12 of 14 places fit
A quiet Umm Al Quwain beach club that sets aside ladies days, on a coast far less built up than Dubai's.
A long-running community sports club whose pool comes with a three-month membership far cheaper than Dubai gym pools.
A hotel beach and pool day pass in an alcohol-free resort, with women-only spa and pool zones.
Sheltered lagoon beaches inside a municipal park for a few dirhams, with women-only days on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Women-only swimming pools and a private beach on the Sharjah corniche, open to non-members on day passes.
Public lap swimming in the 50-metre competition pool that hosted the 2010 world short-course championships, with a separate 25-metre training pool.
A women-only club with its own private beach and pools on Jumeirah Beach Road, so you can swim without a mixed crowd.
A grassy beach park with sea swimming for AED 5, and women-only days on Mondays and Wednesdays.
A women-only beach in Al Bateen, so you can swim in the sea without an audience.
A 25-metre, eight-lane pool where you can swim proper lengths without hotel loungers in the way.
An 800-metre Blue Flag beach looking across to Hudayriyat, with calm, clear water and a watersports centre for kayaks and paddleboards.
Al Dhafra's only developed beach: turquoise water, almost never crowded, and free.