A Dubai hotel is planning to refrigerate its beach so beachgoers won't burn their feet on the sand, a move likely to anger environmentalists who are concerned it will increase the country's carbon footprint.

The proposal comes from the Palazzo Versace Hotel, and when completed, will include a system of heat absorbing pipes under the sand to make it more comfortable for people to walk on.

The hotel is scheduled to open in either late 2009 or early 2010. It will also feature a cooled swimming pool for guests visiting the steamy Persian Gulf nation, where temperatures are known to climb as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

But the move has some environmental groups steaming. Rachel Noble, of the environmental organization Tourism Concern, said the project contributes to the country's decadent image and its contribution to global climate change.

"Dubai is like a bubble world, where the things that are worrying the rest of the world, like climate change, are simply ignored so people can continue their destructive lifestyles," Noble was quoted saying in the Daily Mail.