Another day, another beach!  It really is such a hard life some days!  This time it was a beach club we opted for after a recommendation by a coworker.  I have mixed feelings about beach clubs but figured that it couldn’t be too bad as it was a week day.

Cove Beach Dubai has apparently been around a couple of years now but I had never heard of it so it felt a little exclusive!  It is not, as I was lead to believe by the person I spoke to, part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.  It is actually entirely separate and the entrance is by the public beach next door.  Thankfully we checked before getting out of the taxi!

We eventually found the entrance and met the very sizable bouncer/doorman who checked our bags very tactfully since we had an entire change of outfit, shower stuff, etc. for later!  He pointed us in the direction of the reception desk and off we pottered.

This is when my day took a turn south.

We were greeted by a little chap who, despite our friendly smiles, kept a straight face as he asked us for our reservation.  He didn’t manage to keep his eyes from looking me up and down, I believe, in judgement.  I can’t decide whether or not he naturally had a disdainful face or if I was found to be lacking.

Without another word, he marched off in the direction of the beach and we assumed that meant we should follow him.  When he got to a lounger, he waved his arms at it, had a quiet word with one of the guys close by, and flounced off.  The nice man who was close by helped us with our towels and the umbrella, and bought us the complimentary water we received with our AED 150 per person sunbeds.

When he returned he asked for my credit card and a form of ID.  That would make sense if someone had explained to us what was going on.  But no one had by this point.  I knew we obviously had to pay at some point for the beds, but demanding my card and ID with no explanation, before I had even sat down, was a bit much.  I personally blamed the reception guy for not welcoming us properly.  Who doesn’t ask if a guest has been before or explain the layout, or anything?  So rude.

Before booking, I had read and further asked about lockers, and been assured that there were adequate facilities for us to shower and change after our day out, ready for our dinner plans which were nearby.  There was indeed a shower area and locker room… but I had to go back and see Mr. Flouncy to gain access.  Something else he failed to explain earlier.

I will admit that by this point I was pissed off at the thought of having to deal with him again.  I am never great when I feel like I have been judged.  I don’t care where you are from, what job you hold, or what social status you have in the world.  It’s a shame more people aren’t like that.

Off I went and arranged my face into a smile, despite really not wanting to.  I was met by that disdainful look again so was coming to the conclusion that it was just an unfortunate arrangement of facial features rather than something I should be offended by.  I asked for the lockers and he informed me, with no pleasantries, that there was a 100dhs deposit needed for the key – and then literally said that it was to guard against people who would steal them.  Who the eff would steal a locker key?  Also, why did he feel the need to do that judgey look up and down again the middle of a sentence, which punctuated it really badly and gave the feeling of yet more judgement.  Maybe I look like someone with a key fetish?  Who knows.

I have to admit that I lost my temper a little.  Not a full blown nuclear explosion which is what I was feeling because I didn’t want to upset Mum, but I did get very snappy.  I asked why he couldn’t have told us this before, why he was so rude, and why he was making us feel so unwelcome.  He just rolled his eyes and repeated it was to stop people stealing the keys.

After I reiterated my questions he threw a key across the counter and told me not to bother with the deposit.  I stomped off to find that despite none of the lockers being in use, he had given us the really shitty one at the bottom right in the corner.  Awesome for the tallest people they were going to have in their establishment all day but whatever, I had a locker and after a phone call ranting to get it off my chest, I felt much better.

I would like to point out that I did indeed go back a short while later with the AED 100 deposit, to be waved off again.  This is where I got further annoyed though.  A group of “cool kids” came in.  You know the type. The ones who look the part.  All tanned and toned, and wearing the latest beach fashion.  He couldn’t have been nicer to them.  All smiles and chatter.  They obviously hadn’t been before either but he was practically falling over himself to welcome them and show them around.

Interestingly, when I went back to work and told the story to my coworkers, they knew the exact person I was talking about.  At least it’s not just me and Mum that he is rude to.

The only other ‘complaints’ that I had about the place was that it wasn’t super clean.  The people who had been on our loungers the day before had obviously been smokers and bad mannered ones at that.  The had put their cigarettes out in the sand, but then no one had come by to pick them up when they were setting up the next day.  The other issue was the lounger itself.  The ‘mattress’ had seen better days and I spent the majority of my time at a funny angle where one side had worn down more than the other.

That said, I didn’t actually spend much time on the lounger as it was far much more fun to have an explore and take photos!  (Which are mostly at the end of this post!)  I did come back to eat though and it was well worth it!

We shared the vegetarian quesadilla and the margarita pizza.

Firstly, the quesadilla was really good.  The veggies weren’t over cooked, there was a decent amount of cheese, and the tortilla had a little crunch.  Just how I liked them.  They were also served with guac, sour cream and salsa.  Winner!

Then there was the margarita pizza which came out square-ish.  It was also cut into little squares to make your eating experience easier.  HUGE fan of this concept.  Even bigger fan of this little pizza.  It was utterly delicious.  So good actually it may be one of the best I have ever had, and you know how much pizza I eat if you know me!!

If nothing else, I would go back just for lunch so I could have this pizza again.

Sadly the day all too quickly came to an end.  When you’re on the beach and you’ve put your dress back on, wrapped yourself in a pashmina and are using the towel as a blanket, you know it’s time to go clean up for dinner!

It was a little early though so we decided to have a couple of sun-downers before we ambled off again.  Once again, my expectations were far exceeded!  This place really knows it’s food and beverages!

Mum had the orangey looking one which was Bellini of sorts, but I think they fresh pressed the peach into it.  It was good.

Mine however was amazing!  I don’t know what it was called but basically it was a strawberry and rose wine slushy, with a bit more stuff thrown in for good measure.  And they were good measures.  Two of these and I was really rather tipsy!  They were so good though.

Next time I will skip the beach part and just head in for a couple of cocktails and the pizza.  I don’t think I will ever get over, or at least forget anytime soon, being so badly treated by Mr. Flouncy.  I wouldn’t subject myself to that for a second time.  I would happily ignore him and go straight to the divine waitress (massive amounts of curly hair if a manager is reading because she needs recognition for being so lovely) and order the good stuff.

It’s a real shame though.  The beach was small enough that it felt exclusive, but not so small you felt boxed in.  The music was actually really good too.  Fix that one little problem on the door and they would have a great venue that I would unreservedly recommend.

In the meantime, Have some pictures that I thought were quite good!!