Jazeerat Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah

Jazeerat Al Hamra is the most atmospheric place on the Ras Al Khaimah coast, and one of the most moving in the whole country. It is the only historic pearling village left standing in the Gulf, a dense huddle of coral block and mud houses, courtyards, a market and an old mosque, built by a pearling community and largely abandoned in the 1960s. Walking its quiet lanes, with the sea just beyond the walls, feels like stepping back into the era before oil, and it is free and open to wander.

For couples, the appeal is mood rather than a swim. The honest truth is that this is not a groomed swimming beach, the adjoining shore is shallow and silty, and there are few facilities beyond the village itself. What it offers instead is rare and quiet beauty, especially in the late afternoon, when the low sun turns the old coral walls a soft amber and the day visitors drift away. Bring a camera, tread gently around the fragile buildings, and give yourself an hour to simply wander.

The smart move is to pair it with a beach. Flamingo Beach and the Al Hamra shore are both close by for the actual swim, so you can take the history at golden hour and the water either side of it. Come in the cooler months, wear something to cover up in the sun, and treat Jazeerat Al Hamra as the soulful, romantic counterpoint to the resort sand down the coast rather than a place to lay a towel.