Is this the chicest new family pool day in Dubai? 

I think the term family-friendly is overused. I’m guilty of it too; if a venue allows children in before a certain time, it’s considered family friendly. But is it really? Do they have a menu catered to little ones with more options besides chicken nuggets and fries? Is it a safe place for children to actually have fun and let it all out? Is there any entertainment or a play area? Are the staff welcoming towards children? Is this somewhere you’d take your grandparents? Making parents feel at ease at a five-star beach club, isn’t as easy as it may sound…

You might think that Dubai doesn’t need any more beach clubs, but a chic family-friendly beach club that mama, papa, and the little ones will enjoy equally? Sign us up. And so, shortly after its opening, we found ourselves at the new little sister of Twiggy by La Cantine: Twiggy Family, to see if it is truly family friendly…

 

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Also located within the Park Hyatt Dubai, Twiggy Family has taken over the hotel’s Al Porto lagoon. The setting is sublime, overlooking the Dubai Creek Marina and Yacht Club, and, as with all things Rikas Group, there’s a noticeable attention-to-detail and easy elegance from the moment you walk in.

A little quieter and less flashy than its sister venue, Twiggy Family features a calming colour palette, stunning 100-metre lagoon, a waterfront restaurant serving Mediterranean-inspired dishes, plush shaded sunbeds as well as a cabana that fits up to six people, and a toddler-tastic splash pad.

We sink into our loungers by the poolside (parent hack: sit between the splash pad and the lagoon), with only the summer heat to remind us that we are, in fact, still in Dubai. We refresh with dips in the temperature-controlled water, iced coffee (Dhs35), and fresh coconut (Dhs55).

From paddling in the shallow water to jumping around on inflatables, building sandcastles in the sand to running around in the splash pad, we decide we’re having too much fun to go to the restaurant and so order lunch to the lounger.

The watermelon and feta salad (Dhs79) melts in our mouth with refreshing sprigs of mint and the margarita pizza (Dhs81) is another hit: cheesy, crispy, salty with a perfectly cooked base.

The children’s menu has a decent variety of dishes from sandwiches to pasta, pizza to burgers, but on a hot summers day we decide to order the acai bowl (Dhs62) from the dessert menu, topped with fresh fruit. As the sun begins to set, we all find it hard to tear ourselves away.

Twiggy Family is setting the standard for family pool days in Dubai. It’s the perfect balance between finger food and sandy toes, but also champagne and oysters.

Verdict: The ideal new spot for a relaxing yet fun-filled family day, and yes, a strong contender for Dubai’s chicest family beach club.

Twiggy Beach, Park Hyatt Dubai, Dubai Creek Resort. Daily, 9am to sunset. Dhs200 per person (weekdays), Dhs250 per person (weekends), Children Dhs100 (weekdays), Dhs125 (weekends). Children five years and below go free. Tel:(0)4 602 1105. twiggy.ae

Images: Provided