Links, Parkland, Desert, Clifftop: The Landscapes of Resort Golf
How links, parkland, desert and clifftop courses play, how wind and turf change the game, what to pack and which landscape suits which golfer.
24.60° N · 55.40° E · United Arab Emirates
Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Families and golfers who want winter sun, short flights, beach resorts and a few nights in the dunes.
Local time
Dubai and Abu Dhabi combine two very different stays within a short drive: beach resorts on the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf, and the desert, a sea of red and gold dunes that begins less than an hour from the city skylines. Many travellers split their time, a few nights on the coast for the sea, the restaurants and the golf, then two or three in the dunes for silence, falconry displays and starry nights.
The short flight from Europe and the reliable winter sun make the Emirates easy for a long weekend or a family break in the colder months. Families find large resorts with kids clubs, water parks and calm beaches, golfers find championship courses in both cities, and the desert resorts offer camel treks, dune drives and reserves where Arabian oryx and gazelles roam.
When to go
The year in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
November to March is the season: warm, sunny days of 24 to 30 °C, cool desert nights and a sea of 22 to 27 °C. April and October are good but hot, especially in the desert. May and September are very hot. From June to August, daytime heat above 40 °C and high humidity on the coast make outdoor life difficult, and desert resorts are at their quietest or partly closed.
Typical long term values, indicative. Weather in any single year can differ.
Where to stay
Resort styles here
Dubai’s beach resorts line the coast and its artificial islands, while the desert resorts lie inland in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and near Al Marmoom. In Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island has beach resorts close to the museum quarter, and Sir Bani Yas Island to the west has a wildlife reserve. The deepest desert experience lies at Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter, where resorts sit among some of the highest dunes in the region.
Getting there
Nonstop flights from most European cities take around six hours to Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The drive to the desert resorts takes 45 minutes to an hour from Dubai, and around two and a half hours from Abu Dhabi to Liwa.
Guides that mention Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Read before you go
Desert Nights: A Guide to Stargazing from Your Terrace
Moon phase, season and twenty minutes of patience: how to plan a desert stay around the night sky and get the most from a dark terrace.
Winter Golf: Where the Fairways Stay Green from November to March
The Algarve, southern Spain, Morocco, the Gulf, Mauritius and the Caribbean compared for winter golf: temperature, rain, daylight and wind.
Tented Camp or Desert Villa: Choosing Your Kind of Desert
Canvas or stone, dune view or walled garden: how tented camps, permanent camps and desert villas compare on comfort, noise, sand and privacy.
Desert Resorts: Silence, Dunes and the Best Months to Go
Sand sea, stony plateau, canyon or mountain: how to choose a desert, when to go, and what the big temperature swing means for your stay.
