Beach holidays

Five seas, five seasons

Choosing a beach starts with the month of travel. The Gulf at Dubai, the Sea of Oman at Muscat and the Red Sea stay warm in winter; Morocco's Atlantic stays cool all year; the Mediterranean is mainly for summer swimming.

In winter, then, Dubai and the Red Sea have the warmest water, around 22 to 25 °C from December to March; in Dubai the air stays mild, with average highs of 24 to 31 °C from November to March. From June to September the Gulf goes above 32 °C and the air above 39 °C: beach time there is early morning or night. Muscat follows the same rhythm, with air at 25 to 27 °C from December to February. In summer the air there gets very hot, with an average August high of 37.5 °C in Hurghada: this is the season for Morocco's Atlantic, where Agadir's high stays around 27 °C in July and August thanks to the trade winds, and for the Mediterranean.

Which beach for which stay

A reef off the beach. On the Red Sea, the beach is often the starting point for the coral. The adults-only Steigenberger Coraya Beach has an 800 m private beach with direct reef access. At the Hilton Marsa Alam Nubian, on Abu Dabbab Bay, you swim over seagrass beds visited by turtles and dugongs. At the Four Seasons in Sharm el-Sheikh, two jetties lead to the hotel's two reefs, along a kilometre of private beach. Jetties let you enter the water beyond the shallows, without walking on the coral. The Diving page presents the offshore sites.

A sheltered sandy beach. For easy swimming, Soma Bay and El Gouna have gentler beaches: 400 m of private beach below the Kempinski Soma Bay, a private sandy cove below The Chedi El Gouna. The Oberoi at Sahl Hasheesh, on its bay, adds a reef and a dive centre.

The big Atlantic beach. Agadir's seafront lines its hotels along the sand: the two Riu hotels, including the Riu Tikida Beach for guests aged 16 and over, and the Sofitel Agadir Thalassa, with a private beach on the Bay of Palms. Further north, Taghazout Bay has the Fairmont and the Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout, and Paradis Plage lies along a 5 km beach at Imi Ouaddar. Near Rabat, the Conrad Rabat Arzana overlooks Val d'Or beach in Harhoura. On this coast the swell delights surfers: see the Surfing page.

The lagoon. Two lagoons change the idea of an Atlantic beach. In Oualidia, between El Jadida and Safi, La Sultana overlooks a lagoon separated from the ocean by a line of dunes: you can kayak and visit the oyster beds. In Dakhla, Palais Rhoul has its private beach on the lagoon, the flat water kitesurfers come for; the Kitesurfing page presents the spot.

A city beach, in Dubai. In Dubai the beach is at the foot of the city, and every large hotel has its own. Three districts share the coast. In Jumeirah, the resorts are closest to the centre: the 270 m natural beach of the Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira next to Jumeirah Mosque, the island of the Bvlgari Resort, then, in Umm Suqeim, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab and Jumeirah Al Qasr, which shares a 2 km beach with Madinat Jumeirah. On Palm Jumeirah, each resort on the crescent has its own private beach, further from town: Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal with the water park, One&Only The Palm, the kilometre of sand at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, and the lagoons and overwater villas of Anantara The Palm, under renovation until spring 2027. At Dubai Marina, the Ritz-Carlton and Address Beach Resort open onto the public JBR beach and its promenade, Banyan Tree has 500 m of private beach on Bluewaters Island, and the adults-only The Residence shares the One&Only Royal Mirage's kilometre of beach. Public beaches such as Kite Beach, facing the Burj Al Arab, are free; the Dubai beaches guide covers them.

A beach below the mountains, in Muscat. In Muscat, Oman's capital, the beach runs along a low-rise city backed by the Hajar mountains. On Shatti Al Qurum, the city beach, three large hotels stand side by side on the sand: the Mandarin Oriental, with a kids' club; the W Muscat, next to the Royal Opera House, for those who want an evening out; and the Grand Hyatt, the most affordable, from about €230 a night. A little further west, The Chedi fronts its private beach with water gardens. Towards the airport, in Al Mouj, the Kempinski and the St. Regis share the seafront with a golf course. To the south-east, the coves are more sheltered, between cliffs: Jumeirah Muscat Bay in Bandar Jissah bay and, at Barr Al Jissah, the complex run by Hilton since January 2026, with the cove of Al Husn, for guests aged 16 and over, and the 500-plus metres of beach at the DoubleTree Al Waha, the family choice. About an hour north-west, on the Batinah coast, the Barceló Mussanah adds a water park to its private beach, at around €120 a night. The Muscat page describes the boat trips.

