bahrini island thats quite a nice beach, but suffers from the usual jet skiers and idiots in boats. you can go over on the ferry if you book into the hotel. or you can go to futisais island from al bateen by boat. with all the nice sand thats around there is no real beaches other than the corniche.