Black Palace Beach

Black Palace Beach, known to most residents as the Secret Beach, is the undeveloped strip of Al Sufouh that hides between Madinat Jumeirah and the Palm Jumeirah. It takes its name from the royal palaces nearby, and its nickname from an entrance so low key that thousands of visitors drive past it every day without ever noticing the turn. What you get at the bottom of that track is rare in Dubai: a wide run of clean sand with no clubs, no music and no commerce, framed by the Burj Al Arab to one side and the Palm to the other.

The appeal is the silence. There is genuinely nothing here but the sea, the sand and two of the city signature skylines on the horizon, and on a quiet weekday morning you can have long stretches almost to yourself. Photographers love it for the same reason that calm seekers do, because the view is uncluttered and the light at either end of the day is superb. It is the anti club beach, and it wears that honestly.

Be clear about the trade though. No facilities means no facilities. There is no toilet, no shower, no kiosk and no shade, and nobody is grooming the sand or watching the water. Weekends and holidays now draw a steady stream of people who have found the secret, so the quiet is not guaranteed, and the lack of bins means it can look tired by late afternoon after a busy day. Come early, carry out what you carry in, and the place rewards you.

Who should skip it: families wanting toilets and lifeguards, anyone expecting a daybed or a drinks menu, and visitors who would rather not navigate a rough access track. For them the serviced beaches a few minutes away are a better fit. But if your idea of a perfect Dubai beach hour is a towel, a swim and a view with nothing sold to you, this is the one.