Staying in Dubai:
Lazing on Jumeirah Beach
Tea on the balcony overlooking the resort and a shimmering Burj Al Arab, accompanied by the soft regular ‘whoosh’ of breaking waves on Jumeirah Beach, marked the start of another day in the Al Qasr Hotel. We decided to take advantage of the free breakfast and made our way to the daily buffet (7 - 11 am) laid out one floor below the ground floor terrace area. There’s all kinds of cuisine to sample: sausages, pancakes, waffles, cereals, fruits, and breads or just a short wait in a quickly served queue yields eggs and bacon - cooked just as you like … the list goes on. If you’d prefer to eat at another buffet in the surrounds of the resort swimming pool, it’s just a short walk away.
We always opted to sit outside to eat, served tea or coffee by the ever-attentive hotel staff; from here we could walk down the steps and along the waterway lined with Dubai palm toward Jumeirah Beach. It’s a good idea to always have your hotel room passcard with you, I found out on walkabouts that staff check to ensure that only resort holiday makers are given access to the resort area. The checks are most frequent near the Souk Madinat Jumeirah between the Al Qasr Hotel and Mina A’ Salam where members of the public can mingle with holidaymakers in the market.
The sounds of the waves came enticingly closer as we walked past landscaped gardens, the resort swimming pool and the kids water play area, “Sinbad’s”, all the while making sure to keep an ear out for the buggies - driven by hotel staff - which seem to be unnervingly quiet and only make themselves known when they’re right behind you! Arriving at the beach, we stopped momentarily to take in our first view of it. The golden strip of sand we’d stepped onto extended under the elevated road leading to the Burj Al Arab and beyond, toward the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in the distance. The sun loungers were out in force and holidaymakers were walking up and down the length of the beach as the water lapped at their feet. Having said that, Jumeirah Beach didn’t seem crowded at all.
We walked down towards the Burj Al Arab hotel, letting the water lap at our feet, passing pleasantries with the lifeguards who kept a careful eye on anyone venturing out in the choppier waters beyond the red warning flag planted in the beach. Every now and again you’d hear a whistle when someone was ‘encouraged’ back into safer waters.
My wife asked one of the beach staff to prepare a sun-lounger while I carried on walking. I noticed a couple of resort employees ensuring the beach was kept clean by picking up anything that didn’t belong and placing it in a bag and then raking the sand behind them ... attention to detail, Dubai style! I finally reached the Burj Al Arab and then decided to walk on until the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, occasionally passing someone who had the same idea but in the opposite direction. The Jumeirah Beach Hotel was something of an eye opener when it was first built, a glimmering rising wave made of glass and metal on the edge of beautiful coastline and it’s still an impressive sight today, especially when viewed up-close. However it was always going to be a supporting act in the shadow of its seven star hotel neighbour.
Despite the breeze, the sun was starting to come into its own so I decided to walk back, taking enough time for a pose in front of the Mina A’ Salam and Burj Al Arab with my wife, courtesy of a lifeguard who offered to take the photographs. Then we decided to lie on the sun-loungers, enjoy a glass of iced water and some shade… and fall asleep for a while …I know, I know…life is hard :-)
