W10

There are free public beaches in every single European resort (in England I think they pay you for going)

Fairydust

Come on now 5dhs per person or 20dhs per carload

W10

I refer you back to my point about people who earn hardly anything here.

Your husband probably earns more in a day than some people who use the beaches earn in a couple of months. To them, paying Dh20 (plus of course transport costs in getting there) is a big deal, especially when it has been free well...forever.

Another example is Global Village, do you have any idea how hard it hit some people when they started charging entry?

Fairydust

And I refer you to my post on another thread

Yes he probably does but he has also spent many years training, some of it at his own expense !!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeeper

To be fair - global village is a commerical entity and the developer/owner whatever has the right to charge what they want....Emirates mall could charge entry if they wanted but it probably wouldn't be in their interest.

However, beaches shouldn't be owned by anyone....nor should you have to pay to use them.
At home we have a thing called "the queens chain" which is a (I forget the exact width) 20m? or 20foot? wide coridoor from the high tide mark inland around the entire tidal coastline of NZ which is public land and anyone can access it.
I don't know and doubt they have that here.

I recall a public holiday about 6 months ago we went to snoopy island to snorkling. Sandy beach hotel were charging 50dhs a head entry for the beach...so we parked on the empty beach next door and swam from there to snoopy.
There was a dude standing on the edge of the breakwater stopping people from swimming around. We ignored him. Sandy beach has a right to stop people getting on their land for free....but they do not own snoopy island and have the right to stop people accessing that surely.

Jeeper

That's hardly the point. Not everyone has had the opportunities he/we have had.

W10

Wow...so what you're saying is that it is a poverty stricken, badly educated, oppressed and racially discriminated against third world citizen's own fault for not earning Dh20,000 a month and being given a free villa?

Your hubby must have such a hard life...such a hard life.

Fairydust

No I agree with that just explaining why I don't feel guilty going to a beach club when others can't afford to - selfish maybe - but just my views

W10

I wasn't debating the commercial rights and wrongs of the Global Village decision, just merely using it as an example of how hundreds of thousands of people here are hit hard when previously free activities are taken away from them.

The Sandy Beach Hotel story is shocking...perhaps they are claiming territorial rights over the island??

Fairydust

Oh give it a rest its no-ones fault just right place right time or wrong place wrong time whichever scenario fits.

And you know nothing about our life so please don't comment

W10

I didn't ask you to feel guilty. I never implied you should.

I was simply trying to show you that it IS a very big deal to thousands of less well off people in Dubai (who make up the majority of the population)

A concept you haven't seemed to be able to grasp very well. Most people here don't live your life, or my life, or the majority of the life that us Westerners live.

Fairydust

I can grasp it very well thank you

Jeeper

Shouldn't feel quilty about going to a beach club at all.....if you cant afford it tough - that's life. But at the same time surely you agree there should be a beach for everyone at no charge......it's not as though there's not enough beach to go around.

I haven't been to too many beaches around the world....but every one I can recall going to was free - even the ones in the middle of cities / towns...Auckland, Hawaii, Barcelona, hell....even rip-off UK's most popular beaches are free...brighton for one, cornwall....

Surely Dubai can come up with a mix of beach clubs / resorts and free beaches on it's coastline.

Fairydust

Anyone know if they are going to charge to use the refurbished beach in Jumeirah??

IndieG

Dubai is more bearable actually, now that we have one less minging and whinging American and one less stupid racist moron..............