All too often, we find ourselves visiting venues that proudly trumpet themselves as “beach clubs” to find they’re just an old-school beach bar with delusions of grandeur.
But this is Dubai, and when Barasti Beach Dubai bills itself as the emirate’s “OG Beach Bar”, you suspect that this might be a nod towards humility rather than accuracy.
Whichever way it turns, our review team was raring to head to Mina Seyahi and spend some time at Barasti to find out if this would be the beach bar experience to rule them all, and this is what they learned.
Introduction – Getting To Barasti Beach, Dubai
There is absolutely no challenge getting to Dubai from most of the world. The airport in Dubai, which is one of the world’s largest transport hubs, is ably served from every continent on the planet.
If you can’t get a direct flight from where you are, it’s not likely to require more than one connection to do the trick. Dubai is also remarkably close to Europe, though quite some distance from Australia and North and South America.
Once you’re in the emirate, then Mina Seyahi is in Dubai Marina, which is a little bit down the coast from Jumeriah, the most popular destination in Dubai.
So, it shouldn’t be too much of a drive for most holidaymakers to enjoy the facilities at Barasti Beach, though if you are coming from much further away, make sure to take into account that Dubai’s traffic can be brutal during rush hours.
Once you arrive at the beach club, as you’d expect, this being Dubai, you can easily find valet parking or be dropped off at the front door by your taxi driver.
Where Is Barasti Beach, Dubai? Le Meridien Mina Syahi Beach Resort & Marina – Dubai Marina – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Online: Barasti
Opening Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 a.m. daily, though hours may change for Ramadan or on public holidays
What’s Available At Barasti Beach Dubai?
In the day, you have a pleasant pool, comfortable seats, piped music, a bar and basic restaurant services. At night, they have live music and DJ sets and regular beach parties that go on and on and on. Barasti is open until 3 a.m. every day.
Our Detailed Review Of Barasti Beach Dubai
We maintain a standardised approach for assessing each beach club to ensure a just evaluation of owners, management, and staff, and to deliver reviews in a uniform structure that simplifies comparing venues.
The assessment process is structured as follows:
- A review team is assigned to examine the venue.
- All members must visit the beach club, though they may visit separately and on different days.
- At the venue, each reviewer completes a scorecard, scoring the club from 1 (lowest calibre) to 5 (highest calibre) across predefined categories, while also recording their observations.
- Once all scorecards are submitted, the team convenes to discuss their findings and finalise category scores.
- A chosen team member then composes the review, capturing the team’s consensus and scores, before it is posted on our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
The reservation process is the most neglected part of the beach club experience, yes, even in Dubai, where people will spend millions of dollars on a sports car, the same person refuses to spend the few thousand dollars it might take to be able to book a seat in their beach club.
In the case of this beach club, they’ve kind of gone halfway towards a solution. When you click to book, you’re taken to the restaurant booking app Seven Rooms and offered a choice of dates and promotions.
It’s not the best system we’ve seen, and you certainly can’t choose a seat using this booking system, but it’s not the worst either. At least, they have a system.
Overall, though, this is a Le Meridien property, and the booking process is simply not good enough.
Ambience and Atmosphere
It very much depends on the time of day that you rock up to Barasti as to the kind of atmosphere you will find.
During much of the day, it’s a bit on the dead side. Dubai is too hot to be frolicking outside for very long in the sunshine.
But at night, things pick up markedly, and you can see why many people say that this is the busiest bar in the emirate, particularly on weekends.
Then, it can be hard to move, and we’d recommend that you secure your seats before the sunset crowd arrives and takes every spot like hungry locusts in a corn field.
From then on in, there’s an upbeat party vibe, and you are bound to make a few friends if you want to socialise.
Location And Accessibility
Dubai is very easy to get to from most of the planet. There was a time when people just used to pass through the airport in Dubai and leave on their way somewhere else.
Now, you will find that a lot of people choose to take a holiday in the emirate and aren’t going on at all.
Most people on holiday here will stay in the Jumeirah area, and while this club is in Dubai Marina rather than on the main Jumeirah Beach stretch, it’s not too far away.
Even when the traffic is pretty heavy, it’s a short drive away. However, if you’re in Deira or further afield, do keep the traffic in mind before you book your time slot at Barasti Beach.
Aesthetic And Design
In any other part of the world, you’d give this beach club a slightly higher score for the design and aesthetics, but this is Dubai, and there has been a stupid amount of money thrown at beach club decor in the emirate.
