DUBAI - Great Beaches and Cafes at "Marina Walk"

In Dubai, there's an area in Jumeirah Beach that has the same feel and look as Ocean Drive in South Beach, Florida. It's a pedestrian mall lined with fantastic outdoor cafes and small boutiques located right across the street from gorgeous emerald beaches. The place is called Marina Walk.

This area caters mostly to foreigners and it has a very European feel. Also, there is something going on there at all hours of the day. You can visit in the am for an outdoor breakfast by the sea or at mid-day for a nice al-fresco lunch and a dip in the sea. At sunset hours it's particularly beautiful and at night, the place is full of people and it rocks!

To go to the Marina Walk, take a cab to the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah. It's located right on Marina Walk. Each way will cost approximately 45 Dirhams (about 13 dollars) and the ride will take about 20 minutes.

A second option is to take the new Dubai Metro from the nearest station to your hotel, to the Emirates Mall Station (or to the Marina Walk Station if its' already opened, not ready when I wrote this). From there, take a short cab ride to the Jumeirah Beach Hilton on Marina Walk.

Bring your bathing suit, some sun screen, your camera and enjoy the beach!

ps- You can't change into your bathing suit at the beach because it's against the law, but you can go to the Starbucks across the street and change in one of their bathrooms in the second floor like I did.