Drift Beach, at the swanky One & Only Royal Mirage, is a premium beach club for the rich and privileged. It’s a place where a simple thing like a sunbed (they call them Drift Sun Loungers) can cost you anywhere between AED150 and AED200 depending on which day of the week you rent it. Located independently of the hotel at the base of the Palm, as expected, it’s the pool and the paraphernalia around it which are the main attraction. That sentence should have included the view but half of it is obscured by the back end of the Palm. You have to keep your back to the restaurant to enjoy an unfettered view of the sea, and that too is through what looks like a mini version of the Dubai frame. This though is not at all a problem because one is treated to a pool side Quality Street assortment of bodacious, voluptuous eye candy.
That’s the pool. Note the building on the right and the frame on the left 
One of the most expensive bars in Dubai 
That’s the table we had lunch at; hardly a fantastic view
There are two restaurants and a bar at Drift. The first restaurant specialises in Provençal cuisine and offers pool/beach side casual chic at fine dining rates. We opted to order from the more reasonable bar menu and still the mini cheeseburger cost more than a wet burger at Nusret. I must admit though, it was damn good and somehow worth the money. Also commendable was the surprisingly authentic Pissaladière pizza. If you don’t mind anchovies, this is something you must try. It uses a base of caramelized onions rather than tomato sauce and is topped off by nothing more than anchovies and olives; combining sweet (caramelized onions), salty (anchovies) with an ever so slight hint of bitter (black olives) – delicious.
Pissaladière pizza 
Caesar salad 
Mini cheeseburgers 
Surprisingly authentic Pissaladière 
Delicious fries 
Damn good burger 
Our lunch 
AED90 for a G&T with Monkey 47
Drinks at Drift Beach are heinously expensive. A (very mediocre) Bloody Mary with their house vodka cost AED65, with Belvedere it inflates to AED85. G&T with Monkey 47 cost AED90 and a shot of Don Julio cost a cool AED100! A bottle of Whispering Angel (we had to have something with lunch) cost a whooping AED475. Our bill for the day – a mind boggling AED2,600 – for two. Service was fast but hardly what I’d call pampering. In fact, had it not been for our chirpy Belgian hostess (who herself committed a cardinal sin) we would have had zero interaction with the wait staff. Lazing around a pool on a beautiful October afternoon, surrounded by gorgeous women (who could all have been models), juiced up on AED2K+ of premium booze, it was hard (very hard) not to have a good time. Would I go back? Hmm…
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Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.