Barasti Beach is attractive enough, and your Instagram photos won’t suffer here, but going for the “beach bar” vibe means it does look cheaper and more basic than summer of the super glam locations.
It’s not a big deal, mind you, as the crowds that throng this place at night will tell you, it’s about good times, more than looking good.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
We always find ourselves in awe of the service standards in Dubai. You’d think that, given the scale of the tourism industry and the fact that all the workers have been imported from various parts of the world, they’d struggle to deliver a coordinated service.
But that’s never the case; they bring the best of the best to work here, and it shows. The staff here are very friendly and professional. We imagine the team at Le Meridien has helped to polish their skills.
On top of that, they know the menu back to front, can offer useful advice about life in Dubai and are happy to help with anything that’s within their power to assist with.
Service Speed and Efficiency
Mostly, we felt that the service speed and efficiency were very good in Barasti Beach, but there’s no doubt that when it gets super busy, things slow down a bit.
We don’t think that can be helped, this place is often heaving and that means wait times are bound to go up.
However, we can’t give full marks when there are times of day when you are going to have to wait a while for even a beer from the bar to make its way to you.
We don’t know how this venue could do better than it does in these times, but we wish that it could.
Food Quality and Variety
This may be Dubai, but Barasti seems to be going with the more traditional English pub food menu rather than anything more local.
That’s fine, and there’s no doubt that there’s a good range of options on the menu in this place. However, it’s definitely pub food rather than haute cuisine.
We enjoyed the burgers, though we wouldn’t call the Michelin Guide to recommend them, and overall, we felt that the food was more adequate than amazing.
We suspect that one of the reasons Barasti is so popular is that this kind of comfort food is a big draw for the local expats. But it’s less appealing when you’re on holiday.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
Where we can’t fault this beach club for is the huge list of available drinks; we were particularly impressed with the huge levels of beer on draft available.
Beer drinkers are often an afterthought at beach clubs at best, but they put you front and centre at Le Meridien, and we really appreciated it.
However, despite the variety of the list. You can’t get away from the fact that a bottle of Jack Daniels (approx. $10-$20 retail) sells for $340 USD in this club. And similar margins are on all the other drinks.
We know that Dubai has some serious alcohol taxes, but there’s a moment when you think, “this is bonkers”, all the same.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
We found that this beach club was as clean and well-maintained as we’d expect a 5-star hotel property to be.
The pool water is remarkably clean all day long, though we suspect it may be less so at 3 a.m. None of us were around to inspect it at that time, mind you.
The changing facilities, toilets, etc., were all very nice, and given the volumes of people moving through these areas, that’s an impressive feat.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
The furniture here is designed to withstand the all-night parties that this venue throws, and that means some compromises on the materials; otherwise, they’d have to replace the furniture daily.
But that does mean that the harder-wearing exteriors are not as comfy as they might be. They’re not awful, and after you’ve drunk as much as the average customer, you won’t notice how comfy they are or aren’t, but there are much better seats available in Dubai and elsewhere.
Music and Entertainment
The early day is not great, but when the party gets started, there’s no doubt that Barasti Beach knows how to throw a party and get the dancefloor moving.
The live DJs and bands here are always first-rate, and they know what their crowd wants to hear. This isn’t a place for cutting-edge music – it’s all about crowd-pleasing and having fun.
And that’s exactly what most people want from a beach club, a social hive of activity where you can just let your hair down and be.
Seasonality
This is Dubai. It’s hot and sunny all year round. There’s almost no rain in the emirate whatsoever, and it never rains two days back-to-back.
So, you’re pretty much guaranteed good weather for a visit to Barasti. The only downside is that apart from a couple of “winter” months, it’s very, very hot in Dubai.
Make sure to pack sunscreen, cover-up clothing and spend most of your time in the shade and pay real attention to rehydration. The sun in Dubai is hardcore.
Pricing and Value for Money
The pricing isn’t out of line for beach clubs in Dubai, but the downside of going for the “beach bar” rather than “beach club” vibe is that you really do notice how extremely expensive it is.
You’re not being ripped off, but for the price of a bottle of Jack, you could have 2 or 3 days’ worth of great nights out in Bali or Phuket.
So, we have to award this place a middle-of-the-road score. It’s just not great value for money in the scheme of things.
Beach Access and Quality
You do have beach access here. Like most beaches in Dubai, it’s reclaimed land with imported sand that is immaculately manicured.
Swimming isn’t recommended in the ocean, and given that they have a great pool area, why would you bother?
