Cipriani is finally trading white tablecloths for the sand and coming to you to take in the alleys and allure of Venice. The 90-year-old Italian hospitality name behind Cipriani DIFC has announced Cipriani Lido. It’s the first-ever beach club concept in the UAE, set to open at J1 Beach in 2027. “Lido” means beach in Italian, which makes the whole thing sound a lot more romantic. Cipriani Beach Club is the next big name to plant a flag here. Moreover, it is arriving with the kind of Venetian polish the brand has been selling since 1931.
Here is what residents actually need to know.
What is Cipriani Lido?
This is the first Cipriani beach club anywhere in the UAE. The group already runs Cipriani DIFC, the fine-dining fixture in the financial district. And Socialista is a hidden Cuban-inspired members’ lounge tucked behind a private door inside. Cipriani Lido takes that DNA and moves it to the water.
The project is a collaboration with Fundamental Hospitality, the group run by Evgeny Kuzin that is already behind Sirene by GAIA on the same strip. So this is not an outside operator parachuting in. It is the same team that built one of J1 Beach’s biggest hits.
The timing is not a coincidence either. 2027 marks ten years since Cipriani DIFC first opened in Dubai, so the beach club doubles as an anniversary statement. Instead of opening yet another city restaurant, the family-run group is leaning fully into the beachfront for its next chapter here.
What to expect when Cipriani Beach Club opens?
Cipriani Beach Club describes an expansive seaside setting rather than a single restaurant, and the line-up reflects that. Based on the official announcement, here is what is confirmed so far.
- A signature restaurant serving Cipriani’s most familiar dishes, the guest favourites the brand has built its name on, delivered with the understated service it is known for
- A dedicated Bellini Bar and Lounge, a nod to Harry’s Bar in Venice, where the Bellini was invented
- Private dining rooms and a scenic terrace
- A Living Room inspired by Socialista, a social space built for long evenings, conversation and the see-and-be-seen energy J1 Beach runs on
- An artisanal cake and gelato display for the sweet-tooth crowd
- A private beach with specially designed Cipriani cabanas and luxury sunbeds looking out over the Arabian Gulf
If you have been to Cipriani DIFC, picture that level of polish, then add sand, sea and a sunset.
Where does it fit on J1 Beach?
J1 Beach took over the old La Mer South site and reopened from late 2024 as a curated strip of licensed beach clubs and restaurants along roughly 500 metres of Jumeirah 1 shoreline. Every venue here is commissioned by a different operator, which is why the strip feels less like a single resort and more like a collection of standalone concepts sharing the same beach.
Cipriani Lido joins names like Sirene by GAIA (which bills itself as the world’s largest beach club at 9,000 square metres), Bâoli, Gigi Rigolatto and Gitano. For more on what is already open here, see our full J1 Beach Dubai guide and our take on Bâoli, the pool-and-beach club worth building a weekend around.
Should you be excited?
Honestly, it depends on what you want from a beach day. If you treat Cipriani DIFC as a special-occasion table, a beachfront version with cabanas and a Bellini bar is an easy yes. If you prefer your beach clubs loud, late and party-first, Cipriani beach club understated-glamour approach may read as a bit too composed for you. That is not a knock; it is just a different mood.
What I keep coming back to is the Bellini bar on the sand. Cipriani invented the drink in Venice, and putting it at the centre of a beach club in Dubai is the kind of full-circle move that either lands beautifully or feels like a theme. We will find out in 2027.
For now, file it under “watch this space.” Reservations are not open, the menu is not public, and 2027 is far enough away that plenty could still change. But on a strip that already does Riviera glamour better than anywhere else in the city, a Cipriani beach club is a genuinely interesting addition.
FAQs
Cipriani Lido is scheduled to open at J1 Beach Dubai in 2027. An exact date has not been announced.
At J1 Beach on Jumeirah 1, the former La Mer South site, along roughly 500 metres of Jumeirah coastline.
Yes. Cipriani Lido is the first in the UAE and the first Cipriani beach club concept in the country.
Cipriani Group, in collaboration with Fundamental Hospitality, the group led by Evgeny Kuzin that is also behind Sirene by GAIA at J1 Beach.
A signature restaurant, a Bellini Bar and Lounge, private dining rooms, a terrace, a Living Room inspired by Socialista, an artisanal cake and gelato display, and a private beach with Cipriani cabanas and sunbeds.
Not yet. Reservations are not open. We will update this article once booking details are confirmed ahead of the 2027 opening.
Images: Official websites
Also Read: Beach Clubs Open in Dubai This Summer 2026: Who’s Open, What You Pay, Who’s Closed
