Summer in MENA has its own migration pattern. By August, everyone seems to have traded the city for somewhere by the water, somewhere with a very good dinner reservation, or somewhere worth disappearing to for a few days.
This summer’s map stretches from sunset dinners on Egypt’s North Coast and long afternoons by the water in Beirut to laid-back tables on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Some are new arrivals, others are the places we find ourselves returning to, but all have earned a spot on our summer address book. Here’s where we’d go before the season is over.
Nobu North Coast
Ras El Hekma, Egypt
If your ideal summer evening ends around a dinner table, make it Nobu North Coast. Still open throughout August at Ogami in Ras El Hekma, the seasonal outpost pairs its signature Japanese-Peruvian dishes with front-row views over the Mediterranean, with the sunset doing a fair amount of the work, too. Come towards golden hour, stay for dinner, and let one drink turn into several courses.
La Plage by La Maison Ani
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
La Plage takes everything people love about La Maison Ani and moves it outside. Think long lunches, striped loungers, chilled drinks and the kind of afternoon where nobody is particularly interested in checking the time. It’s elegant without feeling too precious, making it an easy pick when you want your Dubai summer to feel slightly more like the Riviera. They also just opened a brand-new spot on Egypt’s North Coast.
Missoni Beach Club
Ghazala Bay, North Coast, Egypt
The North Coast got considerably more colourful this summer. Missoni has taken over Villa Coconut Hotel at Zoya in Ghazala Bay for the first Missoni Resort Club in Egypt and Africa, covering the beachfront in the house’s inimitable prints and colour. It’s fashion-meets-beach-club in the most literal sense: Missoni patterns, Mediterranean blues and a setting seemingly engineered for very good holiday photos.
Parasol
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut knows how to do summer, and Parasol is one of the places making the case this year. Hidden away on the waterfront, the colourful pool spot opens onto daybeds, water views and long afternoons that can very easily stretch into evening. It has just enough glamour to feel like an occasion without requiring you to actually have one.
Ocean Vagabond
Dakhla Lassarga, Morocco
For something considerably more barefoot, head to Ocean Vagabond in Dakhla Lassarga. Sitting right by the Atlantic, it’s the sort of place you arrive at for lunch and an adventure, whether that’s kitesurfing, yoga, wingfoil, or surfing. There are wood-fired pizzas, tapas and bistro dishes, but the real draw is the atmosphere: salty air, sandy feet, and nowhere particularly urgent to be.
Joontos AlUla
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
For a summer stop that swaps the coastline for AlUla’s desert landscape, there’s Joontos. The spot makes the most of its surroundings, with laid-back seating, lanterns, dramatic rock formations in the distance and the kind of setting that gets even better as the sun starts to drop. It’s a slower, sexier addition to the summer circuit, and a welcome break from the season’s usual beach-club rotation.
Shams El Balad
Amman, Jordan
Joontos and Shams El Balad prove that not every summer address needs a shoreline. Set inside a beautiful old Amman home, Shams El Balad is the place for a long, unfussy meal built around seasonal produce and flavours from across the region. The leafy setting and communal-table energy make it feel less like somewhere you need to “be seen” and more like somewhere you actually want to sit for a few hours.
For more of the best getaways and destinations, visit our Check-In pages and follow us on Instagram.