Sustainability Practices
We were very disappointed to find that the Le Meridien chain has made no commitments to sustainability for this beach club or published any reports on it.
There’s not even a nod to social responsibility, which is often a big deal in most big hotel chain portfolios. So, we can’t award any points in this category.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You get the usual towel and a place to sit as long as you agree to the minimum spend here (and you have to – in order to get into the club in the first place).
However, there’s no VIP tier of inclusions, not even for an additional fee.
Safety and Security
This is Dubai, one of the safest places to be in the world, and that’s because they take security seriously in the emirate.
Cars are given a quick inspection before being allowed to enter the grounds, and bags are searched as needed.
In addition, they have a big security team on hand to makes sure that if anybody’s night gets out of hand, it won’t impact on your good times.
Event Hosting Capabilities
As you’d expect from a hotel chain like Le Meridien, there is a dedicated events team that can handle almost any kind of event.
It won’t be cheap, but they can handle everything from weddings to large corporate events.
Consistency of Experience
This place has found its groove and it’s sticking to it. There’s no doubt from our reviewers, the customers they spoke to in the beach club and the online reviews that this is a very consistent experience.
However, there’s no evidence of continuous improvement that would take the experience to the next level.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
The beach club has all the basic amenities that you’d expect and you’re in Dubai, if you need anything else it’s only a short drive away.
Summary
With Dubai’s beach club scene often being more about families than all-out fun, it’s nice to find a beach club with an emphasis on partying.
If you like to let your hair down in this desert land and don’t mind spending a small fortune on doing so, we think that you’re likely to have a great time at Barasti Beach.
The only drawbacks of coming here are down to the scale and popularity of the place, both of which tend to be an asset when it comes to the vibe of a good party.
So, if you do visit, leave the kids at home or with a babysitter and head out to dance the night away and enjoy a lovely pool to cool off in, too.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Barasti Beach Dubai?
Yes, there’s a lovely swimming pool area at Barasti Beach Dubai, and the pool is open until the club closes at 3 a.m.
Now, when it gets super busy at Barasti, it might be packed in the pool to do lengths, but in our experience, there was always enough space to splash about when you need to cool off (and you will need to cool off, this is Dubai).
There is also direct beach access at this beach club, and you could, in theory, swim in the ocean too, but this is Dubai, and nobody does.
Partly because the water’s a bit cloudy due to the party being on reclaimed land, and partly because nobody wants to be dragged out to sea by the current.
Stick to the lovely pool area, after all, that’s what you’re paying a small fortune to enjoy when you visit Barasti Beach in the first place.
What Is There To Do At Barasti Beach Dubai?
In the daytime, you can swim, walk on the beach (though don’t forget your flip flops), watch sports on the TVs, play pool, drink, relax and eat. You can also enjoy conversation with your companions and the hot sun of Dubai.
At night, the party starts, the DJs hit the decks, the pace goes decidedly upbeat, and you can dance, swim, eat, drink and have lots of fun.
Is Barasti Beach Dubai A Child-Friendly Venue?
Sort of. Children are allowed in some areas of the bar during the day, but not all areas, and the servers will advise you on where they can and cannot go.
Once the sun goes down, however, Barasti becomes an adults-only (that’s over 21 in Dubai) venue and children must leave the venue.
If you do bring your kids here, there is a lifeguard on the pool, but you are expected to look after them yourself and not rely on the beach club to keep them safe.
You must also ensure that your children don’t annoy other guests.
We wouldn’t choose Barasti Beach Dubai as a place to take our kids; there are many better family-friendly places in Dubai than this one. Barasti is really aimed at the partygoers, and that’s fine, but it’s not a great place for children because of it.
Who Is The Owner Of Barasti Beach Dubai?
Barasti Beach Bar is part of the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and, as such, it’s part of the Le Meridien Group. This is an internationally owned chain of hotels.
The beach bar is managed on a day-to-day basis by Peter Skudutis. Barasti is commonly considered to be Dubai’s busiest bar, and thus, you may not be able to talk to Peter while you are there; he’s a super busy man.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Barasti Beach Dubai
To describe Barasti Beach as a “beach bar” is being incredibly modest, and we understand that in this land of non-stop luxuries, sometimes a little humility is a good thing.
In our eyes, this is a fully-featured party beach club and one of the best for that kind of activity in Dubai.
No, it’s not as good as FINNS in Bali, which is the world’s best party spot, and it’s certainly not in the same league when it comes to value for money, but if you’re in the emirate in search of a good time, you will find it at Barasti Beach.
