For a happy time, ‘buy’ the beach!

A quiet piece of heaven with white soft sand and a gentle turquoise sea by its side, is how one would describe the beautiful Saadiyat beach that is undisputedly one of the most beautiful public beaches of Abu Dhabi. Yet, many of Abu Dhabi residents are put off by the price they have to pay to access the very basic facilities of the beach.

German national Martina Venus, a resident here, is one of them. “I love Saadiyat beach. It is the best in terms of quality, but here you have to pay for everything — sunbed, umbrella and towel,” she said.

One of the Capital’s four pubic beaches — Yas, Corniche and Al Bateen being the other three — Saadiyat charges an entrance fee of Dh50 on weekdays and Dh75 on weekends per adult, which includes a sun lounger. To rent a locker you have to pay an extra Dh15 per person, and Dh10 for a towel.

The beach only has 100 sunbeds available, which quickly run out, especially on weekends.

“Hotels and tour agencies have started bringing guests here, so you often see tourist buses arriving in the morning. If you don’t get to the beach before them, you miss your chance to get a sunbed, and the beach management doesn’t allow you to bring your own chair, so you have to sit on your towel,” said Martina.

For the 400-metre stretch beach there is only one cafe with a limited menu of sandwiches, burgers and basic beverages.

Since the Saadiyat Island coast is a protected area, as it is home to the endangered Hawksbill turtles, no motor sports and loud music is allowed on the beach, so activities are limited to tennis, paddle boards and kayaks on Fridays and Saturdays only.

Yas Island beach

“That is why, for the facilities, I prefer Yas beach,” claimed Martina.

“It faces the mangroves on Yas island, so it doesn’t have the same open sea views, but it has a proper licensed restaurant with a good menu, and we can do watersports here too.”

Opened in January 2013, Yas is the latest addition to public beaches in Abu Dhabi. Initially, it was meant for guests at the hotels on Yas Island, for whom beach access is free, but it also allows access to anyone for Dh50 on a weekday and Dh100 on a weekend or a public holiday per adult (eight to 16-year-olds pay half). The entrance fee includes sunbed, parasol and beach towel. The management here claims that after Ramadan, even more eating, sport and leisure options will open.

Yas beach is also the official venue of the Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi to watch the World Cup 2014, so there is no charge for admission after 7pm for Brazilian nationals. Two large HD projector screens have been set up on the beach with specials on food, drinks and sheesha.

“I came with friends to watch the first few World Cup games. It was my first time on Yas beach and I was really impressed. The facilities are great, the beach has nice sand and the water looks clean,” said Palestinian resident Mahmoud Amer.

Abu Dhabi Corniche beach most popular

“I’m not one who likes to spend too much time sitting still, so sometimes I go to the Corniche beach with my friends and we play beach football. Here there are a lot of watersports, so I came back to check them out,” Amer said.

Giving its location, downtown Abu Dhabi, its multiple sections for families and individuals and its good facilities, the Abu Dhabi Corniche public beach remains the most popular of them all.

Over 1.2 million people visited the beach in the first quarter of this year, when the sea water was still cold, so a lot more are expected during the summer.

“I prefer Corniche beach because it is just across the road from where I live,” said UK national Nancy Donovan, a mother of two and housewife.

“We usually come here over the weekend. My kids love making sand castles, while I finally get to relax with a good book.”

“My only complaint is that the water channel between the beach and the Lulu Island ahead is too busy with boats, so the swimming area is restricted to just a few metres, which can make the water quite crowded sometimes.”

Just like Saadiyat and Al Bateen public beaches, the Corniche one is managed by beach operator Bake. Since it took over in 2009, Bake split the two-kilometre Corniche public beach stretch into three sections — for singles and groups, families and children, and for families and quiet zone.

There are showers and changing rooms, plenty of cafes along the Corniche as well as bike renting. Occasionally, there are yoga sessions and even live DJ music, but no watersports.

Al Bateen beach

The quietest of them all, Al Bateen beach, opened in October 2012. The 800-metres stretch of the beach overlooks Hudariyat Island and Hudariyat bridge, on the west side of the city.

Facilities are very basic, but they include a children’s playing area and kayaking. They have recently added a women-only section too.

“I don’t swim, but I like to come here in the afternoon sometimes, just to watch the sunset. Being on the west side, the sun sets in the sea, and its a spectacular view. No matter how many times I watch it, I don’t get bored,” said Emirati Mariam Al Hamoodi from Abu Dhabi.

During the month of Ramadan, these beaches will remain open, but no food or drinks will be allowed and especially the Corniche and Al Bateen beaches are expected to be nothing more than walking promenades.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com