Dubai Islands
A chain of islands along the Deira shoreline, minutes from the old city. Beaches, marinas, and a coastline still quiet enough to feel new.
The city's next coastline
Dubai grew southwards for decades. Dubai Islands turns the map the other way: a master-planned group of islands off the Deira coast, where the city began. The setting is beachfront rather than skyline, with marinas, resorts, and residential districts planned around open water and open sand.
What makes the location unusual is how connected it stays. The islands are reached by road, not by boat. Old Dubai is next door, and Dubai International Airport is a short drive. Few waterfront addresses anywhere in the city sit this close to where it all started.
And the plan reads accordingly: luxury resorts, marinas, parks, golf played over open water, and a Blue Flag beach, all drawn under Dubai's 2040 vision. The city spent decades building southwards toward its icons. The islands bring that ambition back to the coast where Dubai began.
The five isles: The Central Island, Marina Island, Shore Island, Golf Island, and Elite Island. Five names that read like a masterplan on their own. Between them: resorts, marinas, entertainment districts, wellness retreats, and Souk Al Marfa on the water.
Figures per Nakheel, the master developer of Dubai Islands.
Dubai Islands is not
The World Islands.
The two are often confused, and they could hardly be more different. The World is a scatter of private islands far offshore, reached by boat. Dubai Islands lies along the Deira shoreline, drives like any other district, and is being built as a place to actually live.
Days drawn around water
The islands are planned as a resort city rather than a suburb: mornings on Blue Flag sand, golf played against the open Gulf, marinas within walking distance of home, and evenings at Souk Al Marfa on the water. Hotels and wellness retreats sit between the residential districts, so the resort life is the daily one.
And because the islands face the old city rather than the open desert, the other half of Dubai life stays close: the Creek, the souqs, and the city's original waterfront are minutes away across the bridge.
An address in the making
Dubai Islands is drawing a mix of established and emerging developers. Among them, UNHID Developments is the boutique name: a design-led company with a family construction legacy in Dubai since 1968, preparing to launch a development set to be among the most notable on the islands.
For UNHID, the islands are also a return. The company's story began in 1968 in a shop along Dubai Creek, in Deira's old waterfront souq of wind-towers and abra docks. Six decades later, it is preparing to build on the same stretch of coast where it began.
We work at a deliberately small scale. Low density over volume, considered detail over spectacle, homes delivered turnkey. The islands suit that way of building, which is why we chose them.
Where is Dubai Islands?
Dubai Islands sits just off the Deira shoreline on the northern coast of Dubai, connected to the mainland by road. The old city and Dubai International Airport are both a short drive away.
Is Dubai Islands the same as The World Islands?
No. The World is a separate archipelago far offshore, reached by boat. Dubai Islands lies along the Deira coast, minutes from the city, and is planned as a place to live rather than a novelty to visit.
What is Dubai Islands known for?
More than 20 kilometres of beaches including Blue Flag certified sand, luxury resorts, marinas, parks, and golf overlooking the Arabian Gulf. Planned under Dubai’s 2040 vision, the islands are one of the last coastal districts in the city still taking shape, which is precisely their appeal.
How do you get to Dubai Islands?
By road, across the Infinity Bridge from Deira, about twenty minutes from Dubai International Airport. The islands are also reached by sea, with marinas and waterfront access planned across them.
Who is building on Dubai Islands?
A mix of established and emerging developers is active across the islands. Among them, UNHID Developments is the boutique name: a design-led company with a family construction legacy in Dubai since 1968, preparing to launch a development set to be among the most notable on the islands.
How much do properties on Dubai Islands cost?
There is no single answer. Value on the islands is set by position on the water, density, view, and the standard of finish, and the district is still early in its release cycle. For a considered view of the boutique end of the market, the most useful step is a direct conversation.