The fishermen were there before us, of course. Sunrise belongs to people who work by it. Photographers and travellers are only ever guests at that hour, thermos in hand, trying not to get in the way.
Light in the first hour does something no filter can imitate. It comes in low and sideways, turning wet sand into a mirror and ordinary boats into silhouettes worth framing. By eight the same beach is just a beach again, pleasant and unremarkable.
Getting there is half the photograph.
The lesson travels well beyond beaches. Most places have one hour when they are fully themselves. Finding that hour, and being willing to wake for it, is the cheapest upgrade in all of travel.