Southern Oman's beaches, with a caveat. The selection also includes beach hotels on the Arabian Sea, in Salalah and Mirbat, such as Al Baleed Resort by Anantara, and in Musandam, Six Senses Zighy Bay. Some foreign ministries advise against travel to the Salalah, Duqm and Musandam areas: these pages are for information and give your country's advice, and the guide Oman and the regional situation sets out the details.

The Mediterranean in summer. In Morocco, Tamuda Bay offers 15 kilometres of fine sand, according to the Moroccan National Tourist Office; the Banyan Tree puts its guests in villas with private pools, and the Sofitel keeps children aged 4 to 17 busy. In Tangier, the Idou Malabata faces the Strait of Gibraltar. In Egypt, the north coast, the Sahel, is the great summer holiday destination for Egyptians, especially in July and August: the Four Seasons in Alexandria is linked by a tunnel to its 500 m private beach, and the Al Alamein Hotel, opened in 1960, is on Sidi Abdel Rahman Bay.

Before you swim

Atlantic currents. Most Moroccan beaches are unsupervised, drownings are frequent, and great caution is needed even on supervised beaches, because of tides and currents. Sabaro advises swimming in front of the hotel, where it indicates, and staying out on days with a swell.

Coral. In Egypt, taking or damaging coral is punishable. Clean any coral cut carefully, however small, as surface toxins can infect it. Water shoes protect your feet on reef beaches.

Sharks. The Red Sea is home to sharks; accidents are rare. Follow dive centres' instructions strictly.

Dubai's rules. Swimwear is worn only on the beach and by the pool, and topless sunbathing is banned. Rip currents can form on any beach: swim in supervised areas only, never under a red flag. Three public beaches in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim are lit and supervised for night swimming. Photographing or sharing images of strikes, debris or the security situation is a criminal offence in the Emirates; for the regional situation, see the guide Dubai and the regional situation.

Wind. It is frequent on the Atlantic. In Essaouira, whose beaches hold the Blue Flag bathing-water label, the sand blows in strong wind: the town suits board sports better than lazy days in the sun.

Oman's rules. Swimwear is for tourist beaches and pool areas only; elsewhere, shoulders and knees stay covered. Alcohol is served in licensed venues such as hotel bars and is banned in public, beaches included.

For a beach holiday with children, the Family holidays page presents kids' clubs and water parks.

Tunisia: the Mediterranean, from Tabarka to Djerba

In Tunisia, the sea is warm from June to October: in Gammarth it averages between 22.5 and 27°C over that period, and on Djerba it stays above 24°C. The selection's beach hotels are spread all along the coast.

Gammarth, north of Tunis. The Four Seasons has a 500-metre beach; the beach at The Residence Tunis is open only from mid-May to mid-October. Carthage and Sidi Bou Said are close by (the region).

Hammamet and the Sahel. In Yasmine Hammamet, the Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa has a private beach. In Sousse, the Mövenpick sits on the sand of the corniche, 2 km from the centre, and the Iberostar Selection Diar el Andalous faces the beach at Port El Kantaoui. In Mahdia, the Iberostar Selection Royal El Mansour is on the beach, a few minutes' walk from the old town.

Djerba. The Hasdrubal Prestige is on Sidi Mahrez beach; the all-inclusive Iberostar Selection Eolia faces Sidi Bakour beach; the Radisson Blu Palace is a short walk from the sandy beaches of the tourist zone.

Tabarka. On the north-west coast, La Cigale has a sandy beach fringed by pine woods, about 2 hr 45 min by road from Tunis-Carthage airport.

Turkey: the Aegean and the Lycian coast

In Turkey, the sea is warm enough for swimming from June to October. In Bodrum, it goes from about 23 °C in June to 26 °C in August; in Kaş, on the Lycian coast, it is above 24 °C from June to October and nears 29 °C in August. Most beach hotels open from April or May to October.

The Bodrum peninsula. Each bay has its hotels: the Mandarin Oriental on Cennet Koyu bay, Maçakızı and Kuum in Türkbükü, Susona in Torba, The Bodrum EDITION on Dirmil Bay, Flamm on the Gölköy seafront, METT in a cove facing the castle. Further north, Six Senses Kaplankaya has its private beaches.

The Lycian coast. At the head of the Gulf of Göcek, the D-Resort has a private beach with two jetties; between Fethiye and Göcek, the Yonca Lodge has its own, in an orchard by the sea. In Kalkan, the Hotel Villa Mahal has a beach club, 650 m from the harbour by water taxi. In Çıralı, on a long beach where loggerhead turtles nest, the Olympos Lodge and the Arcadia are right by the sand.

Near İzmir and Istanbul. Hiddenbay Teos, in Sığacık, south of Urla, has a private jetty. On the Princes' Islands, the Sea of Marmara reaches 21 °C in June and 24 °C in July and August; the Princes' Palace has its own private beach.