A romantic weekend in the UAE

In Abu Dhabi, watch the sunset from the Corniche or Saadiyat Beach, then dine on the waterfront. In Dubai, take a dhow along the Creek and walk Al Fahidi afterwards. In Al Ain, be on Jebel Hafeet an hour before sunset and drive down in the dark. In Ras Al Khaimah, sunrise on Jebel Jais is a rarely crowded alternative.

Nothing replaces a night in the dunes. A sunrise balloon flight is the active version. The quieter version is a private dinner at a camp with lanterns, bukhoor and oud, away from the shared-safari convoys. For ideas and what to budget, see romantic things to do in Abu Dhabi and our proposal guide.

Balloon flights, private dinners and any dhow cruise with a table on the upper deck all book out on weekends in the cool season, especially around 14 February. Book two to three weeks ahead for a small private evening and longer for major dates.

Dress for the setting: lightweight layers for the day and a warmer layer for the dunes after dark, with flat shoes you can walk on sand in. If a photographer is involved, ask about timing so the first shots are taken while the light is still golden. For a proposal, brief the venue early about where you will stand and who is in on the surprise.

In the cool months the UAE is dry almost every day, but rain does come between December and March; ask any venue what the rain plan is. Allow a budget conversation up front: a private desert evening is quoted against a brief, while a dhow cruise or a restaurant table has a fixed price per person.

A shared experience is cheaper and perfectly good for seeing the sunset or the stars. A private evening costs more but gives you control of the menu, the music and the timing, and nobody else in the shot. If it is a proposal, an anniversary or a first date you want to remember, the private option is usually the one people describe afterwards.

Friday: arrive in Abu Dhabi, check in and take a late-afternoon walk on the Corniche; dine on the waterfront. Saturday: a morning at Louvre Abu Dhabi or a mangrove paddle, a long lunch, and the drive out to the desert in the afternoon for a private dinner as the light turns. Sunday: a slow breakfast, then Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque or the beach, and home by the evening. It is a weekend with one big evening and nothing rushed around it.

If you prefer Dubai, replace the Corniche with the Creek and Al Fahidi, keep the desert for the Saturday evening and add a sunrise balloon flight on Sunday morning if you can face the early start.